Notre Dame’s offense is leaving fall camp with a lot more than hype. Marcus Freeman said the Fighting Irish have the kind of depth that can keep Mike Denbrock’s attack moving even when the game plan starts spreading the ball around.
The head coach pointed first to the wide receiver group, where the list of options keeps growing behind the better-known names. Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse, Cooper Flanagan and Aneyas Williams are still part of the conversation, but Freeman made it clear this group isn’t built around just a few front-line playmakers anymore.
“We got some depth,” Freeman said of the Irish pass catchers. “I mentioned Elijah Burress and I mentioned Jerome Bettis Jr as well.
Bubba Frazier's had a really good camp and made some explosive plays. Logan Saldate had a big play today.
We have a deep wide out room that maybe haven't made those plays on the field yet in a real-game situation. But they've really shown us as a coaching staff that they're progressing and can help us.”
That same kind of depth shows up in the backfield, where Notre Dame has plenty of bodies and plenty of talent even after losing two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. The rotation still isn’t settled, but Freeman said there are enough capable runners to keep the staff busy sorting it out.
“You're obviously going to see Aneyas [ Williams ] out there,” Freeman shared. “You're going to see Nolan [ James Jr.
]. You're going to see Kedren [ Young ].
You really could see all five; I don't know how you play five running backs. Javian [ Osborne ] had a really good day today and Jonaz [ Walton ] has been consistent throughout the entire camp.
I think the top three, because you've seen their body of work, is why I said it in that order. But those two freshman have really, really gotten better.”
Tight end might be the deepest room of all. Flanagan is viewed as the No. 1 option, and Freeman didn’t hide how highly he thinks of him. But the coach also stressed that the position group goes well beyond one player.
“When I think of the alpha, I think of Coop,” Freeman raved about the California native. “I'm talking about an alpha male and he is that.
He'll be the first one to go out there, but we have a deep tight end room. You know, James Flanigan had a heck of a camp.
Jack Larsen's had a good camp. Then you have Ty [ Washington ] and Ian [ Premer ], he's a young guy and then Preston [ Fryzel ] has really done a good job.
The room is deep, but you're going to see a heavy dosage of Coop and James and then you'll see how much we get in there with Jack and Ty.”
With junior quarterback CJ Carr back under center and Denbrock entering year three, Notre Dame heads toward September 6 with a lot of options and a lot of expectations. Freeman said this could be his most talented offense yet, even alongside the record-setting group from 2025, and the Irish believe they have the depth to survive a 15- to 16-game grind.
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The leadership piece matters just as much as the talent for Freeman, who has pointed to Carr, cornerback Leonard Moore and defensive tackle Armel Mukam as the kinds of players who can steady the team when the pressure rises. Notre Dame has the look of a group with real experience and high-end upside, and how well that veteran core handles the weekly grind will go a long way toward determining whether the Irish can turn expectations into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]