When you look at Notre Dame’s roster entering the 2026 season, it’s as talented as any roster in the country.
Every team has weaknesses or question marks entering the season, and Notre Dame’s most significant difference comes at receiver when compared with other preseason favorites.
Jordan Faison would find his way into the starting rotation at most programs, and Jaden Greathouse has already proven he can play. But after those two, Notre Dame has plenty of talent and a whole lot of inexperience.
Texas might have two first-round draft picks at wide receiver, while Ohio State has a plethora of talent, including the best receiver in the country. Oregon has two receivers with first-round potential, and its third receiver might be the best wideout on the roster. Then there’s freshman Gatlin Bair, who ran a 10.15 in the 100 meters.
That said, Notre Dame has plenty of talent to create problems for opposing defenses and this is the deepest the receiver room has been in years.
Receivers coach Mike Brown’s task now is expediting that development, including finding ways to get younger players ready to handle the mental demands of Mike Denbrock’s playbook.
Following Saturday’s scrimmage, Marcus Freeman appeared pleased with the direction of the group behind Faison and Greathouse.
“We got some depth,” stated Freeman. “I mentioned Elijah Burress. I mentioned Jerome Bettis Jr. Bubba Frazier had a really good camp and has made some explosive plays. (Logan) Saldate had a big play today.
“We have a deep wideout room that maybe hasn't made those plays on the field yet in a real game situation, but they've really shown us as a coaching staff that they're progressing and they can help us.”
There’s confidence that junior Micah Gilbert is ready to take the next step, while classmate Mylan Graham has hit the ground running since arriving in January.
Both players still need to prove it on Saturdays, making consistency the top priority when Notre Dame opens the season against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in 13 days.
“We know what Greathouse and Faison and Mylan’s done a heck of a job,” Freeman explained. “He had a heck of a spring and fall and Micah, but those other guys have really stepped up and they've really elevated.”
The next step for the staff will be determining the rotation and figuring out how to maximize the talent. And that still appears to be very much in the air, leaving an interesting question for the final two weeks of camp.
Does Notre Dame have talent that has made the rotation difficult to determine, or has no one completely separated himself from the pack?
“How we're gonna play them, it's to be determined,” Freeman said. “We'll figure out how much we'll rotate, who's gonna be in the game. There's a lot of confidence I have and our coaching staff has in the wide receivers room.”
Brown has often said his ideal rotation is six or seven receivers. This fall, his goal is to find six players who can consistently perform at a high level each week.
Greathouse can play slot or boundary, while Faison and Graham can play slot or field.
After that, Brown is looking for players who can fill specific roles, and those roles could change from week to week based on the opponent or at least until someone makes it clear they belong on the field every Saturday.
“I think if you're talking like main rotation, you're probably thinking six,” Brown explained. “I think there's game plan specific things, right? Maybe it's a specific personnel package for a seventh guy depending on skill set or what it is that they do.
“If you think back to 2024, we had eight guys that had jobs. It all depend. What's the game plan? What are guys skill sets? What do they bring to us in a particular week? How can we use them? But again, those are good problems to have.”
It will be intriguing to see what Notre Dame’s freshman class looks like by the end of the season.
There have been flashes from Bubba Frazier, Devin Fitzgerald and Kaydon Finley dating back to the spring. Brown has remained patient with the young receivers because mastering the playbook is no easy task, but if any of them want to crack the rotation, it starts with being mentally ready to play.
“Coming from high school, a lot of these guys are like, one word told us everything we needed to know and all of a sudden there's a 10-word play call,” Brown stated. “And you're like, which one's mine? We try to simplify it. I would definitely say playbook was probably the toughest part early on.”
That mental hurdle could ultimately determine how quickly Notre Dame’s depth becomes a legitimate strength.
Freeman made it clear there will be opportunities for whoever starts on scout team to work their way up to the varsity during the season.
We saw that with Matt Jeffery a year ago when he found a role as the season progressed.
“We need to make sure they're consistent as we continue to add,” said Freeman. “You finalized the playbook, but you're going to condense terms of what you do as you get ready for Wisconsin. Who can show us this week that, ‘Hey, I'm going to be the fifth, sixth guy.’
“Some of them might have to go to scout team and still be able to help us, but we're going to need them all. I want them to have the approach of no matter what my role is this week, I got to take care of whatever I'm given this week and I might get more.”
The Irish might not have the proven star power of Texas, Ohio State or Oregon, but Notre Dame’s depth could prove valuable later in the year.
Now it’s up to Brown and his staff to turn that depth into consistent production.
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