Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546068
30 PRESEASON 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED most used players the last two seasons, with 1,434 defensive snaps logged in those years. That will remain the case for a third consecutive season, de- spite his apparent move to nickel back. His upside and ability to make game- changing plays — he's responsible for two of the most significant intercep- tions in recent program history — is too valuable to remove from the equation. It remains to be seen how effective Gray is in the nickel spot, but the Irish have made it clear they're set on invest- ing in him there. Gray has heard critiques from detractors ad nauseam during his Notre Dame career, but he keeps showing up and he keeps showing out on the field. 17. WR QUINCY PORTER It's too soon to say Porter is Notre Da m e 's m a ke - o r- b rea k p l aye r a t boundary receiver, but based on what was observed in the spring (Porter was out rehabbing an injury) he's got to be the team's most talented option to play the position. So, if he plays it well, that elevates Notre Dame's offensive ceil- ing considerably. If he is no better than his alternatives, the Irish have issues in terms of boundary receiver production. With Carnell Tate leaving Ohio State this offseason, Porter had a clear avenue to becoming Jeremiah Smith's sidekick. But what if that's not what he wanted for himself? As Notre Dame's most physically imposing receiver, he's got more of a shot of asserting dominance in South Bend. 18. CB DJ MCKINNEY Notre Dame could survive the season without McKinney, given all of the tal- ent at defensive back, but it definitely doesn't want to. The Irish lured in the transfer from Colorado with the idea of him starting along with Moore at outside corner. With Gray's move to nickel it sure looks like that's what's going to happen. McKinney has played more than 2,000 snaps at the college level, even with be- ing injured for a few games last season and hardly playing at all as a freshman at Oklahoma State in 2022. McKinney has three times as many passes defended and interceptions (11 of the former, 4 of the latter) compared to touchdowns al- lowed (5) in the last two seasons. 19. WR MYLAN GRAHAM There's a growing sense that Graham could be good enough to leapfrog Faison as Notre Dame's No. 1 wide receiver. It's not going to be easy, given Faison is the most experienced and most productive wideout on the roster by a wide margin. But Graham has "playmaker" written all over him, and he's finally at a place where he'll have the playing time to prove it. Graham is Notre Dame's projected starter at slot receiver, and there is nobody stopping him from being the Irish's Plan A, B and C at that spot but himself. He'll go as far as he's willing to work for this season, and many people around the program are expecting him to seize the opportunity. 20. TE COOPER FLANAGAN Flanagan is slated to be Notre Dame's No. 1 tight end, despite missing almost all of the 2025 season coming back from an Achilles injury. While Flanagan has only 5 catches for 74 yards in his college career to date, Notre Dame's coaching staff has raved about the toughness — particularly as a run blocker — he brings to the offense. The question is whether Flanagan can contribute to the level of his predecessors in the receiving game. However, the Irish clearly believe they missed his blocking last season. Flanagan could help solve Notre Dame's short-yardage problem and contribute in the red zone, where 3 of his 5 career receptions went for touchdowns. 21. C ASHTON CRAIG A standout offensive lineman who has had trouble staying on the field, Craig started just nine games over the past two seasons due to back-to-back torn ACLs. He said in spring practice that he expects to be available for Week 1, and when he's healthy, he's a difference- maker for Notre Dame. The Irish love to run the ball, and they will not have the benefit of arguably the two best running backs in college foot- ball this season. You can hide a weak- ness at center in pass protection, but an elite one makes a huge impact in the run game. Craig played at an elite level in 2025, particularly on Notre Dame's outside zone concepts. 22. OG CHARLES JAGUSAH Speaking of oft-injured offensive line- men, how do you rank an elite player you're not sure will play a down this sea- son? Our voters' choices ranged from No. 10 to out of the rankings entirely. For those who did rank Jagusah, his perfor- mances against Penn State and Ohio State in the 2024 CFP are seared into our brains. Jagusah was, in layman's terms, re- ally freakin' good in those games. How- ever, due to a broken humerus and its subsequent complications over the next year, Jagusah has not played since. It is not publicly known when, or even if, he'll play again. But if he does return, Jagusah is a massive ceiling raiser who could give Notre Dame a Joe Moore Award-worthy offensive line. 23. LB JAIDEN AUSBERRY As good as Viliamu-Asa was in 2025, Ausberry actually started over him at Will linebacker. In two seasons of mean- ingful playing time — and he plays a lot — he has made 109 tackles, including 10.5 for loss. Every defense needs playmakers, and he's one of Notre Dame's best. THE POLL The top 25 was put together by seven BGI staffers who each sent in their own top 25 ballots. It was tabulated the same way as the Associated Press Top 25: A first-place vote re- ceived 25 points, a second-place vote received 24 points and so on. The tiebreaker system works as follows: 1) Most first-place votes, 2) Most total votes, 3) Highest vote. Points Rk. Name, Pos. (1st-place votes) 1. CJ Carr, QB 175 (7) 2. Leonard Moore, CB 166 3. Boubacar Traore, DE 156 4. Anthonie Knapp, OG 135 5. Jordan Faison, WR 133 6. Brauntae Johnson, S 132 7. Drayk Bowen, LB 131 8. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, LB 130 9. Adon Shuler, S 118 10. Aneyas Williams, RB 108 11. Francis Brewu, DT 100 12. Will Black, OT 85 13. Guerby Lambert, OT 85 14. Bryce Young, DE 79 15. Jason Onye, DT 69 16. Christian Gray, CB 62 17. Quincy Porter, WR 58 18. DJ McKinney, CB 57 19. Mylan Graham, WR 57 20. Cooper Flanagan, TE 42 21. Ashton Craig, C 42 22. Charles Jagusah, OG 34 23. Jaiden Ausberry, LB 30 24. Jaden Greathouse, WR 24 25. Keon Keeley, DE 13