Notre Dame’s NFL footprint was everywhere when Week 1 got rolling, with more than two dozen former Fighting Irish showing up across the league as the season opened.
The rookie names drew the biggest spotlight, and for good reason. Jeremiyah Love was the headliner among the new faces, while Malachi Fields also made his first regular-season appearance.
But the Notre Dame presence went far beyond the first-year players. Veterans, role players and specialists all turned up on active rosters, and in some cases the list was so deep it was easy to lose track of who was where.
At quarterback, Riley Leonard is currently backing up for the Indianapolis Colts. Daniel Jones struggled in the Colts’ 41-23 loss to the Ravens, but Leonard never got onto the field.
Love’s debut came with a milestone attached: his first NFL touchdown. Even so, the Arizona Cardinals didn’t lean on him heavily.
He finished with 11 carries for 41 yards and added 2 catches for 9 yards in the Cardinals’ 26-14 win. Tyler Allgeier handled most of the work on the ground.
Fields, meanwhile, opened his Giants career with 2 catches for 25 yards in New York’s 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Ben Skowronek also saw action for Pittsburgh, but only on special teams. He played 18 total snaps for the Steelers and didn’t show up in the box score.
The tight end group was impossible to ignore. Notre Dame’s case as Tight End U looked as strong as ever with six former Irish tight ends recording at least one catch, and Eli Raridon becoming the first player in the NFL to score a touchdown this year.
Cole Kmet led the way for the Bears with 2 catches for 35 yards and a touchdown. Michael Mayer caught 6 passes for 32 yards for the Raiders.
Tommy Tremble had 3 catches for 25 yards, Mitchell Evans added 1 catch for 9 yards, Durham Smythe finished with 1 catch for 4 yards, and Brock Wright had 1 catch for 5 yards.
Up front, several former Notre Dame linemen logged meaningful snaps. Ronnie Stanley started at left tackle for Baltimore and posted a 56.3 overall PFF grade with a 69.6 pass block rating.
Quenton Nelson started at left guard for the Colts, played 54 snaps and earned an 83.3 overall PFF grade. Robert Hainsey opened at center for Jacksonville, playing 50 snaps with a 60.7 PFF rating.
Blake Fisher came off the bench for Houston and played 10 snaps on offense plus 5 on special teams, finishing with a 60.3 overall rating. Joe Alt started at right tackle for the Chargers, took 55 snaps and posted a 67.2 PFF rating along with an 82.7 pass blocking grade.
Aaron Banks and Billy Schrauth were inactive.
On the defensive line, Jerry Tillery had 3 tackles for the Colts. Gabriel Rubio was active for Pittsburgh but did not get on the field.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste saw 14 snaps for Washington, split between 9 on the defensive line and 5 on special teams, but did not record a statistic.
The defensive back group kept the Notre Dame theme rolling. Kyle Hamilton had 5 tackles for Baltimore.
Xavier Watts added 4 tackles for Atlanta. Benjamin Morrison posted 4 solo tackles for Tampa Bay.
Cam Hart led the way with 6 tackles for the Chargers. Thomas Harper had 3 solo tackles for Detroit, and Harrison Smith recorded 1 tackle for Minnesota.
Julian Love also made his presence felt for Seattle on Wednesday night, once again showing he’s one of the best safeties in the NFL.
Special teams had its share of Irish alumni, too. Spencer Shrader went 1-for-1 on field goals for the Colts, drilling a 58-yarder, and finished 2-for-3 on extra points.
Blake Grupe did not kick for the Jets. Brandon Aubrey went 2-for-3 on extra points for Dallas and did not attempt a field goal.
JJ Jansen handled long-snapping duties for Carolina and logged 9 snaps.
A handful of other Notre Dame alumni were on NFL reserve, injured reserve or PUP lists: JD Bertrand, Beaux Collins, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Marist Liufau, Audric Estimé, Carson Towt and Sam Mustipher.
And the pipeline doesn’t stop there. Howard Cross III, Isaiah Foskey, Jack Kiser, DeVonta Smith, Chris Smith, Scott Daly, Jordan Clark, Max Hurleman and Sam Hartman are all on NFL practice squads.
In Other News...
Ex-Notre Dame Walk-On's Sudden Firing Leaves One Big Mystery
Tyler Plantzs abrupt dismissal at Providence Catholic High School has raised eyebrows well beyond the local football scene, especially for Notre Dame fans who remember him as a former walk-on fullback with the Irish. His tenure ended despite a 4-0 start and a strong overall record, leaving the program in the middle of a promising run when the school opted to make a change.
Providence Catholic said only that it wanted to move in a new direction, offering no detailed explanation for the move. Plantz has said concerns were raised about recruiting and organizational issues, which he disputes, and the lack of clarity has left the firing with one big unanswered question: why a coach who was winning got let go now. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Still Has One Offensive Concern Fans Can't Ignore
A 52-0 shutout over Rice gave Notre Dame plenty to feel good about, especially after safety Adon Shulder sparked the early tone with a defensive play that helped set up Boubacar Traores scoop-and-score. The Irish controlled the game in every obvious way, and the opener looked like the kind of clean, convincing win a top program wants to stack in September.
Still, the performance did not erase one lingering concern: the run game has not yet shown the kind of burst Notre Dame wants. The Irish have drawn criticism for a lack of explosiveness on the ground, and Marcus Freeman acknowledged after the win that more big plays are needed there. For a team with bigger goals ahead, getting the rushing attack moving from steady to dangerous remains one of the most important things to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Is Trying To Separate In A Crowded Chase For 2028 Wing
The early chase for Kingsley Rogers is already starting to take shape, and Notre Dame is in the middle of it. The 6-foot-7 guard-wing from the 2028 PSA Cardinals has drawn interest from a long list of programs that also includes Utah, Hofstra, Rutgers, Baylor, Marquette, Auburn, Syracuse and Buffalo, but the Irish have been especially active in staying connected with him as the evaluation process begins to build.
Rogers has pointed to frequent contact from Notre Dame and Utah, while assistant coaches from Hofstra and Utah have also been in steady pursuit. Notre Dame is set to attend an open gym session at Rogers' school, another sign that the Irish want to keep separating themselves in a crowded field before this recruitment gets even more competitive. [Read more 🡒]