For Notre Dame, Cooper Flanagan has always looked like the kind of tight end who’d rather lean into contact than avoid it. That edge is part of his game, and after a long stretch away from full-speed football, it showed right away when spring practice opened in 2026.
Marcus Freeman had urged the Fighting Irish to channel the frustration of their playoff snub, and Flanagan didn’t need much convincing. In the first spring workout, he got into a little post-play exchange with LB-Jaylen Sneed that carried over for a few more snaps before things settled down.
"It's football. Tempers are going to flare.
It's just fun," said Flanagan, no longer bridled by a torn Achilles tendon suffered in the Jan. 2, 2025 Sugar Bowl against Georgia.
"I love doing that stuff. It's competing."
That kind of response fits the senior TE perfectly. Freeman said the return of Flanagan brought back exactly the sort of attitude Notre Dame had been missing.
"You miss the toughness and tenacity that Cooper Flanagan brings to a practice," said Freeman as spring drills opened. "He's back to the old Coop."
Offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Mike Denbrock sounded just as familiar with the player he’s coaching.
"Yeah, well, that's Coop," said offensive coordinator and Flanagan's position coach, Mike Denbrock. "That's why I love him. He's a tough dude that doesn't like to be pushed around."
Before the injury, Flanagan had been a key part of Notre Dame’s short-yardage package, especially alongside Eli Raridon. QB-Riley Leonard also helped power those 3rd-and-short and 4th-and-short situations in '24, but Flanagan’s physical style gave the Irish another way to move the chains.
His road back was a long one. In mid-March, Flanagan said he felt fully healthy again after more than a year of recovery.
"It's been a year and three months since surgery, so I feel 100 percent," said Flangan in mid-March. "I feel great.
There's definitely a lot more work to go, a lot more progress to be had, but I feel great. I'm just happy to be out here."
The injury had limited him to just one appearance in 2025, and that came in Game 7 at home against USC. He played four snaps, then shut it down and missed the rest of the regular season.
Looking back, Flanagan said the setback hit hard and made him realize just how serious it was.
"You kind of stop and think, 'Holy shoot, that really happened to me!'" Flanagan said. "You never really think it's going to happen.
"Then trying to come back, you're not really sure when you're going to be ready. I think I just came back a little too soon.
I didn't really feel like myself. I didn't want to risk anything."
In Other News...
ACC Finally Changed The Rule Notre Dame Fans Hated Last Year
The ACC has finally moved to clean up a championship tiebreaker system that left plenty of room for frustration last season, and that matters in South Bend because Notre Dame has a front-row seat to how the league handles its title race. Head-to-head matchups still sit at the top of the chain, but the conference has also added Team Success Ranking by Sport Source Analytics as a later tiebreaker, a sign the league is trying to make the process feel more modern and more in line with how the College Football Playoff evaluates teams.
There is also a practical wrinkle built into the new setup with the conferences shifting schedule model, as the ACC will account for how many league games a team played so nobody is helped or hurt simply for landing on an eight-game or nine-game slate. The change comes after last years messy, multi-layered tiebreaker debate, and it should at least reduce the odds of another postseason argument that drags on longer than the season itself. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame May Be Losing A Chicago Battle It Should Win
Brayden Parks gives Notre Dame a familiar recruiting puzzle in its own backyard. The four-star defensive lineman from Chicago is still weighing the Irish along with Oregon and other schools, and the appeal of staying close to home has kept Notre Dame in the conversation as it tries to land one of the areas top prospects.
The challenge is that the race does not appear to be moving in Notre Dames direction right now, even with that local connection working in its favor. Parks seems to be sorting through more than just geography, with the decision likely to come down to whether he wants the comfort of a nearby option or a chance to strike out on a different path. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Just Gave Notre Dame A Massive Portal Boost
Marcus Freeman has spent this offseason giving Notre Dame a much-needed roster jolt, and the latest wave of transfer portal additions points directly at the kind of depth the Irish need to keep climbing. Four players are set to help fill immediate needs on both sides of the ball, with defensive tackles Tionne Gray and Francis Brewu, wide receiver Quincy Porter and defensive end Keon Keeley all bringing the size, strength and experience that can matter quickly in a championship chase.
The appeal here is obvious: Notre Dame is not just adding bodies, it is targeting players who can change the feel of the roster right away. Gray and Brewu should help fortify the interior, Porter gives the offense another intriguing option, and Keeley adds another piece to the edge rotation, leaving the bigger question of how fast all four can translate that upside into production once they get to South Bend. [Read more 🡒]