With 11 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter of Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series matchup with Wisconsin, the Irish offense was driving, looking to increase its lead to ten.
On first and ten, sophomore running back Nolan James Jr. approached the line of scrimmage, turned around, and took a CJ Carr pass 29 yards down to the Wisconsin six-yard line, forcing three separate Badger defenders to miss in the process.
“I caught it,” said James. “CJ checked it down to me, and a big thing that we stress is knifing after the catch. I just got vertical, and I think that's when I made the first guy miss. I just naturally let everything take over and just played in the open field.”
Just a couple plays later, thanks to James’s effort, the Irish offense did increase its lead to ten thanks to a rushing score from fellow running back Aneyas Williams.
Then, with the Irish leading by 21 late in the fourth quarter, James caught another short Carr pass, and again James was able to make a couple Badger defenders miss en route to his first-ever collegiate touchdown.
“That was my first one,” said James. “It was nice to get that experience, almost get that out of the way. It's always fun to score, but that one meant a little bit more. So, it was good.”
What might have seemed like a surprise touchdown late in the Irish’s week one victory was actually something James identified before the ball was even snapped.
“I had a leak to the flat,” said James. “I realized it was a one-on-one. It's usually in a flat route. It's kind of dead. I just gave him a little stem vertically. He opened his hip and flipped upfield, which he probably shouldn't have done. It was probably not his zone. When I seen CJ threw it to me, I knew I had a little bit of space. I knew that I was the only one out there. I knew what I had to do.”
As a youth football player and later as a high schooler in New Jersey, James knew of his ability to be effective as a pass catcher.
“I'd say even before high school, youth football, I played a lot of receiver,” said James. “I was a smaller kid, so I played mostly receiver growing up. Then I've just always kind of grown and developed that aspect of my game, because I knew that it would be a weapon eventually. All throughout high school, I worked on it. Again, freshman year, I played a lot of receiver. Then as I got older, I played mostly running back, but every time I'd go home and every offseason, I would additionally work on receiver and running back stuff just as much.”
James’s second half efforts were indicative of the theme of the game for the Irish, who entered the locker room with a three-point lead after a slow start in the first half.
Associate head coach and running backs coach Ju’Juan Seider sent a clear message to James and his fellow backs during halftime: slow down.
“He told us to slow down,” said James. “We were going a million miles per hour. A big thing we say in a lot of running back rooms across the country is ‘slow too fast through.’ That was the biggest thing. ‘Everybody just relax. Mentally slow down. See things and set things up instead of rushing to hit everything right away.’”
Another part of James’s and the Irish’s success was the offensive line's success against the Badger defensive front in the second half.
“Yeah, that's what the coaches told us,” said James. “They were like, trust the big guys up front. They're going to get their job done. They're going to lean on them. We trust them against any team in the country. I think, again, it was everybody's first game. We have a lot of young guys up front who haven't played a lot of snaps. Once everybody got in the rhythm and the group of things, it naturally took its course.”
While James was running behind the Irish offensive line and catching passes from Carr, James also featured as one of the Irish kick returners on special teams.
“The kick return room is mostly our room,” said James. “Coach Seider coaches the room. He talks like this is our, this is an extension of the running back room. You should take the same pride as this as you take as playing running back. I think that's just a message that we all share and we all believe in. When we get that ball, it's no different from taking a handoff or taking it off a kick.”
While it’s only been one game, James is trying to fill the shoes of two NFL first-round picks at running back, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
Both Love and Price left James with some lessons James is already applying to his game on and off the field as a sophomore.
“One of the biggest things I took from J.D. was the off-the-field stuff,” said James. “Honestly, taking care of his body, his recovery. I implemented that all this spring and this summer. Then there was a whole bunch of stuff on the field. J.D., he knew how to set things up. His burst, he knew when to burst. I think that was a big thing for J.D. J. Love's patience was something I really took into my game.”
As the Irish prepare to open their 2026 home slate against the Rice Owls, James is ready to continue the work he started in Green Bay on Sunday.
For now, Nolan James has one touchdown and counting…
Want the latest scoop on Notre Dame Football and Recruiting? Sign up for our newsletter and become an ISD Premium Subscriber: Sign Up for ISD
Notre Dame Fighting Irish FAHERTY High Standard Fleece Hoodie
