Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM APRIL/MAY 2026 29 perience. That's why the Irish experi- mented with redshirt freshman Will Black as the No. 1 left tackle in the spring, while shifting Knapp inside to left guard. The 6-foot-7, 316-pound Black came to Notre Dame last year ranked by On3 as the No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 4 overall player in the 2025 class. But the Irish didn't need Black to play right away in 2025, because it returned both of its starting offensive tackles from the previous season. Notre Dame of- fensive line coach Joe Rudolph felt so good about his options at tackle, he even gave Black opportunities to compete for backup roles as a guard. Black eventually played in three games as a true freshman. He was given a role on the field goal/extra point unit, and he took late-game snaps as a reserve right tackle in blowout wins over Navy and Syracuse. Most of Notre Dame's 2025 recruiting class required patience in their fresh- man season. Only four of the 25 fresh- men didn't qualify for a redshirt sea- son: defensive backs Mark Zackery IV and Dallas Golden, linebacker Madden Faraimo and kicker Erik Schmidt. Just as many players from the class have al- ready transferred out of Notre Dame: safety JaDon Blair, cornerback Cree Thomas, linebacker Anthony Sacca and wide receiver Scrap Richardson. The four players who didn't redshirt aren't the only ones in their class with opportunities to make significant con- tributions in 2026. The expectations for Black were clear when he took first- team reps at left tackle in the first spring practice with Knapp playing alongside him at left guard. "I think he's made tremendous strides over the fall, just understanding our scheme and what his responsibilities are within it," Notre Dame offensive co- ordinator Mike Denbrock said. "There's going to be a lot of bumps in the road along the spring here. He's going against a pretty good defensive end a lot of times in baptism by fire, which I think will serve him well moving forward. But I've liked what I've seen from him." Those matchups with redshirt junior Boubacar Traore and junior Bryce Young should provide a pretty good litmus test on what Black can handle in the fall. That will allow the Irish to decide if the spring experiment should become permanent. "He's doing a good job," Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said in late March. "He's a big body. Will had a lot of hype coming into this program. He got here in June, and like any freshman had a bumpy road that first year. And his career will be bumpy. But it's extremely high as you look at his ceiling. "He's doing a really good job at the left tackle position going against really good players. He's going to improve because he has to block Bryce Young and Bouba- car Traore and some of those really good players every single day. That's going to make him the best version of himself or he's going to get embarrassed." ZACKERY, GOLDEN PROVE CAPABLE Notre Dame's defensive back depth shined once again in 2025. Despite a shaky start to the season, the Irish sec- ondary eventually found the right com- bination of players to eliminate big plays and create big plays of its own. Notre Dame needed freshmen Mark Zackery IV and Dallas Golden to fill holes while the secondary found its footing. Zackery emerged as the primary backup as an outside cornerback and saw game action when Leonard Moore and Chris- tian Gray missed time throughout the season. Golden stepped up at nickel back when Karson Hobbs struggled and DeVonta Smith dealt with injuries. Zackery started three games and played in 11 last season. He tallied 10 tackles and a pair of passes broken up in his roles, which might not expand in 2026. The Irish still have All-American Leonard Moore entering his junior sea- son at one outside cornerback spot. Re- turning starter Christian Gray, a senior, will be challenged by incoming Colo- rado graduate transfer D.J. McKinney for the other starting corner role. The Irish are also considering play- ing Gray at nickel back when McKinney arrives. But Golden, who started three games and played in 10 as a true fresh- man, could make new Notre Dame de- fensive backs coach Aaron Henry's de- cision more difficult. Golden tallied 22 tackles, 2 passes broken up and 1 inter- ception last season and began his spring work in the No. 1 nickel back spot. "We've got to be able to rotate guys in different positions, but we feel confi- dent in Christian Gray at nickel," Free- man said. "We obviously know Dallas can do it. We're going to rotate those guys, both inside and outside." FLANIGAN FINDS FOOTING AT TIGHT END James Flanigan made his mark as a true freshman as a block-first tight end for Notre Dame. That was particularly apparent in Notre Dame's 37-15 victory at Pitts- Black started spring practice as Notre Dame's first-team left tackle. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER