Carr's return and a deep receiver room set the stage. Discover the four vital factors unlocking a dominant wide receiver unit in 2026.
Notre Dame will likely look a lot different on offense in 2026 thanks to the loss of star running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, as well as the return of record setting quarterback CJ Carr. Notre Dame is coming off a season in which it set a modern program record in points per game and yards per play, but there's a chance the unit could be even better next season.
There are several keys to making that happen, and one of the most important is continued improvement from the wide receiver corps. The unit showed flashes last season but it will look a lot different in 2026. Despite the loss of Malachi Fields, Will Pauling and a pair of transfers, Notre Dame returns eight talented pass catchers, welcomes a talented five-man freshman class and landed a pair of very talented players from the portal.
Talent will not be a reason for the wide receiver unit not playing championship caliber football in 2026. There are questions, and we'll have the rest of the offseason to address those, but there is loads of potential. Big picture, there are four key factors to the unit playing to its full potential.
1. Faison Keep Doing What He's Doing - Landing Fields was huge for the Irish and he was everything the offense needed him to be, but it was Jordan Faison that emerged as the team's top pass cacher. Faison hauled in 49 passes for 640 yards and four touchdowns. He was steady in the pass game throughout the season and showed improvement with his game. Faison had a much improved catch rate and he was able to make more plays on contested throws. Faison's route running also improved, and while there are things he can build on as a route runner he showed the foundation needed to continue thriving in 2026.
Notre Dame doesn't need Faison to really do anything this season except keep doing what he's been doing. Improvement would obviously be great, but as long as Faison can repeat his 2025 season he gives the Irish a strong foundation to build upon.
2. Greathouse Needs Good Healthy and Consistency - Going into last season the expectation was that Jaden Greathouse was doing to be the breakout player for the Irish. Things certainly didn't go according to plan, as Greathouse caught just four passes in four games before being shut down for the season with a lower leg injury that lingered much longer than expected. Greathouse transferring was a hot topic of conversation for months, but he decided to say and now he gets another shot to have a breakout season.
Greathouse led the Irish in yards in 2024 after catching 42 passes for 592 yards. That means Notre Dame returns its top pass catcher from each of the last two seasons. Greathouse needs to really spend the offseason connecting and bonding with Carr, who didn't seem to look for Greathouse much last season outside of the occasional slot fade. If those two can form an on-field bond and Greathouse can stay healthy he will form an impressive veteran one-two punch with Faison.
One thing I would like to see in 2026 is Greathouse and Faison being a bit more interchangeable. There are some matchups that would benefit Greathouse being outside and Faison being inside, and just generally not knowing who will be where can aide the offense and make it harder for defenses to game plan around either player. If Greathouse can stay healthy and be a more consistent player, and Faison just repeats what he did last season (while also staying healthy) the wide receiving corps will be dangerous.
3. A Talented Breakout In The Boundary - It's important that knowns (Greathouse, Faison) be dependable, but that's not quite enough for the position group to maximize its potential. Notre Dame needs at least one breakout to happen alongside Faison and Greathouse. The bad news is that behind Faison and Greathouse there is very, very little experience. The other 13 receivers on the roster have combined for just 26 catches, 306 yards and one touchdown, and not one player has double digit catches or at least 100 yards receiving. There just isn't much known beyond Faison and Greathouse.
The good news is that the group is deep on talent and potential. From a boundary standpoint, there are four players that have the tools to thrive at the position, and Notre Dame needs at least one to break out. If that doesn't happen it will be easier for teams to game plan to slow down the field receivers. If it does happen the Irish will have a very balanced group that makes it much harder for defenses to defend.
The four players I have in view here are Micah Gilbert, Cam Williams, transfer Quincy Porter and freshman Kaydon Finley. Gilbert has the size and ball skills to thrive in the boundary, but he has to stay healthy and show in games the urgency and playmaking ability he shows in practice. Porter is tall, fast and showed elite contested catch skills in high school. His game is built very, very similar to Fields and he has the ideal boundary receiver frame and skillset. Williams is arguably the most physically gifted player on the roster, but he just has to learn what it takes to be a great player and focus on learning the nuances of the game. Finley is extremely polished and has the kind of game that could make a quick transition into this offense.
If one of those four players can have a breakout the wide receiving corps will be outstanding. If more than one breaks out this receiving corps could be special this season.
4. Finally Some Depth? - Notre Dame didn't use much of a rotation last season, so the starters played a lot of reps. The depth chart was very young and the staff decided to play the veterans. As much as I'd love to see more of a deep rotation, those spots have to be earned. Gilbert, Porter, Williams and Finley will all battle for either a starting spot or a key spot in the rotation. Notre Dame has a lot of talent that I haven't even talked about yet. Ohio State transfer Mylan Graham has elite talent and potential. If Graham plays anywhere close to that potential he won't just be a rotation player, he could be a game changer. Elijah Burress is a talented young player that could certainly force his way into the rotation with a strong offseason, as could Logan Saldate. The rest of the freshman class could make their presence felt as well, especially with all five of them arriving this winter.
There are questions at the position, but this is the deepest and most talented wide receiver group that Notre Dame has had in a very, very long time. It will be up to position coach Mike Brown to develop the group, figure out where the pieces fit best and for coordinator Mike Denbrock to design a pass game that fits their skillset. If all the pieces fall into place this could end up being the type of season that completely changes the narrative about playing wide receiver at Notre Dame.
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