With a returning QB and key departures, can Notre Dame's offense reinvent itself and maintain its scoring power in 2026?
Any offseason carries some level of uncertainty. Who returns? Who stays? Who's expectations grow? All questions are on the table. Now that the offseason is officially here for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, it's time we sat down and looked at the main questions Marcus Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock have in front of them as they gear up for the bulk of the season season. We broke down the top five questions on the offensive side of the ball as things stand today.
1. Will Having A Returning Starting Quarterback Be Impactful? - For the first time in Freeman's tenure, and the first time since 2020, the Irish will have a returning starter under center. Soon-to-be redshirt sophomore CJ Carr had an electric start to his career in 2025, but will look to build upon that in 2026. What will that look like? Will losing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price open up the possibility of a more pass-heavy attack?
How much weight will you put on Carr's shoulders as a second year starter? The task isn't just Carr being impactful in 2026, it's about continue to develop him. I'd argue that it's been significantly longer than 2020 that we haven't seen a returning starter digress in South Bend. Will Carr break that trend? It's definitely trending in the right direction.
2. Can The Run Game Keep Rolling? - Losing talents like Love and Price wouldn't be easy for any team to over come. That being said, as things stand right now, Notre Dame is home to one of the deepest rooms in South Bend, and the 2026 class isn't even on campus yet. This past season, the Irish finished 17th in the country in yards per game (203.4), 6th in the country in yards per carry (5.7) and 3rd in the country in rushing touchdowns (38).
Will the other running backs in the room step up? The second layer to this puzzle is the offensive line. Who will next year's starting lineup consist of? Joe Rudolph certainly doesn't have a talent shortage in his room, but will they be played at the right spots? There's a lot of ingredients in play on the outlook for the run game next season.
3. Who Will Be The New Playmakers? - Not only did this offense lose Love and Price, they also lost three of their top four pass catchers. Malachi Fields, Eli Raridon and Will Pauling accounted for 94 receptions, 1,493 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns this season. There's viable candidates who have the opportunity to step up, but who will it be?
Will Jaden Greathouse put the puzzling 2025 season behind him and become the playmaker week in and week out we know he can be? Will it be one of the younger players like Cam Williams, Micah Gilbert or Elijah Burress? Will it be one of the incoming freshman? Or is Notre Dame's next big playmaker not yet on the roster? All fair questions surrounding their next playmakers on offense.
4. Can the Notre Dame Pass Game Carry The Day? - Next years offense has the potential to look a little different than ones we've seen in Freeman's tenure. With ball carriers like Love, Price, Riley Leonard, Audric Estime and Logan Diggs carrying the offensive load since 2022, the pass game hasn't had to carry the day.
And you could argue that, the majority of the time, when the passing offense had to come alive, the Irish fell short. This past season showed a glimpse of what this passing offense could truly be with a guy like Carr under center, but will it be enough with the returning supporting cast to carry the day?
5. Can Notre Dame Find Answers In The Red Zone? - This was one of the more shocking aspects of this year's offense. Despite averaging 42.0 points per game, which ranked No. 3 in the country at the end of the regular season, Notre Dame ranked No. 119 in the country in red zone offense. Now, the woes in the kicking game brought this aspect of the team down, but the offense also failed on many of their own opportunities in the red zone.
Price fumbled three times inside the 20-yard line and lost both. Two of Carr's interceptions came in the red zone and in back to back weeks against NC State and USC. Short yardage near the goal line wasn't creative or effective enough. Will that be fixed in 2026 without Love and Price? If it does, this offense may set another program record for points in a season.
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