Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546068
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2026 29 back, with a knack for converting on short-yardage situations and being a real threat in the passing game. An 800- to 900-yard rushing season, combined with Williams' strong receiving skill set, would help the nation's No. 2 scoring offense in 2025 have a shot at No. 1 in 2026. And if he can help change the dark 2025 narrative on third-and-short and goal-line situations, all the better. 11. DT FRANCIS BREWU The reunion of Brewu and defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, who re- cruited him to Pitt, could be a fruitful one for both of them. The Irish needed a destructive presence on the interior of the defensive line, and Brewu showed an ability to do just that in his first two sea- sons at Pitt with 42 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 19 games. Brewu, a two-time member of Bruce Feldman's Freaks List, might be the most physically impressive defen- sive tackle on Notre Dame's roster. He's freakishly strong — squats and bench presses in the 700-pound and 500-pound range, respectively — and explosive. Notre Dame just doesn't have many defensive tackles with that kind of makeup. 12. OT WILL BLACK Black, whom Rivals ranked as the No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 4 over- all player in the 2025 class, will get a chance to prove he was worth the hype sooner rather than later. Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph cleared the way for Black to become Notre Dame's start- ing left tackle by moving Knapp, who started 27 games at the position the past two seasons, inside to left guard in the offseason. It's an experiment expected to stick because both have the potential to thrive in their new roles. The entire of- fensive line should benefit more from Black and Knapp playing their natural positions, but those benefits only come through if Black excels in his first season in the spotlight. No pressure, kid. 13. OT GUERBY LAMBERT Lambert started all 12 games for Notre Dame at right guard last season, but Ru- dolph made the decision to move him out to right tackle to replace 28-game starter Aamil Wagner. While Lambert made strides as a guard last season, tackle should be a more natural position for him to highlight his athletic traits. That's why there's so much confidence in his ability to make the transition to right tackle. With Notre Dame planning to debut a first-year starter at left tackle in Black, there's even more importance on Lam- bert to be reliable on the right side. The Irish certainly have talented and less experienced options who could fill in for Lambert, but he's a clear cut above in terms of readiness for the role. 14. DE BRYCE YOUNG The hype train for Young last offsea- son may have made the expectations for his true sophomore season too lofty. Though Young didn't turn into a sack machine in 2025, he still finished sec- ond on the team in pressures with 29 and had just two fewer pressures than Traore, who was on the field for 92 more pass rush snaps, per PFF. Young, who only started last season's opener at Miami, should be able to claim a starting role in 2026. The departure of Joshua Burnham, who transferred to Indiana in the offseason, elevated his importance on the defensive line. The Irish need Young to keep progressing and become even more of an impact player on all three downs. 15. DT JASON ONYE Onye brings the most experience to Notre Dame's 2026 defensive line, but the Irish didn't bring him back for a sixth season solely because of the 31 games on his résumé. Onye has continued to improve throughout his Notre Dame ca- reer and is coming off his best season yet with nine starts in 2025. PFF gave Onye the best pass rush grade (78.3) among all Irish front seven defenders last season. He was credited with 17 pressures on 183 pass rush snaps, and six of his seven best run defense grades last season came in the second half of the sched- ule. The presence of Onye allows Notre Dame to play some of the team's less ex- perienced tackles without the pressure that comes with a starting role. 16. CB CHRISTIAN GRAY Gray has been one of Notre Dame's With Notre Dame's top two rushers from 2025 off to the NFL, Aneyas Williams will step up into the No. 1 running back role. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER