Future stars like Premer and Finley aim to ignite Notre Dame's offense. This top-ranked class boasts playmakers ready to compete for early playing time.
The goal of any program is to continually stack recruiting classes and supplement calculated attrition with top-level talent. Notre Dame is one of the top five programs in the country that have done that under head coach Marcus Freeman and this year, with the exception of a few, all players on the 2026 roster have been recruited, signed and developed under Freeman and his coaching staffs.
This is the highest rated recruiting class that Freeman has brought to South Bend, and that's not to disparage the other recruiting classes he's brought in. The 2026 recruiting class was rated the No. 1 recruiting class in the country by On3 and was deemed a Top 5 class amongst other outlets. Players on offense will have their opportunity to force their way into a rotation and I'm excited to watch those battles go down in the offseason.
IMPACT PLAYERS
This class is loaded with future star power. Disclaimer, it will be difficult for any incoming true freshman to be a starter or carry a heavy impact this upcoming season, but there's pieces in this class that have the potential to make a push. That starts with tight end Ian Premer who is one of the few players in this 2026 class who is not an early enrollee. Premer was the top rated tight end recruit in the country and he comes to South Bend where the outlook on the room is pretty open.
Wide receiver Kaydon Finley also has the potential to make a push to crack the receiver rotation, something rare for a true freshman to do at Notre Dame. The 6-1, 200-pound Texas native is a player who is has all the physical tools. The name of the game for Finley is getting acclimated to the speed of the collegiate game.
Running backs Javian Osborne and Jonaz Walton will also have the opportunity to get some playing time in the backfield this fall. Notre Dame brought in the best running back class in the country, which doesn't come as a surprise after the season Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price just had. They're in a talented room, but will have some opportunities to play.
STARTING CALIBER
The four other wide receivers in this class all have the potential to be starters at Notre Dame. Bubba Frazier and Devin Fitzgerald had exceptional senior seasons which propelled them up recruiting boards. Texas native Brayden Robinson is electric with the ball in his hands and could make an impact on special teams this year as well. Dylan Faison, the younger brother of Jordan Faison, is technically ahead of where Jordan was as a high school recruit.
Offensive tackle recruit Grayson McKeogh was the highest rated offensive lineman in this cycle for the Irish. The outlook on him starting in 2026 is unlikely, but his opportunity will be around the corner in 2027. The trio of interior players featuring Sullivan Garvin, Ben Nichols and Tyler Merrill will also be battling it out in camp for a spot along the two deep. All three players bring immense size, power and physicality to the offensive line room.
DEPTH PLAYERS
Unlike other years, Notre Dame elected to bring in two quarterbacks in this cycle. One of them being 2026 recruit Noah Grubbs and the other being 2027 recruit Teddy Jarrard who reclassified. Both Grubbs and Jarrard will battle it out with 2025 quarterback recruit Blake Hebert for the No. 2 job behind CJ Carr this offseason. Grubbs is an early enrollee and Jarrard will be here in the summer. They both have the physical tools to push for the No. 2 job.
Offensive lineman Charlie Thom and Gregory Patrick will need some developing under Joe Rudolph, but that doesn't change the high upside they bring to the table in the offensive line room. Barring injury, these two players won't likely crack the two-deep this season but will have the opportunity in the near future to make a push. The same can be said for tight end Preston Frzyel. He has exceptional talent, but similar to Tyler Eifert, he'll need a year or two of collegiate development before he's ready to take the field.
CLASS EXPECTATIONS
Get your feet under you. It feels, almost lazy, for this to be the overall class expectation, but this is what's expected of most incoming freshman classes in college. Luckily, all but three offensive recruits (Premer, Patrick, Nichols) have already enrolled in classes and are going through winter workouts. This class has exceptional talent; it's not a coincidence or favoritism that earned them the No. 1 overall recruiting class ranking.
That being said, it's unlikely that anyone from the offensive, or defensive class for that matter, will start in 2026, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility. If that's the case, hopefully it was earned and not out of necessity and you'll be replacing talented players with more talented players. The future at Notre Dame is looking extremely bright.
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