Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2026 31 Ausberry is the quintessential mod- ern 4-2-5 Will. What he lacks in size, he makes up with quick-darting speed. He needs to be one step ahead of the offensive line to be successful against the run, but he usually is. Ausberry will pick up a ton of tackles for loss by evading blockers and beating them to the spot, and his speed is helpful in Notre Dame's coverage scheme. 24. WR JADEN GREATHOUSE Barring some kind of regular-season catastrophe, the success or failure of Notre Dame's season will be determined during the College Football Playoff. And few (if any) Fighting Irish have experi- enced as much playoff success as Great- house, who caught 13 passes for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns in the semifinals and national championship of the 2024 CFP. The follow-up in 2025? Four recep- tions for 73 yards in four games before suffering a hamstring injury that wound up ending his season. However, Notre Dame has not lost sight of what Great- house is capable of on the football field. If he gets healthy and stays that way, the comeback could be far greater than the setback for the "big slot" receiver. 25. DE KEON KEELEY Middling defensive end production has held the Irish back from true defen- sive dominance in recent years, espe- cially against the nation's top offenses. And typically, you need at least three quality edge rushers to form a high-end group. Enter Keeley, who looked like he was turning a corner at the tail end of his third season at Alabama. Despite underwhelming with the Crimson Tide after flipping from Notre Dame, Keeley still has the crazy physi- cal tools that made him the No. 2 recruit in the country out of high school. If he figures it out — really figures it out — he could be the missing piece that takes the Irish defense to the top of the sport. ✦ These 10 players received at least one vote in the top 25 polls submitted by seven Blue & Gold Illustrated staff members. DT TIONNE GRAY The 6-foot-5, 330-pounder arrived at Notre Dame this offseason as the No. 6 defensive line- man and No. 69 overall player in the transfer portal, despite sitting behind two All-Big Ten se- lections at Oregon. Notre Dame learned during its 2024 run to the national championship game that it needed more depth along the defensive line. Gray gives the Irish exactly that, with the upside to develop into much more than a rota- tional piece. RB KEDREN YOUNG How do you replace two first-round NFL Draft picks from your running back room after losing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price? There is no singular answer. Junior tailback Aneyas Williams will be the headline act for the Irish run game this season. But don't underestimate the value of Young in a supporting role. K SPENCER PORATH Notre Dame has had only four kickers in pro- gram history match or exceed Porath's 2025 field goal percentage of 88.2. This could be a record-setting season for the Fighting Irish in the kicking department. At the least, the Irish know they are on solid footing with Porath as their placekicker. That's way more than they could say a season ago, which was a major talking point all fall. RB NOLAN JAMES JR. The No. 2 running back role may still be up for grabs heading into pre- season camp, but James should enter it as the favorite to win the job. He took advantage of his opportunities in the spring and looks better than he did in small glimpses as a freshman last season. James won't have a role comparable to Price last season, but he should be able to carve out an impactful one. LB JAYLEN SNEED Sneed's appeal is that, per Pro Football Focus, he was the best tackler among the linebackers who logged more than 40 snaps in 2025 and fifth overall. He was also the best pass rusher among the linebackers and fifth overall. Throw in resilience, leadership and versa- tility, and that won multiple voters over. S LUKE TALICH Good things happen when the ball finds Tal- ich, and it sure seems to find him a lot. He had 3 interceptions (third among Irish DBs), 3 passes broken up (tied for third) and 9 defensive stops (fourth) on just 205 defensive snaps (10th). Talich also gets most of his meaningful reps in key situ- ations, including short yardage, two-minute drill and third-and-long. DE RODNEY DUNHAM Five-star defensive ends don't come around very often at Notre Dame. Dunham showed enough in the spring that he's a plug-and-play pass rusher capable of being in the top-four edge players on a team that will need that quality in abundance if it's going to realistically chase national title aspira- tions in 2026. C JOE OTTING Notre Dame's projected starting center, Ashton Craig, is attempting to return from his second torn ACL. Otting proved last season he can capably an- chor the offensive line, and he should provide even more with another year of experience. Offensive line coach Harry Hiestand loved Otting as a recruit in the 2023 class, and he's beginning to show why. CB JAYDEN SANDERS Sanders' spring game performance convinced a voter he could be more than just a rotational cornerback this season. Then there's what he accom- plished as a true freshman at Michigan. According to Pro Football Focus, Sanders graded as the Wolverines' sixth-best defender while appearing in 12 games and making two starts. Don't be surprised if Sanders works his way into a significant role. TE IAN PREMER Notre Dame might not have a potent receiving threat among its returning tight ends on the 2026 roster. Premer could fill that void even as a true fresh- man. The five-star recruit brings a well-rounded skill set to Notre Dame, and he may be hard to keep off the field. Premer will be a playmaker during his Notre Dame career; it's just a matter of whether it happens this soon. — BGI Staff Honorable Mentions Tionne Gray arrived at Notre Dame this offseason as the No. 6 defensive lineman and No. 69 overall player in the transfer portal, despite sitting behind two All-Big Ten selections at Oregon. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER