Irish backs must replace explosive All-Americans. Can a talented freshman duo and returning talent reload Notre Dame's potent ground game?
There might not be a position group in all of college football that was as dynamic as the Notre Dame running backs were in 2025, and now the Irish will need to find a way to replace two All-Americans from that group. How well Notre Dame is able to replace and reload at running back will have a big impact on how good the Irish offense can be next season.
This is a good news/bad news situation for Notre Dame. The bad news is obvious, Notre Dame must replace Doak Walker Award winning running back Jeremiyah Love and fellow All-American Jadarian Price, who was also arguably the best return man in college football this past season. Love and Price combined for 2,046 rushing yards, 367 receiving yards and 36 total touchdowns on offense.
The good news is that Notre Dame has recruited that position extremely well in recent seasons, and as long as they are able to keep everyone together this room will remain very talented.
Notre Dame won't be able to replace Love and Price in regard to equal talent for equal talent, but it has the talent in place to still have one of the best running back rooms in college football. I expect Notre Dame to lose Gi'Bran Payne to the portal, but even if he leaves the Irish will be loaded. If he returns it only adds another talented runner to the group. Payne has yet to declare, so he remains on my projected depth chart, so we'll wait to see what he decides.
WILLIAMS-YOUNG DUO COULD BE STRONG
Notre Dame signed one of the nation's best running back duos in the 2024 class when it landed Aneyas Williams and Kedren Young. Williams made an immediate impact, emerging as the team's third-down back as a true freshman. The Missouri native rushed for 219 yards (6.4 YPC) and caught 18 passes for 172 yards as a rookie, which included two huge plays that helped the Irish tie the Orange Bowl up in the second half. Williams saw a major reduction in role in 2025, with his snaps coming mostly in mop up minutes, but he still made his presence felt, rushing for 224 yards and five touchdowns on just 24 carries.
Williams is a stocky, well-built runner with outstanding vision and a feel for the game. He's shifty, runs with authority and he's shown he has enough speed to hit home runs. Despite carrying the ball just 58 times in his career, Williams has already had three touchdown runs of over 50 yards and another of 30 yards. His pass catching skills are well known and Williams was a strong blocker as a freshman. There's no reason for Notre Dame to look into the portal for a new go-to back when it returns Williams.
Young was poised to be a factor this season but a knee injury in fall camp kept him from playing this season. That injury has raised questions about his future, but as long as he can make a full recovery he'll have a chance to once again push for a major role. Young is a massive back at 5-11 and 240 pounds, but he's an athletic player for his size. Young has very nimble feet and excellent vision, which is why he was such a dominant and productive high school player.
If Young can return to health there's a chance that Williams and Young could form a potent one-two punch at running back. They complement each other very well, and a healthy Young could help solve some of Notre Dame's red zone and short yardage issues this past season.
JAMES HAS A CHANCE TO MAKE AN IMPACT
Redshirt freshman Nolan James Jr. is another talented runner that should return in 2026. James is an extremely quick and physical runner that also has outstanding vision and feel for the game. James had over 1,000 receiving yards in high school on top of his dynamic running skills. He made a strong impression on the offense in fall camp, and in past years he would have been able to make an immediate impact in the run game. Of course, in past years they didn't have Love and Price, which is the reason we didn't see more of James.
James has legit "go-to" running back talent, and with Love and Price gone he should get a chance this spring to compete for the starting role. Right now I would project Williams to be the starter, and a healthy Young will have a say in that as well, but James has the kind of talent to push both of them. Not just for touches, but for the lead back role, I believe he is that good. James having legit pass catching skills only adds to his all-around value in the offense.
FRESHMAN IMPACT
Notre Dame landed the nation's best running back duo in the 2026 class and they will be arriving soon. Texas star Javian Osborne and dynamic Georgia running back Jonaz Walton both arrive at Notre Dame in January as early enrollees. Their arrival reloads the running back room and makes sure the Irish still have at least five players that can be impact runners and pass catchers.
Osborne is a lightning quick running back with elite agility and vision. His ability to see and then explode through holes is special, and he's a well built back that will enter his freshman season with the frame and body to make an immediate impact. His cutting ability and explosiveness reminds me a great deal of what Price brought to the offense, but Osborne is stronger than what Price was as a rookie.
Walton is more of a smooth runner that doesn't quite have the initial burst of Osborne, but his long speed is big time. Walton has great feet as well, he's an impact player in the pass game and return game, and he has a great frame that should allow him to be a work horse. Walton also shows an impressive feel for the position and shows the reading and cutting ability to grind out tough yards as well as he can hit home runs.
Experience at running back isn't as important to me as talent and feel for the game. With Williams, Young, James, Osborne and Walton set to be part of the room in 2026 the Irish offense has the depth, vision, athleticism, home run ability and pass game skills for Notre Dame to once again have one of the nation's best backfields. Now it's up to position coach Ja'Juan Seider to coach the unit up, get the right players in the right spots and get the most out of this room.
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