Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546068
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2026 3 THE NEXT ISSUE OF BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED WILL BE MAILED ON SEPT. 7 (SEE NOTE ON PG 11) PRESEASON 2026 ✦ VOL. 45, ISSUE 18 IN MEMORY OF Lou Somogyi, Editor 1985-2021 MANAGING EDITOR Steve Downey CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Stu Coman, Matt Herb, Cathy Jones, Chris Riffer STAFF WRITERS Eric Hansen, Tyler Horka, Tyler James, Jack Soble RECRUITING REPORTERS Mike Singer, Kyle Kelly CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Todd D. Burlage, Jim Lefebvre PHOTOGRAPHY Michael Miller, Chad Weaver COVER PHOTO Michael Miller DESIGN Jeanette Blankenship, Chris Miller ✦ ✦ ✦ PUBLISHER Jeanette Blankenship BUSINESS ANALYST Sarah Boone CIRCULATION Beverly Taylor ADVERTISING SALES Maria Taustine (502) 552-4390 MARKETING COORDINATOR Elena Rehberg CUSTOMER SERVICE Josh Mattes, Elena Rehberg, Cathy Jones (800) 421-7751 ✦ ✦ ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED (USPS 667650) is published 18 times annually — weekly Sept.-Dec. and monthly Jan.-Aug. (no issues in March, June and July) — by Coman Publishing Co., a division of On3 Media, Inc., located at 922 Broad St., Suite D, Durham, NC 27705 (www.comanpub.com). A one-year (18 issues) subscription is $74.95. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED (ISSN 0746-2557) is printed by The Papers in Milford, Ind. Postmaster: Send address changes to Blue & Gold Illustrated, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702. Periodical postage paid at Durham, NC 27702 and additional offices. For advertising or subscription information call 1-919-688-0218 or write BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702. MAKE OR BREAK Luke Fickell begins defining season at Wisconsin ✦ STARTS ON PAGE 38 PHOTO COURTESY WISCONSIN ATHLETICS SETTING THE AGENDA The offensive line remains front and center in coordinator Mike Denbrock's continuing development ✦ PAGE 18 PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Sept. 6 vs. Wisconsin Sept. 12 Rice Sept. 19 Michigan St. Sept. 26 at Purdue Oct. 3 at N. Carolina Oct. 10 Stanford Oct. 17 at BYU Oct. 31 vs. Navy Nov. 7 Miami Nov. 14 Boston College Nov. 21 SMU Nov. 28 at Syracuse 2026 NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL SCHEDULE ✦ INSIDE THIS ISSUE Upon Further Review ✦ Todd D. Burlage ......... 4 Golden Gamut ✦ Tyler Horka ........................... 5 Fan Forum ......................................................... 6 Under The Dome ............................................... 8 Fall Camp Offense Overview ........................... 18 Fall Camp Defense Overview ........................... 21 Brauntae Johnson ............................................ 24 BGI's Top 25 for 2026 ....................................... 26 Senior Class Review ......................................... 32 Freshman Class Projections ............................. 36 Wisconsin and Notre Dame Rosters ................ 45 Opponent On Deck: Rice ................................. 47 Football Recruiting .......................................... 48 Football Commit Profiles ................................. 50 Recruiting Roundup/2027 Master List .............. 63 Blue & Gold Marketplace ................................ 63 Men's Basketball .............................................. 65 Women's Basketball ........................................ 66 2025-26 In Review ........................................... 67 ND Sports: Fall Preview ................................... 71 Irish In The Pros ............................................... 73 Irish Echoes ✦ Jim Lefebvre ........................... 74 First And Last ✦ Tyler James .......................... 76 Off The Dome ✦ Jack Soble............................ 77 The Deep Read ✦ Eric Hansen ....................... 78