Notre Dame’s tight end room is crowded, talented and still searching for a clear pecking order, and that creates a real opening for Jack Larsen.
The Charlotte native has been quiet for most of his time with the Irish, but his best spring yet put him back in the conversation. With Eli Raridon gone after being drafted in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft, there’s no obvious top option in the pass game, and Larsen’s hands have already earned praise from coaches who say he has the best hands on the team.
That reputation has shown up in flashes during Blue-Gold games, spring practices and jersey scrimmages. The challenge has been turning that into production on Saturdays. That could be next if Larsen carries his spring momentum into fall camp and claims a bigger role in a room that is now back to health and loaded with talent.
Larsen’s 2025 season was a clear step forward from 2024. After appearing in just one game as a freshman, he played in seven games as a redshirt freshman.
His first action of the year came in Notre Dame’s 56-30 win over Purdue at Notre Dame Stadium, and he grabbed the first catch of his college career in that game as well. The 6-3, 248-pound tight end also saw the field against Arkansas on the road, NC State, Navy, Pitt on the road, Syracuse on Senior Day and Stanford on the road to finish the regular season.
Much of that work came as a blocker, with 47 of his 70 total snaps coming in run blocking situations.
Even with that usage, Larsen’s ceiling remains tied to what he can do as a receiver. He’s viewed as one of the highest-upside pass catchers in the room, alongside incoming true freshman Ian Premer. There are other tight ends who could emerge in the passing game, but Larsen’s experience in the system gives him a real chance to break through in 2026 if he keeps developing and gets stronger as a blocker.
That’s the balancing act heading into the season. Cooper Flanagan is back from injury, James Flanigan is ascending, Ty Washington is entering year two and two talented freshmen are waiting for their chance.
Playing time won’t come easily. The Irish may lean more on matchup-based rotations than a traditional top-two tight end setup, which could create opportunities for Larsen in specific packages, including two-minute drills.
For Larsen, the final stretch of the offseason matters. He’s expected to compete hard for a spot in the rotation, and with this much depth in the room, nobody can coast.
A good season for Larsen would come with his receiving ability showing up on Saturdays. He arrived at Notre Dame in the same class as starting quarterback CJ Carr, who has said Larsen is one of his best friends on the team. That connection is one to watch, but the bigger story is simpler: if Larsen breaks out, it will be because his own talent and work finally showed up in games.
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Notre Dame Tight End Battle Just Got More Interesting For Ty Washington
Ty Washington carved out a steady role in his first season at Notre Dame, appearing in every game and doing much of his work as a run-blocking tight end. The former Arkansas transfer finished with five catches for 34 yards and a touchdown, giving the Irish a dependable piece in a room that has asked for both physicality and patience as the roster has evolved.
Now the next step is where things get interesting. Washington has spent the offseason reshaping his body, and he is set to fight for more than just a niche job as Notre Dame heads toward 2026. With injured tight ends working back and younger options pushing for snaps, the rotation is crowded enough that even a player who already found a foothold will have to earn every bit of it again. [Read more 🡒]
Cooper Flanagan Might Finally Be Notre Dame's Tight End Answer
Cooper Flanagan is back in the mix for Notre Dame after an Achilles injury wiped out much of his 2025 season, and the redshirt junior tight end enters the next phase of his comeback with a real chance to settle a long-running question for the offense. If he can carry the health he showed in spring into fall camp, he has the inside track to emerge as the Fighting Irishs starting tight end in 2026, which would give the staff a dependable option at a spot that has been waiting for someone to claim it.
Flanagans value has already been clear in the run game, where his blocking has made him a useful piece even as his role in the passing attack has stayed limited. The next step is obvious enough: he has to prove he can stay on the field and become more than a tight end who helps set the edge, because Notre Dame needs a player who can threaten defenses in more than one way before the job is truly his. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dames Defensive Reload Carries One Huge Question Into 2025
Notre Dame spent the spring and early summer trying to make sure its defense does not take a step back after losing key pieces, and the transfer portal became the quickest way to patch the most obvious holes. The Irish brought in help on the defensive line with Tionne Gray from Oregon, Francis Brewu from Pitt and Keon Keeley from Alabama, then turned to the secondary for DJ McKinney from Colorado and Jayden Sanders from Michigan, giving the staff a deeper group to work with as camp approaches.
The additions should create real competition across the defense and give Notre Dame more options if injuries or development slow things down, which is exactly what a program with playoff ambitions wants. The bigger question is how quickly those newcomers can translate that depth into dependable production, especially with some of them positioned to push for major roles right away and the secondary still sorting out who can be trusted when the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]