Carr ignites the Irish offense alongside explosive receivers Faison and Greathouse. A dominant offensive line anchors their formidable returning firepower.
Despite some of their impact losses on the offensive side of the ball, Notre Dame's offense returns a plethora of experienced talent. For the first time in Marcus Freeman's tenure, and the first time since 2020, the Irish will have a returning starter at quarterback. Michigan native CJ Carr will be heading into his redshirt sophomore season after posting 2,741 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns this past season.
It didn't take long for Carr to burst onto the scene; his first career passing touchdown was a no-look pass to fellow redshirt freshman Micah Gilbert against Miami. The 6-3, 210-pound quarterback showcased his arm talent throughout the season completing 27 passes of 20 yards or longer while maintaining a 74.6 completion percentage on short to intermediate throws. Eight of Carr's touchdown passes came from balls thrown 20 yards or longer. There are still some key areas where he will have to improve, but his ceiling is exceptionally high in 2026.
Carr will also have some experienced weapons to throw to. As things stand as of today, receivers Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse are slated to return in 2026. Faison remained healthy for the duration of their 12-game regular season which led to his 2025 breakout. The 5-10, 183-pound pass catcher ended the season with 49 receptions which led the team, 640 receiving yards which led the team and four receiving touchdowns. Faison was targeted 63 times and only dropped two passes according to Pro Football Focus while 36 of his 49 total receptions went for first downs.
Greathouse is also in line to have a big season in 2026. He was held out for the most of the season with a significant hamstring injury, but he was probable to return if the Irish went on a post season run. The 6-1, 215-pound Texas native is expected to have a much bigger role in 2026, especially with the departure of Malachi Fields. He ended the regular season with four catches for 73 yards. If Greathouse remains healthy, I'd expect his impact to be similar to what it was in the post season for the Irish in 2024. He's a player that will have to get involved this upcoming season.
The offensive line for Notre Dame is also expected to be one of the best in the country heading into 2026. At the forefront you have left tackle Anthonie Knapp expected to return, right guard Guerby Lambert expected to return while left guard Billy Schrauth and Charles Jagusah are also expected to be in the mix of returners. This season, Notre Dame's offensive line finished the year ranked 11th in the country in sacks allowed only giving up 12.0 sacks in 12 games. It's to be expected than a program coined as 'O-Line U' would have a solid starting lineup year in and year out. The talent is there, the question is how it gets utilized and where it will line up.
There's several other players that return to this roster, but a lot of the talent is unproven. The running back room, wide receiver room and tight end room is loaded with potential and top-end talent, it's just unproven. That being said, the Irish and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock won't have a shortage of talent to work with in the 2026 season and they finally have a returning quarterback, a pair of veteran receivers and an offensive line corps to lean on heading into the offseason.
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