Discover standout offensive performances from Notre Dame stars, from breakout quarterback plays to Pro Bowl linemen and record-breaking running backs.
Now that the NFL regular season has come to an end, it's time to take a look back at the notable Notre Dame football alumni in the National Football League and see how they've done. In total, there are 54 former Fighting Irish players on NFL rosters, and they're split relatively evenly. There's 24 on the offensive side of the ball and 25 on the defensive side of the ball with five players on special teams. We're going to start by taking a look at the players on the offensive side of the ball. Now, we're not going to cover all 24 offensive players, but we will take a look at some of the notable performances from this season.
Let's start with the quarterback position. Notre Dame's 2024 starting quarterback Riley Leonard was taken in the 6th round by the Indianapolis Colts and was an after thought in starting a game this season. After some unfortunate injuries and the Philip Rivers experiment coming to an end, Leonard started the final game of the regular season against the Houston Texans, a divisional rival. The Alabama native finished the afternoon going 21 of 34 for 270 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 21 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. It was, by far, the best performance a former Notre Dame quarterback has had in the NFL in quite some time.
Another household name amongst Notre Dame fans is running back Kyren Williams of the Los Angeles Rams. Williams had another stellar season in the backfield and is gearing up for their playoff game this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers on the road where they'll face off against two other notable Irish alums, tight ends Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans. Williams finished the season with 1,252 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns making him the first Rams running back since Steven Jackson to amass over 1,000 rushing yards in three straight seasons.
The bulk of the offensive alum from Notre Dame that have had much success in the NFL live along the offensive line; I'm sure that doesn't come as a big surprise to anyone who's watched Notre Dame's offensive lines over the last decade and a half. There were eight offensive lineman this season that either started or played significant minutes for their organizations this season that attended Notre Dame.
Left tackle Joe Alt for the Los Angeles Chargers and left guard Quenton Nelson for the Indianapolis Colts were both named to the Pro Bowl this season on the AFC's roster. Alt, who missed the rest of the season with an ankle injury, is poised to come back for a strong season in 2026. Fellow left tackle Ronnie Stanley of the Baltimore Ravens played 447 pass blocking snaps this season and only allowed four sacks this year. Stanley had a bit of a down season, but will look to come back in 2026 stronger as the Ravens are now in search of a new head coach.
Left guard Aaron Banks of the Green Bay Packers is gearing up for his matchup with the Chicago Bears and former Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet on Saturday night in the wild card matchup at Soldier Field. Denver Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey will get to sit back and relax this weekend as his team received the first round bye in this years playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Houston Texans also had a pair of former Fighting Irish offensive lineman play significant minutes for them this season in center Jarrett Patterson and offensive tackle Blake Fisher.
There are several other players on offense spread out across the league that played collegiate ball in South Bend. We just wanted to take the time to recognize some of the players who had a significant impact on their teams this season. Other players are poised for breakouts in 2026. Running back Audric Estime and wide receiver Kevin Austin became starters towards the end of the season with the Saints. Steelers wide receiver and special teams demon Ben Skowronek made the Pro Bowl this season on the AFC's special teams roster. Several notable Notre Dame alums are making a name for themselves at the next level and I'm looking forward to seeing what impact some make in the post season.
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