Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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26 MARCH 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED RUNNING BACKS 2026 S P R I N G F O O T B A L L O V E R V I E W BY TYLER JAMES G ood luck trying to improve upon what Notre Dame did at the running back posi- tion in 2025. The Irish will have to replace two running backs who will be selected in April's NFL Draft: Jeremiyah Love, who produced 1,652 yards of offense and 21 touchdowns as a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2025, and Jadarian Price, who rushed for 674 yards and 11 touchdowns as arguably the best backup running back in college football. Running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider will sort through Notre Dame's top options in 2026 in a room full of inexperience. Only junior ANEYAS WILLIAMS has played in real meaningful moments as a Notre Dame running back, and most of those mo- ments came in 2024 before Seider joined the Irish staff. Williams was a distant No. 3 on the depth chart last season, but he still racked up yardage when given opportuni- ties in lopsided games: 224 yards and 5 touchdowns on just 24 carries. Can Williams emerge as a true No. 1 back? That Williams stayed on the Irish's roster after taking a back seat last season suggests a strong belief that he can take advantage of the opportunity ahead. He's already proven to be versatile with 20 receptions for 212 yards so far in his career, and most of those catches came in the College Football Playoff in 2024. Williams can be pushed for playing time, but it will be interesting to track how deep of a ro- tation Seider is willing to develop in 2026. The Irish rarely went beyond their top two running backs last season, and that was the case for Seider in his final season at Penn State in 2024. But he coached truly dynamic duos in both of those seasons. Redshirt sophomore Kedren Young is returning from a torn ACL in August, but he showed flashes in his true freshman season. Redshirt freshman Nolan James Jr. didn't do much to stand out in limited game action last year (14 carries for 37 yards), but he should be capable of competing. If not, early enrolled freshmen Jonaz Walton (Rivals' No. 6 running back in the 2026 class) and Javian Osborne (No. 9) could pass him in a hurry. ✦ POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH WHO'S NO. 2? The starting job won't be handed to Williams without com- petition, but it will be more interesting to watch who emerges behind him. Young should be the leading candidate, but he can't back that up until he's healthy. That should give James, Walton and Osborne plenty of opportunities in the spring. All three were extremely productive backs in high school, but Walton may be the fastest of the group. NUMBERS TO KNOW 26 Missed tackles forced by Aneyas Wil- liams in his first two seasons at Notre Dame, per Pro Football Focus. Williams forced those missed tackles on 79 offensive touches (32.9 percent). Jeremiyah Love forced 165 missed tackles on 495 offensive touches (33.3 percent) during his Notre Dame career. 38 Rushing touchdowns for Notre Dame in 2025. Running backs accounted for 34 of them: Love (18), Price (11) and Williams (5). Quarterback CJ Carr, who rushed for 3 scores, is the only other returning player outside of Williams to score a rushing touchdown last season. 596 Career rushing yards for Notre Dame's entire running back room combined. That's fewer than Jadarian Price's rushing total from last season (674) as the backup running back. ALL EYES ON … REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE KEDREN YOUNG H o w q u i c k l y Yo u n g returns to full strength from his ACL injury will be worth monitoring for Notre Dame. At 5-foot-11 and 226 pounds, he's the most physically imposing of the Irish backs. With the Irish's issues in short-yardage last season, Young could help provide a solution in 2026. He might be talented enough to be a lead back, but he hasn't had a lot of chances to prove it yet. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER PERSONNEL UPDATE Position Coach: Ja'Juan Seider (2nd season) Returning Starter: None Projected New Starter: Aneyas Williams Returning Reserves: Nolan James Jr. and Kedren Young Departing Players: Jeremiyah Love (29 career starts), Gi'Bran Payne and Jadarian Price Transferred In: None Transferred Out: Payne to Cincinnati Incoming Freshmen: Javian Osborne and Jonaz Walton