Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2026 27 Notre Dame's mind that Carr is up to the challenge. He's extremely advanced in his understanding of the offense, which means he can check the Irish out of bad plays and into good ones with regular- ity. If something does happen to Carr, Notre Dame might be up a creek with- out a paddle. Its two primary backup quarterback options are a true freshman (Noah Grubbs) and a redshirt freshman (Blake Hebert) who played zero snaps in 2025. The Irish cannot afford to lose their star at the most important posi- tion in sports. 2. CB LEONARD MOORE Moore is a true shutdown cornerback, which is one of the most valuable chess pieces a team can have on its board. He can either shut down half the field or take away the opponent's No. 1 wide re- ceiver, whichever Notre Dame believes will help it win a given game. We learned last October that his ca- pabilities extend to the slot. The Irish had him shadow Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon, and he limited Southern Cal's best offensive threat to just 2 receptions for 28 yards when he covered him. The best player on Notre Dame's 2026 schedule is another electric slot receiver in Miami's Malachi Toney, so Moore's presence is critical for winning that game and making a deep run in January. When teams do throw at No. 15, he is also extremely adept at creating turn- overs (5 interceptions in just 10 games in 2025). 3. DE BOUBACAR TRAORE Traore's ceiling has always been evi- dent, and Notre Dame now knows his floor is a more-than-solid edge rusher capable of anchoring his team's pass rush. He totaled 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tack- les for loss in 2025. It would not surprise anyone in South Bend if Traore took the next step in 2026 and became the team's first truly elite edge rusher in quite some time, filling a hole that has existed since at least 2023 (Isaiah Foskey) at perhaps the most im- portant position on defense. Traore truly separates himself with regards to one of the two key questions voters considered: "If you subtracted this individual from the roster, how much of a setback would it be?" One could argue that if No. 5 was removed from the equation, the floor for Notre Dame's pass rush (and run defense on the edge) would drop off a cliff. 4. OG ANTHONIE KNAPP Knapp continued to prove doubters wrong through two seasons as an un- expected starter at left tackle for Notre Dame. After allowing 4 sacks and 31 pressures on 451 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus, as a freshman in 2024, Knapp improved those numbers to allowing just 1 sack and 11 pressures on 334 pass-blocking snaps as a sopho- more last season. What made him so proficient in mov- ing defenders in the running game at left tackle — his physicality and strength — should apply in his transition to left guard. The experience Knapp gained the past two seasons will be invaluable to Notre Dame's offensive line. The Irish could very well open preseason camp with four first-team offensive linemen with fewer combined starts than Knapp alone. 5. WR JORDAN FAISON Faison posted statistics last season that all of Notre Dame's other wideouts would dream of: 49 catches, 640 yards and 4 touchdowns. And he's been doing it every season for the Irish ever since he was inserted into the regular rotation as a walk-on midway through his true freshman year. Faison has recorded 98 receptions for 1,318 yards and 9 touchdowns in his ca- reer. He's quietly putting together one of the best four-year runs we've seen from a Notre Dame wide receiver in quite some time. One of the only Irish wide receivers of the last decade with better numbers than those over a four- year stretch was Chase Claypool. Faison is Carr's go-to guy among Notre Dame pass catchers, and he's got the physical and mental goods to push his ceiling even higher this year. 6. S BRAUNTAE JOHNSON Johnson is on a trajectory to be Notre Dame's next consensus All-American at safety, following Kyle Hamilton (2021) and Xavier Watts (2023, 2024). The po- tential turned into production quickly last season for Johnson, despite not be- coming a starter until Game 3 and miss- ing Games 11 and 12 due to a wrist injury. Leonard Moore can either shut down half the field or take away the opponent's No. 1 wide receiver, mak- ing him the most important player on defense for the Irish this season. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER