Notre Dame’s running back room will have a different look in 2026.
Running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider is tasked with developing a group that currently features just two fully healthy scholarship backs this spring in Nolan James Jr. and early enrollee Jonaz Walton.
Junior Aneyas Williams is practicing, but won’t take contact as he recovers from elbow surgery.
That leaves Seider with a challenge, but it’s one he’s embraced before. The first step in replacing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price is building confidence within the room.
“I am very encouraged,” Seider stated. “We're good enough to do our 1/11th to help Notre Dame win next year and that's all we need to do.
“They don't need to try to be J-Love. There’s only one J-Love and there’s only one Jadarian. Be the best version of yourself. That's why you were recruited to come to Notre Dame. All you guys were four and five stars. So now it's time to go be that guy.”
James exceeded expectations last spring and patiently waited behind a loaded depth chart last fall.
Now, the redshirt freshman will have an opportunity to compete for a starting role and he’s done nothing but impress inside the program.
“He's the most mature young kid I've ever been around,” explained Seider. “He does stuff that 3-4 year pros figure out later. You learn later all the things you need to do to take care of your body, right? Massages, hydration, the type of foods you eat and getting proper sleep.
“He's doing that already, which is so rare. I think it's good from his upbringing with his dad, his brothers are wrestlers, so they got that background.”
Seider has even had to remind James to leave the facility at times, a problem most coaches welcome.
“Sometimes I have to make sure he gets out the building because he'll be in here at 9:00pm in the indoor going through the script on his own,” Seider explained. “You see quarterbacks do it, you normally don't see too many running backs doing it.”
Williams, a Missouri native, already has a proven body of work at the college level. While missing contact this spring isn’t ideal, Seider remains confident in what he brings.
“He knows when not to use the hand and that the arm he doesn't need to use,” said Sieder. “Rob (Hunt) has done a good job of telling me what we can and can't do with him. Our defense is doing a great job, allowing us to let him practice without being hit.
“This allows him to continue to take the next step and not play hesitant. I think he's done a great job.”
Williams has also impressed the staff with his urgency to contribute in any way possible.
“There was a time he shouldn't have even been doing anything,” explained Seider. “He jumped right in. And to me, I can't tell you how refreshing it is, as a coach, to know a kid that hungry and wants to get out there and compete, who wants to help his team.”
Redshirt freshman Kedren Young could be the X-factor in the room. The Texas native tore his ACL in fall camp and is working toward a return for summer workouts.
The 5-foot-11, 234-pound back rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown as a freshman, and Notre Dame could certainly use his physical presence.
“I had opportunities to work with him from the spring and up until fall,” stated Seider. “He was trending in the right direction. But again, now the thing that Kedren has to figure out, and us, is how to keep him healthy so he can make it through a season. He's a potential that we haven't really had a chance to use.”
Walton, meanwhile, is still swimming, but flashing in a similar way James did a year ago.
“Super intentional, super smart,” explained Seider. “Like, in a way, it's probably smarter than Nolan. He can go be a scientist. I think he's that smart. There's guys who are smart, but not football smart. I didn't know that because you're not around enough. You see them play. They've been in high school for three or four years, so they know the system. To see that he can transition from book smart to football smart because not everybody can.”
It’s not common for a young player to walk in the door and admit they don’t know it all. Walton has impressed Seider by being willing to ask questions to grasp Notre Dame’s offense.
“He's the one kid coming in every day with notes and questions,” said Seider. “My biggest challenge, every day you go in the meeting room, you better have something. You better have a notepad. You better have an iPad. To this day, I'm taking notes.
“But he’s diving right in. If we had to play right now, he's gotta be ready to play. He understands that role. He's getting closer.”
Notre Dame relied on a two-back rotation in 2025, but 2026 could bring a different approach as Seider believes each year is different.
“It's probably too early because we're still waiting on Kedren and how that fits,” Seider said of how many backs he’ll rotate. “Kedren can be three, he can be one. It's hard to say without having a complete room.
“I feel good right now, even with Jonaz not experienced. He'll be able to help us if we get to a point where we have to play three guys.”
For now, the competition remains wide open and each running back knows it.
“We’re not gonna have a first, second, third starter until we get the fall camp to give everybody an opportunity,” said Seider. “They know that. We talked about that going into the spring, but there’s an opportunity that some guys can elevate and put themselves in a great position.”
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