Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM FEBRUARY 2026 27 Dame in each of the past two seasons with 28 consecutive starts at right tackle. He provided valuable leadership and showed flashes of excellence. But he started his redshirt junior sea- son with a poor performance at Miami. Wagner, who allowed 7 pressures and 1 sack, might belong a little lower on this list but not much lower. He'll become a 2026 NFL Draft pick in April. 8. WR JADEN GREATHOUSE It's hard to argue with why we ranked Greathouse this high heading into his junior season. After catching 13 passes for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns in the final two games of the 2024 College Football Playoff, Greathouse looked destined for stardom in 2025. Yet a right thigh/hamstring injury led to Greathouse being sidelined after four games and held out of the final games of the season to preserve a season of eligibility. 7. WR MALACHI FIELDS This feels like the right area in the top 25 for Fields. Folks can argue whether Fields or Faison was more im- portant for Notre Dame, but both prob- ably belonged in the top 10. Though Fields didn't match the kind of production he had at Virginia, the graduate transfer finished second on the Irish in receptions (36), receiving yards (630) and receiving touchdowns (5). Fields, who averaged 17.5 yards per catch, helped the Irish stretch the field. 6. DE BOUBACAR TRAORE Traore could be nudged even higher on this list for the work he did as a red- shirt sophomore. He became Notre Dame's best pass rusher and improved as a run defender this season. He led the Irish with 7.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 8 quarterback hurries. No other defensive end on the ros- ter had more than 3 sacks or 6 tackles for loss. He was the clear alpha at the position and one of Notre Dame's top defenders. 5. S ADON SHULER Shuler's redshirt sophomore season mirrored the overall play in the second- ary for the Irish in 2025. He and the Irish defensive backs didn't look like them- selves to start the season, but they were a big part of why Notre Dame was able to get back on track defensively midway through the campaign. Shuler should probably be a little lower on the list because he needed red- shirt freshman Tae Johnson to emerge as his safety counterpart to start thriving. 4. LB DRAYK BOWEN Bowen was undeniably an impor- tant piece and leader in Notre Dame's defense in 2025. He finished his junior season as the team's tackling leader (67) and added value as a pass rusher (3.5 sacks). Bowen's coverage skills re- mained his weakness, though some may exaggerate how big of a weakness it is. Regardless, Texas A&M's game- winning touchdown pass came against Bowen in coverage. He rebounded from that heartbreak to play well, but Vil- iamu-Asa's emergence should force Bowen lower on the list. 3. CB LEONARD MOORE Notre Dame's secondary struggles to start the season, particularly against Miami and Texas A&M, came with Moore on the field. But they weren't necessarily a product of Moore's play, even though he did surrender a touch- down pass against the Hurricanes. But a strong argument can be made that Moore is Notre Dame's most im- portant player because it doesn't have a cornerback who can be as dominant as him. He wasn't a Heisman finalist like Love, but they both earned unanimous All-America honors. 2. QB CJ CARR Carr became the homegrown star quarterback the Irish have been miss- ing for too long. Not only did he have a great season for a first-year starter, the redshirt freshman had a great season for any experience level. Carr ended November ranked fifth in the country in passing efficiency (168.1) and sixth in passing yards per comple- tion (14.06). Let the debate start now on whether Carr or Moore will be more important for the Irish in 2026. 1. RB JEREMIYAH LOVE If we want to nitpick, the presence of Price could dictate that Love should be lower on the list. But for as good as Price was a Notre Dame's second run- ning back, Love did things that no one else in college football could do. He was the most dynamic player in the coun- try, even though Heisman voters didn't believe he was the most outstanding player in the country. Love, who rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 199 carries and caught 27 passes for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns, created a lasting legacy in his junior season for his breathtaking playmaking ability and humble embrace of the spotlight. ✦ Sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore proved to be Notre Dame's top defender in 2025, recording 31 tackles, 5 interceptions, 7 passes broken up and 1 forced fumble en route to a team-best defense grade of 92.0 from Pro Football Focus. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT