Flanagan eyes a dominant comeback season after injury. Can he ascend to "certified dude" status and lead Notre Dame's tight ends?
The tight end position at Notre Dame is relatively open and an unknown heading into the 2026 offseason, which is an interesting spot for the program coined at 'Tight End U'. The talent in the room isn't a question, but the who their premier player, or players, will be is currently up for debate. One of the returning players, and one of the oldest in the room, is tight end Cooper Flanagan who will be heading into his redshirt junior season with the Irish. Flanagan has the opportunity for a breakout season this year for the Notre Dame offense.
There's three different levels to a player breaking out. The first level of a breakout season is a player going from not playing a ton to being an integral part of the rotation. The second level of a breakout is a player going from a key rotation guy to a starter. The final level of a breakout is going from a starter to a certified dude on their respective side of the ball. Barring any health setbacks, Flanagan has the opportunity for a multi-level breakout this season.
It didn't take long for the California native to make a name for himself in the Notre Dame offense. During his true freshman season in 2023, Flanagan played in 11 games and totaled 160 offensive snaps. The only games he didn't record an offensive snap was against Navy in the opener in Dublin, Ireland and against Ohio State at home at the end of September. He also ended his season as one of the starting tight ends after he was inserted into the starting lineup against Stanford and Oregon State.
Flanagan hasn't put up jaw-dropping production in his first three years in South Bend, some of that due to an injury he sustained in the 2024 College Football Playoffs. But there's no arguing around his efficiency as a player. In his career, the 6-6, 247-pound tight end has caught five total passes; three of them have gone for touchdowns. His dominance, early on, came as a run blocker and was their best run-blocking tight end throughout 2023 and 2024.
BREAKOUT PREDICTION
Top-level production isn't a requirement when stepping into the limelight as the No. 1 tight end at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to taking over as the main guy in the room former players like Mitchell Evans, Eli Raridon, Cole Kmet and Durham Smythe had very little production. Flanagan's five career receptions, 74 total receiving yards and three total touchdowns won't blow anyone away, but that won't prevent him from having an impactful 2026 season.
The biggest question with the California native will be the state of his health. He injured his achilles against Indiana in the 2024 home playoff game and hasn't seen significant action since. The tight end room is wide open with redshirt freshman James Flanigan looking to make a push and players like Ty Washington and Jack Larsen looking to force their way onto the field as well.
Flanagan has the most in-game experience of the bunch and has played on some massive stages as well. To go along with the home playoff game against Indiana in 2024, he's also played against NC State on the road, Duke on the road, Louisville on the road and Clemson on the road in 2023 as a true freshman. In 2024, Flanagan played against Texas A&M on the road, USC on the road and Georgia Tech on the road.
Thankfully, Flanagan has two years of eligibility remaining with Notre Dame and has multiple opportunities to break out. This year, Flanagan has the opportunity to step into the No. 1 tight end spot and burst onto the scene as a go-to target for rising redshirt sophomore CJ Carr. There's steep competition in the room, but he'll likely be one of the primary tight ends that sees the field in 2026.
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