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We're only three days away from Notre Dame kicking off their 2026 campaign against the Wisconsin Badger's in this season's installment of the Shamrock Series. It's been 274 days since Notre Dame has taken the field, but the wait is almost over.

After practice, we had the chance to hear from all three coordinators, Mike Denbrock on offense, Chris Ash on defense and Marty Biagi on special teams. We also got to hear from quarterback CJ Carr and wide receiver Jordan Faison has well along with a couple of defensive players. 

STRONG LEADERSHIP

Notre Dame recently named their four captains for the season. Carr and Faison hold down that mantel on offense while middle linebacker Drayk Bowen and safety Adon Shuler return as the two captains on defense like they were in 2025. 

"it feels amazing," Carr shared. "It's a unique privilege for your teammates to have named you a captain. I got to see Riley Leonard do it two years ago, and I got to see a bunch of great leaders do it this last year. So, being up in front of those guys and having them vote for me felt awesome. One of the best accomplishments I've ever had in my life.”

Faison, a fellow first time captain, echoed the same sentiment. 

"I was a little surprised to be captain," Faison explained. "It wasn't a thing that I was completely focused on. I was going to keep being the same guy that I was for the team whether I was voted captain or not. The guys that voted me captain, it was just a great honor. It's just being a dude, being available for your teammates, willing to die for your teammates. A group of guys like we have in Notre Dame, I was able to recognize that. It was the greatest honor, you can imagine.” 

WISCONSIN PREPARATION

There's been a lot of anticipation building over the last 274 days and Sunday night will be our first opportunity to see the Irish since last November. Preparing for an opponent like Wisconsin has it's challenges, but having a new look offense puts some stress on the defense. 

"We want to play our brand of football," Bowen shared. "We want to play violent, down hill and fast. If you see that on Sunday, then you know we executed and did our job. At the end of the day, the defense is going to do it's thing." 

The Badgers will feature a new look, quarterback that poses a lot of challenges to the Notre Dame defense. Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph proved to be a dynamic playmaker with his legs last season for the Monarchs. Preparing for him will be a great challenge. 

"The biggest thing is his speed," Bowen explained. "Last year against IU, he took two 60+ yarders and outran some of their best players. Keeping him in the pocket, making sure we shut down the run game and make him throw from the well and don't let him use his legs. It's a lot easier said than done, especially with those types of guys, but I think that's going to be the biggest challenge." 

Ash, Notre Dame's defensive coordinator also believes defending Joseph is going to be a monumental task. 

"He's a tremendous athlete," Ash stated about the transfer quarterback. "He's a guy that's played a lot of football. He had a great year last year; they're going to fit him into the system at Wisconsin. He presents a lot of challenges: in the run game with quarterback designed runs and in the pass game, his ability to take off. When he gets out on the edge, he's got the ability to extend plays with his feet and take off and run. He's a focal point for this gameplan and he's a dynamic athlete that can make a lot of plays."

WIDE RECEIVER IMPACTS

The wide receiving corps has been a hot topic of discussion this offseason for the Fighting Irish. This is a very deep and talented group, but out side of Faison and senior Jaden Greathouse, they lack top-end, proven production. But the talent speaks for itself. There's plenty of players who have the ability to breakout, but they'll need to earn that spot first. 

"I think it's a little bit of everything," Denbrock shared. "I think it's the nuances of route running and connection with the quarterback. I think it's understanding, and a deep enough understanding of what all their responsibilities are. For me, it always comes down to the detail. Whether you have five-star talent or two-star talent, if you don't live in the details, you're not going to earn yourself playing time because it's hard to trust to put those guys in the game and we'd like to go as deep as we could go. But, we're not at that point yet."

Carr returns for his second year under center and has building connections with this deep unit over the course of the offseason. Two players in particular have rose to the occasion, junior Micah Gilbert and Ohio State transfer Mylan Graham. 

"He's been really good," Carr raved about his recruiting classmate. "He came in as my college roommate day one in the dorms. We lived together for three months. We have a great friendship. I trust him back there. He's going to go up on those balls and that I throw up to them. He's super explosive."

The Saline, Michigan native shared the same sentiment about the Buckeye transfer. 

"He's been really good for us as well," Carr said about the Fort Wayne native. "He came in with a really unique understanding of football and how to play the game. He learned an offense [at Ohio State] and is now learning a second one and has picked up on it super quickly. He's done an unbelievable job. We're looking forward to him just continuing to keep taking steps. You put the ball in his hands, and he's very explosive. He can do a lot."

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