Notre Dame’s running back picture looked crowded enough already. Aneyas Williams has been the name most people have circled in the race for the starting job, but two freshmen are pushing that conversation in a different direction.
Jonaz Walton and Javian Osborne have both made strong impressions on the coaching staff, and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said earlier this week that the pair has stood out every time they’ve gotten on the field in pads. His comments also hinted that both backs could be in line for meaningful work in 2026.
“When you hand those guys the ball, it’s reminiscent of what we’ve watched the last couple of years,” Denbrock said after one practice. He was referring to Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Denbrock was careful not to put the freshmen on that level yet, but he made it clear he sees real juice in both players.
“I’m not comparing them to those guys, but they have something about them that is really, really cool and they’re home run hitters.”
Osborne brings the kind of résumé that turns heads fast. In 2025, the senior rushed for 2,015 yards and 32 touchdowns on 249 carries, good for 8.1 yards per attempt, and added 10 catches for 155 yards.
He had already put up 1,085 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior, according to MaxPreps, and he finished his high school career as Forney High School’s all-time leader in rushing yards and career touchdowns. He also earned first-team All-State honors after his senior season.
Walton has been drawing praise for a while now. He had a strong spring and carried that momentum into training camp, enough for coaches to mention him as a possible Price-type complement to Williams in 2026.
Osborne’s emergence changes the feel of the room, though. What once looked like a possible two-back split could become something closer to a three-man rotation.
Both freshmen arrived as 4-star recruits, and so far they’re backing up that billing. There’s no settled order behind Williams yet, and Nolan James is also expected to get plenty of work for Notre Dame.
Walton and Osborne have a real chance to get on the field early, but they’ll still need to earn those snaps. With that much talent packed into one backfield, the way the Irish divide the carries should be one of the more interesting storylines to watch.
In Other News...
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LSU, though, is taking a far different approach and has openly kept recruiting former NFL players for both football and basketball. The list includes tight end Dae'Quan Wright, defensive lineman Zxavian Harris and guard RJ Luis Jr., who already won a preliminary injunction to play for LSUs basketball team in the 2026-27 season, setting up a challenge to the very restrictions Notre Dame helped push into place. [Read more 🡒]
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For Prescod, the opportunity marks a notable change after limited playing time in earlier seasons because of injury. Instead of simply providing tackle depth, he is now being looked at as a real candidate to win a starting spot, which says plenty about both his recent work and the uncertainty around the guard race. For Notre Dame, the next few practices could help clarify whether this is a temporary experiment or a legitimate solution on a line still sorting out its best five. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Just Got A Recruiting Message Fans Needed To Hear
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Gamble pointed to his visit to Notre Dame as the moment that helped seal the deal, and he said he has no intention of backing off that pledge. For a program trying to keep its class steady and keep building toward the future, that kind of reaffirmation from a top prospect is exactly the sort of update recruits can provide, especially when the recruiting calendar has a way of testing even the strongest commitments. [Read more 🡒]