Rising tight end James Flanigan and dynamic running back Aneyas Williams are poised to make seismic offensive leaps for the Irish.
Spring practice at Notre Dame begins in less than two weeks, which means we are very close to getting our first look at the 2026 Irish squad. Spring is when we start to see breakout players emerge, and the offense has plenty of candidates, which we'll start to see this spring.
Breakouts can, and almost always do, happen on different levels. That is certainly true for the Notre Dame offense heading into the spring.
Here are the three levels that I view for breakouts:
Level 1 - Player who got little playing time that becomes at least a key rotation player
Level 2 - Player who goes from being a rotation player to an impact starter, or a player who starts and sees a significant jump in production
Level 3 - Player that becomes an All-American caliber contributor
Here is my early list of breakout predictions for the Irish offense:
TE JAMES FLANIGAN
LEVEL 1 BREAKOUT
Eli Raridon's graduation leaves an opening at tight end, and the battle to see who steps into that void will begin this spring. I don't know if Flanigan will step into the number one role, but he's certainly going to compete for it. I see Flanigan as a breakout player even if he isn't the No. 1 tight end. Just watch the Pitt game if you want to know why. Flanigan was dominant in the run game in that road victory, and I'm confident that we would have seen more of him in the postseason had the Irish made the playoffs. At the very least I see him earning a very important run blocking role for the Irish in 2026.
What will determine if he's a level three, level two or even a level one breakout is how much growth he shows as a pass catcher this offseason. Flanigan has impressive size at 6-6 and 251 pounds, but he's not just a physical blocker, at least not from a potential standpoint. Flanigan has good vertical speed and in high school he was a big play weapon in the pass game. The tools are there, both from an athletic and ball skills standpoint, but Flanigan has to improve as a route runner and be more assertive in the pass game. If the light goes on for him in that regard this offseason he will be a playmaker for the Irish next season.
RB ANEYAS WILLIAMS
LEVEL 2 BREAKOUT
There might not be a player in the country with bigger shoes to fill than Williams, who must replace Doak Walker Award winner Jeremiyah Love. Williams doesn't need to try to be Love, or even Jadarian Price for that matter, he just needs to be the best version of himself. Williams played more meaningful snaps as a freshman when he served as the team's third-down back. The Penn State game showed what he can do with the ball, and also his strong all-around game. Williams has rushed for 443 yards in his career on just 58 carries, good for a 7.6 per carry average. The Missouri native also has 20 catches for 212 yards, and he's scored seven touchdowns in limited opportunities.
Williams heads into the spring as the leading candidate to become the No. 1 back. He averaged 9.3 yards per carry this past season and had two 50+ yard runs on just 24 carries. If Williams does win the top back role he'll no doubt make a lot of plays for the Irish offense. Williams is more of a straight line runner, and his low center of gravity, power and vision has allowed him to be a productive runner so far in his career. Williams is also a legit weapon in the pass game, and we'll likely see the Irish staff look for ways to use that skill this season. If he can avoid the injury bug that bit him a bit early last season, Williams will become a key figure in the Irish offense.
WR JADEN GREATHOUSE
LEVEL 2 BREAKOUT
Greathouse was supposed to be a breakout player for the Irish in 2025, but injuries and other factors I don't care to dive into again kept that from happening. Even before his season was cut short after just four games, Greathouse was barely targeted in the pass game. Greathouse made just four catches, although he had some memorable moments in those limited opportunities. I don't really know how Greathouse is viewed by the Irish staff, but I also know that whenever he's been given the opportunity to be a focal point of the pass game he's been highly productive. Greathouse was the team's leader in receiving yards during the 2024 season, and he was at his best in the semifinal and title game. But Greathouse showed when he does get targeted he's a big time producer.
Coming off a 4-catch season, Greathouse has a chance to have a bounce back season, which would also be a breakout season if you view it based on how he performed in 2025. When Greathouse is a focal point of the offense he's an impact player, and his high-volume skills force opponents to spend time scheming for him. He's a third-down monster, he's a big time contested catch player and Greathouse has a knack for getting into the end zone. Simply put, there's no reason not to reassert him into the lineup and make sure he's a focal point of the pass game.
OL ANTHONIE KNAPP
LEVEL 3 BREAKOUT
It doesn't seem like that long ago that Knapp was the young, rookie left tackle and the question mark of the line. Now, the Georgia native heads into the season as the team's most experienced offensive line. Knapp has made 26 career starts and 1,531 snaps played (PFF), and he game took a big jump as a sophomore. His production in the run game has been quite good, and there were stretches the last two seasons where he was the team's best run blocker. Despite a lack of girth, Knapp is powerful and athletic, especially when he can play in tight quarters. If what I'm hearing is accurate and Knapp ends up moving inside I think his game will absolutely explode this season.
Knapp was a solid left tackle, especially in the run game. He showed improvement in pass protection, giving up just 11 pressures last season, but he struggled in the two biggest games of the season. Knapp has a lot of talent, possessing a strong combination of power and athleticism. But the reality is he's been at his best when he can make quick engagements, it's not when he's in space. As a guard, Knapp would get to play right in his wheelhouse all game long. If the move does in fact get made, and Knapp embraces the move, I think his game will explode and he'll be a dominant run and pass game player for the Irish this season.
OL GUERBY LAMBERT
LEVEL 3 BREAKOUT
An offseason injury to Charles Jagusah forced Notre Dame to move Lambert inside to guard, where he started all 12 games. After a rough opener against Miami, Lambert settled in very quickly and emerged as one of the team's top linemen. At points in the season a case could be made that Lambert was the team's most dominant blocker, especially in the run game. Lambert certainly got the most movement in the run game despite having very little experience coming into the season. His pass pro was also quite good thanks to his combination of length, athleticism and power. Lambert did all this while being a relatively raw player who will need to make some significant technical improvements in 2026.
Lambert is likely going to kick out to right tackle this season, which is his natural position. With a year of experience under his belt, and with Lambert moving out to his more natural position, I am expecting a monster second season in the starting lineup. Lambert is going to be an absolute force on the edge of the line, and he'll have another big player inside of him, with either Sullivan Absher (6-7, 325) or Jagusah (6-5, 325) expected to win the right guard position. The right side of the line could be extremely dominant, and Lambert will be a driver of that. Not only do I expect him to contend for being the best lineman on the team, he could end up being one of the best tackles in the country.
QB CJ CARR
LEVEL 3 BREAKOUT
Carr had an outstanding first season leading the Notre Dame offense, and he's just getting started. The Michigan native passed for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns, and he showed clutch moments late in games throughout the season. Carr set a Notre Dame program record with a 168.06 passer rating, which blew away the previous mark that was most recently tied by Jimmy Clausen. That ranked 5th in the country last year, and his 9.4 yards per attempt tied for second in the country. Carr also ranked 4th in the land with a 14.1 yards per completion, It was quite the impressive first impression, and now he heads into his second season with the expectation that he'll be one of the nation's best players.
Carr is consistently in the top two or three players when looking at early Heisman odds. In 2025 he did an excellent job complementing Love and Price, but in 2026 he'll be tasked with being the driver of the offense. It will now be up to Carr to elevate his game, and elevate his teammates. Carr was strong for most of the season, but late in the year he seemed to be a bit more hesitant and wasn't as aggressive getting the ball out. That's part of growing as a young quarterback, and I think those late season struggles will actually be good for him. It was the first time he really had to deal with legit adversity on the field, and he'll be better for it. I fully expect Carr to be an elite player for the Irish this season.
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