Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 SEPT. 12, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME It's Only A Matter Of Time For Jonaz Walton By Eric Hansen Fifth-year head coach Marcus Freeman may have Notre Dame's most tal- ented freshman class in decades. Yet it will have just one freshman starter, in punter Jasper Scaife, barring injury. However, that doesn't mean there won't be later risers who impact Notre Dame's bottom line as key reserves and rotational players, say, in the season's second half. So who is the freshman on offense likely to fit that category much more definitively in the long run than they did in the season opener against Wisconsin? It's been a dead heat between two of the fastest play- ers on the Irish roster, who, ironically, were separated by only hundredths of a second in the 100-meter dash at the Georgia Class 4A state track and field meet in 2025. Wide receiver Bubba Frazier seemed to secure a spot in the wide receiver rotation late in preseason, while running back Jonaz Walton was hovering just outside a three-man running back rotational commitment. Still, Walton holds so much promise. "There's some special traits there," Irish offensive coordinator Mike Den- brock said of Walton and fellow freshman running back Javian Osborne, "and ability there that can help us be more explosive offensively." Some growing pains must subside, primarily in pass blocking, but in Wal- ton's case, it feels like a matter of when, not if, Denbrock and running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider will need to figure out how to play four running backs in a game, if not five. Joey O'Brien Could Be Notre Dame's Secret Weapon By Jack Soble Notre Dame's safety room is stacked, which makes it particularly impressive that Joey O'Brien beat out sophomore Ethan Long — who would start on many Irish teams in the past — for a spot on the initial depth chart. It's also why he probably won't be a featured piece for Chris Ash's defense right away. O'Brien is listed as the direct backup to senior Adon Shuler, a two-time captain and third-year starter. Ju- nior Brauntae Johnson is a bona fide All-America can- didate, while senior Luke Talich occupies the No. 3 safety role. But despite sustaining an ankle injury that required surgery in the Blue-Gold Game, O'Brien made the depth chart anyway. That tells us Notre Dame probably has something planned for one of its freakiest players, as well as one of its most conscientious. "Joey is gifted with God-given ability: His length, his size, his speed, his IQ," Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said. "But then, his attention to work. Joey's intentional about the little free time he has, is work time. … He's done that, and he has to continue to do it. But Joey is a really good football player. He's going to do great things for us." With O'Brien's 6-foot-5 frame and longer arms, his presence could be es- sential for cutting off passing lanes against the better quarterbacks on Notre Dame's schedule. Bringing him along slowly and saving his high-leverage moments for later in the season might be the way to go. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHICH FRESHMAN WON'T MAKE AN IMPACT IN SEPTEMBER, BUT WILL IN NOVEMBER? The collection of wide receivers Notre Dame put together for its 2026 roster doesn't lack potential. What it does lack is proven production beyond the senior duo of Jordan Faison and Jaden Great- house. Faison, who led the Irish in receptions (49) and receiving yards (640) last season, and Greathouse, who entered this season with 64 ca- reer receptions, should be constants in the wide receiver rotation for as long as they stay healthy. But wide receivers coach Mike Brown, who is in his third season at Notre Dame, must sort through a long list of options who are trying to break through this fall. Blue & Gold Illustrated caught up with Brown during the preseason to discuss his intriguing group of receivers. BGI: How many receivers do you want in the rotation? Brown: "If you're talking like main rotation, you're probably thinking six. And then there's game plan-specific things. Maybe it's a specific personnel package for a seventh guy depending on skill set or what it is that they do. "If you think back to 2024, we had eight guys that had jobs. So it all depends." BGI: What has Matt Jeffery done in camp to put himself in the mix? Brown: "Matt's doing an unbelievable job. It's been really, really fun just to watch his growth. Obvi- ously, we didn't have him in the spring with lacrosse. "Getting him back and just watching him from last season where we finished off to where he's at now, it's been pretty impressive, taking that he didn't have spring to kind of go through. I'm really excited about where he is at." BGI: How can this group be different than last year's group? Brown: "Ultimately, time will tell. It is a differ- ent group than we had last year. Last year's group was really good. Obviously, you got two guys playing in the NFL. "But this group is a little bit different, and it's a little bit deeper now. That athleticism is different, so it's exciting. It's really, really exciting." BGI: What kind of impact is Mylan Graham making? Brown: "He's good. He's adjusting well. He's fitting into the group a lot more now. All the new guys, they're all just bonding together a lot better. That's been good to see. Those are the things that you worry about. "You have so many new faces, and how will they gel with the guys that have been here? Can we get them on the same page and doing the things we do?" BGI: Besides Greathouse and Faison, who are multi-positional receivers? Brown: "A lot of them are, to be honest with you. Those two guys are. We had Matt Jeffery in the slot, moved him outside. He's played both. Micah [Gilbert] started his career off to the field. We moved him around a good bit. "A lot of guys, especially guys that have been here, know the offense. We move guys around formation- ally a lot anyway, so they got to learn their jobs." — Tyler James Five Questions With … WIDE RECEIVERS COACH MIKE BROWN Brown has an intriguing group of wide receivers to work with in his third season coaching for the Fighting Irish. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER WALTON O'BRIEN