It doesn’t take long to see Notre Dame is all-in on chasing a national title in 2026.
The Fighting Irish avoided significant transfer portal losses, with Joshua Burnham standing as perhaps the only departure the staff tried to keep in South Bend.
Instead, Notre Dame doubled down at receiver.
The Irish added five early enrollees and bolstered the room with two transfers from Ohio State in Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter, signaling a clear emphasis on upgrading the position.
Receiver coach Mike Brown has played a key role in that overhaul, earning praise from head coach Marcus Freeman for both his recruiting and development.
“Shoutout to Coach Brown and the job he's done in recruiting and developing,” said Freeman. “He's done an excellent job of attracting the right guys to this program and really creating a great relationship with them and getting them to trust him. Now they're practicing and playing at a high level.”
Notre Dame returns its leading receiver in Jordan Faison, but the ceiling of the offense may ultimately hinge on the development of a group of third-year wideouts.
Micah Gilbert, Logan Saldate and Cam Williams all arrived in South Bend as players expected to need a few years of development.
Meanwhile, Graham may be the most naturally talented receiver on the roster, but he entered the program needing refinement and a boost in confidence.
Early signs this spring suggest that the group is trending in the right direction.
“It's good to see Micah back out there after an injury-plagued ‘25 season,” stated Freeman. “He's making some plays and he's competitive. He would make a lot of those plays last year.
“Cam's getting better. Logan Saldate is getting better. You're seeing Mylan Graham out there and doing some really, really, really good things.”
The X-factor, however, could be senior Jaden Greathouse.
After battling a hamstring injury last fall and remaining limited this spring, Greathouse is still working his way back. He’s just over a year removed from a two-game stretch against Ohio State and Penn State that showcased his game-breaking ability.
“He's out there,” explained Freeman. “Jaden Greathouse has been a huge playmaker for our program. We just gotta continue to be smart with his return to play. We can't just go from 0-100 and we all know that. He wants to be out there every play, but we've gotta be smart with his progression back.
“He is just a playmaker, explosive, smart, tough, he's really, really good.”
Faison could also be poised for a jump.
The senior made the difficult decision to step away from lacrosse to focus solely on football, a move that has already caught Freeman’s attention.
“He committed to the football development thing,” Freeman stated. “It shows where his mindset is and how much he wants to continue to develop to reach that full potential.
“He’s as solid and as consistent as any person on our team. And his leadership, the way he's able to help those young guys, this is invaluable time for him. This spring ball is important. To have him here is gonna help him get closer to reaching that full potential, but it's helping our team too.”
If that receiver group continues to develop, Notre Dame’s championship push in 2026 won’t just be about belief. It will have the firepower to match.
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