Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SUMMER 2026 19 worked. You don't get your hands on that football without elite closing speed, length and instincts. On the back end, Ethan Long contin- ues to impress. He undercut a dig route to intercept freshman quarterback Noah Grubbs late in the scrimmage, and he had success dive-bombing run plays in ways that looked very similar to veteran safety Adon Shuler's best work late in the 2025 season. Despite his three-star recruiting ranking, everything reporters have seen from Long screams "future starter." Offensively, pick your poison. Red- shirt sophomore Cam Williams finally made his presence felt with a 53-yard completion. True freshman Devin Fitzgerald is obviously overqualified to play against third-teamers and should receive some more high-level reps soon. Redshirt freshman Elijah Burress and redshirt sophomore Logan Saldate did some good things, too, with Burress catching a touchdown from redshirt freshman quarterback Blake Hebert. WELCOME TO THE BREWU CREW When Pitt transfer defensive tackle Francis Brewu entered the game on Notre Dame's second series, his first three snaps were all wins. On the first two, he fired off the ball faster than red- shirt junior right guard Sullivan Absher, locked his arms out and parked himself in his rushing lane. On the third, he rag-dolled Absher and gave himself a clear lane to the quarterback. Brewu is a freak, and he should make a massive impact on what should be a much improved interior defensive line in 2026. How defensive line coach Charlie Partridge disperses snaps be- yond him and returning starter Jason Onye will be interesting, because more players are making a case for playing time than the Irish probably have room for in the rotation. Redshirt junior Armel Mukam did some great things during the Blue-Gold Game, picking up a run stop and a sack. He's gotten more reps with the ones this spring than you might think. He looks leaner and more athletic than in previ- ous seasons, without losing any of his strength. Redshirt sophomore Tionne Gray will certainly be a factor as well, and his flashes are impressive, though he could stand to work on his pad level. Partridge is also a big fan of senior Elijah Hughes, who played well in limited reps last year. LEFT SIDE: LOCKED IN It became clear early in spring prac- tice that starting redshirt freshman Will Black at left tackle and moving junior Anthonie Knapp to left guard was the direction the Irish wanted to go with their offensive line. They just needed to make sure Black was ready to step up in Year 2. After the Blue-Gold Game, Notre Dame has its answer. Black hasn't been perfect. The edge rusher we've seen give him the most issues is actually Dunham, because he's extremely explosive and he can get past Black's powerful hands before he has a chance to engage. However, that's a young tackle problem that should get fixed with experience. The five-star prospect in the class of 2025 has everything Notre Dame wants in a left tackle: Size, strength to anchor against power rushers and agility to do anything he's asked to do in the run game. Meanwhile, Black's emergence has al- lowed Knapp to settle in at what head coach Marcus Freeman has said mul- tiple times is his natural position. He was a good tackle, but he's going to be a great guard. By the time Black gets his feet under him midseason, the left side of the line could become Notre Dame's greatest offensive strength. ✦ Former five-star prospect Will Black, a redshirt freshman, displayed everything Notre Dame wants in a left tackle during spring practices. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER