Notre Dame has landed a much-needed big time offensive class in the 2026 cycle that certainly continues closing the gap. The Irish landed a 16-man offensive class, giving the Irish impact talent, depth and a boost in playmakers. It was much needed after the 2025 class wasn't quite up to the elite level we've seen in past season. It was a good class, no question, but it wasn't as elite as the two previous offensive classes, so the 2026 class getting back on that track was important.

With the class now signed it's time to hand out grades for the class, beginning with the offense. Here are my grades for the 2026 offensive class:

QUARTERBACK

Grade: B
Signee: Noah Grubbs

Noah Grubbs has been committed to Notre Dame for quite some time, having committed to the Irish as a sophomore. He's been a leader of the class and has continued producing throughout his career. In fact, Grubbs and his Lake Mary (Fla.) High School team are still going in the playoffs. Grubbs needs some work but he's talented and highly productive, having passed for 10,880 yards and 138 touchdowns in his career. He's a pocket passer and has the tools to eventually develop into a high-level starter for Notre Dame.

RUNNING BACK

Grade: A
Signee: Javian Osborne, Jonaz Walton

Notre Dame has the best running back room in college football, but it will likely lose its top two stars to the NFL once the season is complete. The Irish needed reinforcements and they got that by landing arguably the best running back duo in the country. Texas star Javian Osborne rushed for over 6,500 yards and scored over 100 touchdowns in his career. He's an elite talent with the athleticism, power and tools to dominate in the Irish backfield.

Georgia standout Jonaz Walton racked up just under 6,000 rushing yards and scored rushing touchdowns, but also added 1,440 receiving yards, caught 11 touchdowns and returned four touchdowns for scores during his career. Osborne and Walton are an elite duo with similar traits in some areas, but they also complement each other very well. Both have elite RB1 tools and as a duo they could be special in the Irish backfield. 

WIDE RECEIVER

Grade: A-
Signee: Dylan Faison, Kaydon Finley, Devin Fitzgerald, Bubba Frazier, Brayden Robinson

Notre Dame needed a depth boost and an influx of playmaking with its receivers class and they certainly landed that with this five-man haul. Texas star Kaydon Finley graded out as a Top 100 player that racked up over 1,000 yards in both his junior and senior seasons. He has high-volume production skills and could be an early impact player. Beating Texas to land Finley was one of the biggest coups of the class for the Irish. Georgia standout Bubba Frazier is a do-it-all star that can make plays as a pass catcher, from the backfield and as a returner. Frazier has over 2,000 career receiving yards, over 1,000 career rushing yards, he returned two punts for touchdowns as a senior and also returned two interceptions for scores.

Dynamic Texas athlete Brayden Robinson is another highly productive and versatile playmaker in the Irish class. Robinson topped 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons and caught 20 touchdown passes. He's also a dynamic return man and after the catch weapon, giving the Irish a huge boost in both areas. Arizona wideout Devin Fitzgerald was a late breakout player, hauling in 82 passes for 1,230 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior. He's a strong pass catcher that has volume skills and can play in the boundary and to the field. Notre Dame's first commit in the class was two-sport Florida star Dylan Faison, who is also one of the top lacrosse players in the country. Faison is a shifty athlete with a lot of playmaking skills.

Notre Dame met its numbers needs, it added speed, it added playmakers and it's a versatile class. You have boundary options (Finley, Fitzgerald), they have after-the-catch playmakers (Robinson, Frazier, Faison), they have speed ( Frazier, Robinson, Faison) and they have high volume players (Finley, Fitzgerald, Frazier, Robinson). I would have liked just a bit more size and high level impact, that's the only thing keeping this class from being an A.

TIGHT END

Grade: A+
Signee: Preston Fryzel, Ian Premer

Landing Ohio athlete Preston Fryzel alone would have made for a strong tight end class. He's a long, athletic pass catcher that is a great movement piece at tight end. He can line up in the boundary, can play in the slot and can move around the line. Fryzel was an all-state player in both football and baseball, but his playmaking skills at tight end are where his future is brightest. But

Notre Dame didn't stop with Fryzel, they also landed arguably the best tight end in the country by landing five-star Ian Premer. The Kansas standout plays tight end, running back, safety and is a dynamic return man for his Great Bend (Kan.) High School team. He has great size (6-6, 235), he's a top level athlete, he has deep speed, he's dynamic after the catch and his ball skills are outstanding. As a senior, Premer caught 40 passes for 734 yards and 14 touchdowns, but he also rushed for 620 yards and 14 more touchdowns. Yes, Notre Dame's 6-6, 235-pound tight end signee rushed for 620 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also made 68 tackles, picked off six passes (two of which he turned for touchdowns) and had a kick return for a touchdown as a junior.

This is a special tight end haul that is as good as Notre Dame has signed in a very long time.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Grade: B+
Signee: Sullivan Garvin, Grayson McKeough, Tyler Merrill, Ben Nichols, Gregory Patrick, Charlie Thom

There is a lot to like about the Notre Dame offensive line class. It has big time size, with four of the six signees already checking in at 300 pounds or more and all six checking in at 6-5 or greater. The class is a bit heavy with interior prospects, but landing Grayson McKeogh and Charlie Thom later in the process gave the Irish a pair of legit tackle prospects. That duo coming on late is what put this group over the top. McKeogh has legit left tackle skills at 6-8 and 300 pounds with very long arms and high level athleticism. Thom is a late bloomer that went from an under-the-radar prospect to a legit tackle talent for the Irish during his prep season. The Irish absolutely needed to boost its tackle depth chart, and these two prospects give the Irish a boost there.

The interior prospects in the class are outstanding. Pennsylvania big man Tyler Merrill is a massive (6-5, 330) player that is the kind of mauler that can fuel the future ground game. He'll need to reshape his body and improve his footwork, but he's powerful, dominant and has an incredibly high ceiling. The same thing is true for Ben Nichols, another massive (6-5, 320) prospect that projects to be a big time mover at guard. He also needs some body reshaping, but Nichols is a big-time mauler in the run game and he has a good feel as a pass blocker. Sullivan Garvin is one of the most overlooked members of the entire class, but he's talented as well. Garvin really developed nicely as both a junior and senior. He's a big prospect (6-5, 315), he projects at guard but could also play some tackle and he's been a leader of the 2026 class. The third Michigan lineman - Gregory Patrick - is a tackle in high school and could possibly stay there, but I also love his versatility. Patrick could play center or guard as well, and that makes him a great fit in the class.

OVERALL

Grade: A

This is arguably the best offensive class that Notre Dame has signed under Freeman, which makes it one of the best of the last two decades. The Irish signed a talented signal caller, arguably the best running back, tight end and offensive line units in the entire country, and it added a much-needed boost in depth and talent at wide receiver. Notre Dame hit all its numbers marks, they added playmakers across the field and the line class gives Notre Dame a massive boost in size, power and run game potential. There are prospects in this class that could also make an early impact, which is important for Notre Dame. Notre Dame wanted and needed to land an impact offensive haul, and the 2026 group does just that.

GRADE KEY

A — Elite / College Football Playoff caliber
B — Outstanding / Top 15 caliber
C — Solid / Borderline Top 25 caliber
D — Subpar / Not good enough
F — Disaster

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter