Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 JANUARY 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME The irony in the NCAA leaderboard for yards per kick return is that it only further illustrates the dominance of Notre Dame's Jadarian Price even though his name is not on it. Price has returned 12 kicks in 12 games. That isn't enough to qualify for the national list which requires that your average per game be over 1.0, not right on it. But if it was enough, Price would be at the top, four and a half yards clear of the Bowl- ing Green's Cameron Pettaway, whose average of 33.0 yards per return is technically tops in the country at the conclusion of the regular season. Price has taken his 12 return opportunities for an astonishing 37.5 yards per try, a number aided by his 2 kick return touchdowns. Only three other players in the nation have gotten into the end zone twice on kick returns. Notre Dame is all about that stat. To the Irish, it's not just a Price number. It's a team total. "It's one thing when you turn on the film, and you're trying to sell, 'You want to be our kick re- turner?' and you're just getting blown up as op- posed to, 'We feel like we have a pretty good plan,'" Notre Dame special teams coordinator Marty Biagi said. "You go back over the last cou- ple years, with kick return success, and I think it's something that our team collectively is pretty bought into." Price is a supreme talent and responsible for so much of his own success. But he wouldn't be where he's at without his blockers. He's well aware of that. That's how Biagi teaches it. And that's how Price's confidence multiplies. "He's seen over the last several years the con- fidence that this unit has. He knows people are going to get their block," Biagi said. "Is it always perfect? No, but our goal is to make sure nobody ever gets a free shot on the returner, just like we always want to protect our quarterbacks." It doesn't have to be when Price has the ball in his hands. "Just his vision and his speed — he's got really quick feet and he can react pretty fast," fellow Notre Dame return man Aneyas Williams said. "A lot of the times for a guy to get a return there has to be 11 perfect blocks, and JD on both of his returns he's made somebody right by breaking a tackle. That's my job as the off-returner, to be able to pick up somebody that gets free. I do that and let him do the rest." Williams has shown with 2 rushing touchdowns of 50-plus yards this season that he could do dam- age in his own right if he ever got the ball on a kick return. "Other teams have been fortunate enough to not kick to me yet," Williams said. "We'll find out." That's Notre Dame in a nutshell, not just on spe- cial teams but all over. You can't just worry about one guy. When you're so invested in stopping a certain player, another comes out of nowhere and does the same thing you were so worried about the other doing. That's depth. That's unit strength. The Irish preach it. And they practice what they preach. "I look behind me and I see JD, my fellow running back," Williams said. "I want to block for him, and I want to see him do well just as much as he wants to see me succeed." — Tyler Horka Redshirt sophomore quarterback Kenny Minchey plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3's Pete Nakos reported Dec. 8. The one and only NCAA Transfer Portal window opens Jan. 2 and will remain open until Jan. 16. So, technically, Minchey cannot officially enter his name into the portal until then. However, the wheels are in motion for him to transfer out of Notre Dame and resume his college football career elsewhere. Minchey has two more years of collegiate eligibility remaining. His decision to depart from the program comes after serving as the team's backup quarterback for the 2025 season. In August, the 6-2, 208-pound Minchey lost a fierce starting quarterback compe- tition to redshirt freshman CJ Carr, who started all 12 games this season, has since emerged as one of the top young signal-callers in college football. But Minchey has plenty of tools, too, which is why he was on the verge of winning the starting quarterback battle before head coach Marcus Freeman named Carr the starter. Minchey has shined in limited appearances in a Notre Dame uniform, completing 23 of 29 passes for 212 yards with 0 touchdowns and 0 intercep- tions. He also brings a dual-threat aspect to his game, rushing for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 carries the last two seasons. Again, it was limited action, but according to Pro Football Focus, Minchey's passing grade of 85.8 ranked 10th among Power Four quarter- backs this season. His talent should make him one of the most coveted passers in the portal. A product of Hendersonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II, Minchey was that in the 2023 recruiting cycle. According to the Rivals Industry Ranking, he was the No. 3 prospect in Tennessee, and the No. 14 quarterback and No. 171 overall player nationally in his class. Before Notre Dame secured Minchey's verbal commitment just a few weeks before signing day, it was on the verge of a disastrous ending at quar- terback for Freeman's first recruiting class. The Irish initially pursued and almost secured a public commitment from Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Dante Moore. However, he ended up choosing Oregon in the summer before his senior year, leaving Notre Dame stranded. The Irish evaluated several other options, includ- ing Minchey, who was committed to Pittsburgh, and one-time Baylor commit Austin Novosad, the No. 10 quarterback in the 2023 class. But both said no to Notre Dame. It was not until just a few weeks before signing day that Minchey had a change of heart and gave the Irish another shot. He visited for the last home game of the season, and committed and signed in December 2022. Now, Minchey will have to go through the re- cruiting process again. But this time, as a college transfer with the opportunity to start elsewhere. — Kyle Kelly BACKUP QUARTERBACK KENNY MINCHEY TO ENTER THE TRANSFER PORTAL In six appearances this season, Minchey completed 20 of 26 passes for 196 yards. He also rushed 7 times for 84 yards and 1 touchdown. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Inside The Art Of Notre Dame's Kick Return Notre Dame's kick return unit has helped red- shirt junior Jadarian Price produce a 37.5-yard average and a national-leading 2 touchdowns on 12 attempts. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER