Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544292
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM APRIL/MAY 2026 27 lent job of attracting the right guys to this program and really creating a great relationship with them and getting them to trust him. Now they're practic- ing and playing at a high level." 2. Running Back Room Shows Po- tential Junior Aneyas Williams won't be handed the starting running back job. That's why even though he was given a red jersey as a limited participant to start spring practice, he was plenty ac- tive in his permitted portions of prac- tice. Williams, who rushed for 443 yards and 7 touchdowns on 58 carries in his first two seasons at Notre Dame, wore a large brace to protect the right elbow he had surgery on in the winter. "I know who I am as a player," Wil- liams said. "And with finally having the opportunity, I'm really looking forward to the season." The Irish were without redshirt sophomore Kedren Young (ACL in right knee) and freshman Javian Osborne (left wrist) in spring practices, which in- creased the number of opportunities for redshirt freshman Nolan James Jr. and freshman Jonaz Walton. Both showed maturity beyond their age. "He's the most mature young kid I've ever been around," Seider said of James. "He does stuff that three and four-year pros figure out later." James played in four games with 14 carries for 37 yards last season, but Se- ider said he would have been willing to play him more as a freshman if it was needed. Walton came to Notre Dame with documented speed — 10.60 sec- onds in a 100-meter dash — and he has the processing to match. "Super intentional, super smart," Se- ider said of Walton. "This dude can go be a scientist. I think he's that smart." 3. Young Linebackers Step Up Notre Dame's linebacker rotation in 2026 likely won't have any surprises even with a new position coach. Line- backers coach Brian Jean-Mary inher- ited five linebackers who played signifi- cant roles last season — redshirt senior Jaylen Sneed, senior Drayk Bowen, redshirt junior Jaiden Ausberry, junior Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and sophomore Madden Faraimo. Those five should claim the bulk of the playing time in the fall, but only two of them — Sneed and Ausberry — were fully available in the spring. With Viliamu- Asa (ACL in left knee) out of practice and Bowen (labrum in right hip) and Faraimo (left wrist) limited in participation, red- shirt sophomore Teddy Rezac and red- shirt freshman Ko'o Kia were given the most action of their young careers. "I wouldn't have been able to tell you much about him a year ago," de- fensive coordinator Chris Ash said of Kia, " but because of the guys that are out, or limited, he's really had a great offseason. He's gotten bigger. He's gotten stronger. He's really shined in his opportunity. "This spring's going to be huge for him, not only for this year, but just his future. There are going to be a lot of guys sitting in front of him when they all get back healthy, but that doesn't mean he can't compete or contribute in some aspect." W h a t K i a , Reza c a n d f re s h m a n Thomas Davis Jr. accomplish this spring will help Notre Dame decided what it needs to do at the position beyond 2026. "They've all gotten better because we've literally been practicing with six guys," Jean-Mary said. "When we go three groups, they all practice. I have seen some growth with them, but they are still making some inexperienced mistakes." 4. Noah Grubbs Shows Compe- tency In Backup QB Competition Notre Dame believed freshman quar- terback Noah Grubbs could make all the passes necessary to compete at this level when it took his commitment in June 2024. He put that arm talent on display in his first spring practices as an early graduate of Lake Mary (Fla.) High. "There was never any question in our minds that he had enough hose to do the job," Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said following the first spring practice. "I thought he did some good things today for being somebody who is young and rattled." Grubbs made some nice throws, but he also got burned by making a bad throw that freshman defensive back Nick Red- dish intercepted and returned for a touch- down in their first practice. Every practice had lessons for Grubbs while he learned the playbook and what the defense was trying to accomplish against him. For the most part, Grubbs played with confidence in his ability to make plays with his arm. It will lead to more mistakes, but it can also lead to more big plays. "I think you want a guy that's going to do that as opposed to someone that's going to go the other way and not trust it," Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli said. "I always tell him in practice, 'You've got to figure out what you can and can't do,' and that's part of that process." 5. Jaden Greathouse And Cooper Flanagan Return To Form Notre Dame played most of the 2025 season without wide receiver Jaden Greathouse (right hamstring) and tight end Cooper Flanagan (left Achilles). Both were available to varying degrees at the start of spring after returning from injuries. Greathouse, who caught 64 passes for 930 yards and 9 touchdowns in his first three seasons at Notre Dame, was lim- ited in the first couple practices while he dealt with a mild hamstring strain from the winter. But when he was able to get on the field, he showed glimpses of the playmaking ability that was on display early in his career. "When he's out there, you know why Jaden Greathouse has been a huge play- maker for our program," Freeman said. "And we just have to continue to be smart with his return to play. We can't just go from 0 to 100 — we all know that, and he knows that. He wants to be out there every play, but we've got to be smart with his progression back. He is just a playmaker — explosive, smart, tough. He's really, really good." Flanagan played in 26 games in his first two seasons before being limited to just one in an incomplete return from injury last season. His intensity was on display in the first spring practice when he got into a post-whistle scuffle with redshirt junior safety Adon Shuler. His ability to catch passes in addition to set the tone as a blocker should make him a valuable asset at a tight end position looking for a new starter. "We missed what he brings — the toughness, the tenacity — to practice," Freeman said. "Sometimes you don't no- tice until you have him back, but he's back to old Coop, and he's pretty special." ✦