FIW Roundtable: Most intriguing aspect of Notre Dame’s spring practice

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Notre Dame football will start its spring practices today, and there is plenty of excitement surrounding the program as the preparation for the 2026 season has officially begun.

The expectations are massive, anything short of deep run into the College Football Playoff will be viewed as a disappointment. There are returning stars on both sides of the ball, starting with quarterback CJ Carr and linebacker Drayk Bowen, who isn’t at full-strength right now.

That opens the door for some younger players to get more reps, but that won’t be the case with Carr, as he’ll have to get accustomed to multiple new wide receivers he’ll be throwing too this fall. Not only that, gone are star running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, who both left early for the NFL.

As with any team at the juncture of the season, there are plenty of interesting aspects for each squad. The Fighting Irish Wire staff of Tim Healey, Sunny Verma and Michael Chen pick what’s most intriguing to them as spring practices opens up for Notre Dame.

Tim Healey

I have two things I am keeping an eye on. One is the wide receiver room. We know quarterback CJ Carr can pass it — but can the receivers catch it, and get yards after catch?

Will Jaden Greathouse get back to a higher level of production after a down year in 2025? How will newcomers fit in? There’s a lot to look for here.

I am also interested in how the backfield will be structured to make up for the loss of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to the NFL. Aneywas Williams looks like a capable lead back, though he will be limited in spring work due to an injury. Injury aside, who is going to step up behind him? Will Notre Dame have the same 1-2 punch it did last year?

Sunny Verma

Similar to Tim, my eyes are on the running backs. With Aneyas Williams being sidelined by injury, this will give Irish fans a great opportunity to see just how healthy the RB room is this year. With Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price gone, Marcus Freeman has shown a lot of confidence in Aneyas, and there’s no reason to doubt the head coach’s feedback. But, if a younger guys like Nolan James Jr can show to be more than capable during spring then Irish fans can feel a little better knowing that even if Williams falters or even worse, gets injured, that there is other options more than capable of handling the load.

Michael Chen

I’m not as much concerned with the players as my colleagues, what interests me is the plethora of new coaches. Freeman noted on Wednesday that having both Mike Denbrock and Chris Ash back will help with the transition to new position coaches. Sometimes it’s just a small detail that unlocks a players potential, and there is a great track record of that in South Bend. Blending what they’ve already learned with what the new coaches bring, should be exciting for many who are trying to see the field.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: FIW Roundtable – Most intriguing of Notre Dame’s spring practice

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos