Breakout Candidates For Notre Dame's 12 Opponents
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Every season, new players rise to the forefront of college football but didn't generate as much preseason buzz throughout the offseason. Last year, players like Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss, Cooper Barkate at Duke and Jordan Faison at Notre Dame all flew under the radar in the preseason but would go on to lead their teams in some way, shape or form. This year, I expect there to be several breakout candidates in college football, and some will be found on Notre Dame's 2026 schedule.
We're going to spend a lot of time this offseason breaking down Notre Dame's opponents for this fall. I looked at every opposing roster the Irish will face and highlighted a breakout player from each roster from first opponent, the Wisconsin Badgers, to the final opponent of the season in the Syracuse Orange. Here are the top breakout candidates on Notre Dame's 2026 schedule:
QB – Colton Joseph, Wisconsin Badgers
Joseph transferred from Old Dominion and looks to change the outlook of the Badger offense. Last season, Wisconsin ranked No. 135 in the country in scoring offense, No. 135 in total offense, No. 135 in yards per play and No. 116 in rushing yards per game. Joseph's presence in Madison changes the outlook in all of those categories. The dual-threat signal caller threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. He also rushed for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns for ODU. He'll be a difficult quarterback to stop in Notre Dame's season opener.
TE – Preston Zinter, Rice Owls
Sure, I might be a little biased, but Zinter, a former Notre Dame linebacker, transferred to Rice this offseason and made the transition to tight end. He enters the Rice two-deep as the most physically gifted tight end on the roster and one of the best pass catchers on the team. He'll be a go-to target for transfer quarterback Jacurri Brown this season. Will Zinter go out and win the Mackey Award? No, but he'll be a focal point in the Rice offense in 2026.
LB – Jordan Hall, Michigan State Spartans
Top-level linebacker play is something Notre Dame's offense will face this season in bulk. Hall is entering his fourth season with the Spartans, but didn't get the attention he deserved from his performance last fall. The 6-4, 238-pound linebacker has the makings of a premier all-around linebacker. When scrolling through preseason magazines and position rankings, Michigan State is never mentioned and Hall goes undiscussed. I think the fourth-year Spartan is due for a big season and will be a vocal point in Pat Fitzgerald's new-look defense.
S – Jaden Mangham, Purdue Boilermakers
Mangham transferred from Michigan this offseason and steps into what was a struggling defense in 2025. Head coach Barry Odom needed to add some higher levels of talent through the portal and that's what the former Wolverine brings to this Purdue secondary. The 6-2, 195-pound safety has played three years in the Big Ten, two years at MSU and one year with Michigan. In those three seasons, Mangham has racked up 103 tackles, five passes defended and four interceptions. This year, as Purdue's No. 1 guy on the back end, he could have a Dillon Thienemen-type of year for the Boilermakers.
RB – Demon June, North Carolina Tarheels
June is coming off of a productive true freshman season, and is going to be one of the better running backs the Irish will face in 2025. The 5-11, 215-pound North Carolina native rushed for 464 yards on 84 carries and two scores in 2025. Now, he'll have the opportunity to play in a Bobby Petrino offense and be the work horse on a team that will potentially struggle at the quarterback position. June is poised to be the focal point of the Tarheel offense this fall; June will look to build on his true freshman season and breakout as a sophomore.
WR – Nico Brown, Stanford Cardinal
Quarterback play will be a major question mark for the Cardinal this season, but if head coach Tavita Pritchard, who played quarterback at Stanford, can turn around Michigan transfer Davis Warren, then Yale transfer Nico Brown could be due for a breakout season at the P4 level. Last season with the Bulldogs, Brown racked up 71 receptions, 1,085 yards, averaged 15.3 yards per catch and caught 11 touchdowns. The California native returns to his home state to play for Stanford and looks to be a go-to target in the new-look Cardinal offense.
TE – Walker Lyons, BYU Cougars
The 6-4, 245-pound tight end is coming to BYU at the right time. His arrival in Provo is coming on the heels of their No. 1 returning wide receiver's impending suspension, and quarterback Bear Bachmeier was in need of a go-to target in the offense. The Cougars will have one of the best backfields the Irish will face in 2026, but initially provided very little threat in the passing game. Lyons is coming over from USC where he had a 20-reception, 223-yard, two-touchdown season for the Trojans and has played against Notre Dame twice in his career. Lyons and Bachmeier started to build their chemistry through the spring; I'm expecting a big year for the first-year Cougar tight end.
QB – Braxton Woodson, Navy Midshipmen
With the departure of Blake Horvath, Eli Heidenreich and Alex Tecza the Midshipmen and head coach Brian Newberry are in need of a new playmaker on offense. Woodson started against the Irish last fall under the lights in Notre Dame Stadium. He'll take over as the full-time signal caller in this year's offense. With his skillset, I expect to see a more traditional looking Midshipmen offense this season, and Woodson will have the opportunity to take advantage. The AAC is relatively open this season and Woodson's emergence within the offense could propel Navy to its first bid in the CFP.
LT – Jackson Cantwell, Miami Hurricanes
Miami's offensive line was the heart and soul of their 2025 team which made a run for the national championship. Unfortunately, four of their five starters have since gone paving the way for the young players to step up. Cantwell was a highly touted recruit with a significantly higher ceiling than Markel Bell, the left tackle he'll be replacing. The question for the 6-8, 315-pound Missouri native will be when we see his emergence, not if we'll see it. He's on my breakout watch list based on talent alone. He's yet to take a collegiate snap, but it won't take long for him to get his feet under him, and by the time the Hurricanes face the Irish on November 7, he'll have all the experience he needs.
RB – Evan Dickens, Boston College Eagles
With quarterback play being a major question mark for the Eagles and head coach Bill O'Brien, Dickens will play a major role on this offense replacing Turbo Richard. Dickens transferred from Liberty this offseason and put up 1,339 yards on 229 carries and 16 rushing touchdowns for the Flames in 2025. He's recorded three games over the 200-yard mark at the G6 level and now looks to bring that level of production to the P4 level in the ACC.
WR – Jalen Cooper, SMU Mustangs
Cooper is one of the most talented receivers Notre Dame will face on their schedule this season. He had a good start to the 2025 season and was a premier go-to target in the offense against ETAM, Baylor and Missouri State. 230 of his 321 receiving yards and both of his touchdowns came in the first three games of the season. Now, going into his sophomore season, Cooper will look to become the go-to target for quarterback Kevin Jennings. This will be the toughest test in a very long time for the Irish on Senior Day and they'll have to be ready for Cooper, a big play weapon for the Mustangs.
WR – Elijah Moore, Syracuse Orange
The Orange will have a completely new-look group of pass catchers for returning quarterback Steve Angeli. They looked to the portal to get some talent in for the year-two QB and one of those players, Moore, has the opportunity for a breakout season. The redshirt sophomore didn't do much during his time at Florida State, but at 6-4, 203-pounds, he has the potential to be a threat in the Syracuse offense. He averaged 17.3 yards per catch in 2025. With the Orange losing their top four pass catchers from 2026, Moore is in prime position to become Angeli's favorite target in this year's offense.
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