Handling Expectations: A New Challenge for Notre Dame Football
- Liam Farrell
- a few seconds ago
- 3 min read
For the first time in a very long time, Notre Dame will enter the 2026 football season the odds-on national championship favorite, along with a Heisman favorite at quarterback.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
The 2026 season is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated seasons in Notre Dame football history. With CJ Carr one of the Heisman favorites and the Notre Dame defense returning nearly all its production from last season, the Irish are in a good spot to make a championship run.
Despite the program's success in recent years, this feels like the first time the Irish have been a near consensus favorite to win it all. In part, it can be attributed to the rather weak schedule Notre Dame has this season with Miami and BYU being the real premier games. Outside of that, Notre Dame mostly plays a conventional ACC schedule, with the addition of a pair of Big Ten opponents, Navy, and Rice.
While Notre Dame failed miserably to handle expectation two years ago after their big win against Texas A&M to open the season, Marcus Freeman was able to rewrite the course of the season and lead the Irish to a national championship game appearance. Now, the question becomes whether this roster has the depth to get over the hump.
It is clear that the Irish have to replace two of the most dynamic playmakers in recent program history in Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, yet it is impossible to replace the production of those two generational running backs. Aneyas Williams is not Love nor Price, but he is a physical running back who doesn't go down on the first hit, who is exceptional as a pass catcher and in pass pro. He will not hit the 50+ yard touchdown runs that Love or Price would make look routine, yet he will be able to move the chains and protect CJ Carr as he drops back.
The area in which the Irish are looking to replace the explosiveness of their NFL-bound tandem will be in the pass catching department. The additions of former five-star Ohio State receivers Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter are dynamic, talented receivers looking to be developed by Mike Brown and play a premier role in the offense. They join a talented, somewhat unproven room with Jaden Greathouse, Jordan Faison, and Micah Gilbert all looking to improve upon their prior seasons.
Defensively, the Irish have the best secondary in college football, which is something that is pretty much undisputed, because of the return of Leonard Moore, Adon Shuler, Tae Johnson, and Christian Gray. To add to that talent, the Irish also signed former All-Big 12 corner DJ McKinney.
Manning the middle of the defense is a group of veterans. Captain Drayk Bowen, Jaiden Ausberry, and Jaylen Sneed will lead the Irish linebacking unit at the beginning of the year with the hope that Kyngstonn Viliamu Asa will return from his ACL injury near the end of the regular season.
Up front, the Irish did what they needed to do to bulk up their interior defensive line with the additions of Francis Brewu and Tionne Gray. On the outside, the trio of Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young, and Alabama transfer Keon Keeley should generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
The stars appear to be aligning for Notre Dame this season, and if the Irish can handle their expectations and block out the outside noise, they have all the talent to run the table.
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