With record-breaking talent gone to the NFL, the Irish turn to Aneyas Williams and a committee approach to replicate Georgia’s championship-caliber blueprint for backfield success.
One of the biggest talking points for Notre Dame this offseason has been replacing the production they lost when both Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price elected to enter the NFL Draft. Obviously, that ended up being a great decision; they were the first running backs in NFL History to be the first two ball carries off the board in the same draft from the same school.
Love was the first Doak Walker Award winner in program history after posting 1,372 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, 280 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns this past season. Price earned a first-round selection after tallying 674 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, 87 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns and two 100-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2025.
The amount of production lost is significant and can't be ignored. The two backs in their careers combined for 4,574 rushing yards, 756 receiving yards, 57 rushing touchdowns and nine receiving touchdowns. They're being replaced by a running back room that has a career total of 596 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns and 212 receiving yards with the majority of those stats coming from Aneyas Williams who is the heir-apparent No. 1 ball carrier for the Irish in 2026.
Their run game operation will look different this season, but that doesn't mean it will be any less effective. Thankfully, Notre Dame isn't the only team that's had to replace a top level running back, or running backs, after losing them to the NFL Draft.
In 2021, Georgia had two primary ball carriers in Zamir White and James Cook III. That season, White rushed for 856 yards, averaged 5.3 yards per carry and had 11 rushing touchdowns. Cook recorded 728 rushing yards, averaged 6.4 yards per carry and had seven rushing touchdowns. Those two backs played a key role in the Bulldogs winning the national title and after their stellar seasons, both entered the NFL Draft.
The following year, Georgia turned to Kenny McIntosh who was on the roster in 2021, Daijuan Edwards, Kendall Milton and Branson Robinson so their approach was much more 'by committee' than compared to 2021. As a unit, the Georgia running backs in 2022 combined for 2,520 rushing yards, 28 rushing touchdowns and McIntosh added another 504 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns to the total.
Point being, we've seen a championship-winning team in the past lose their top two running backs and replace them with a stable of talent and win the title again in the following season. I see Notre Dame's running back room shaping out the way Georgia's did in 2022. Williams and McIntosh could end up having very similar numbers. That season, McIntosh had 829 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, 504 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Behind McIntosh was a stable of running backs that all produced the way I see Kedren Young, Nolan James Jr., Jonaz Walton and Javian Osborne being able to do in 2026. There's no way to spin it. The losses of Love and Price are massive; not every team in the country is able to bounce back after losing two first round draft picks at running back the way I believe Notre Dame will be able to do in 2026. There's work to be done, and players will have to get and remain healthy this fall, the the running back room will be just fine this season.
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