Why Notre Dame’s 2026 Offense Is One of College Football’s Most Intriguing

Notre Dame's offense is in an interesting position entering the 2026 season. For the first time in many years, the Irish have a returning starting quarterback, in Heisman hopeful CJ Carr, but surrounding him are many new faces and unknowns.

It will be very interesting to see how offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock chooses to attack opposing defenses as he learns the skillsets of his new-look offense.

The reality is, there are major questions with every position in the Irish offense that must be answered sooner rather than later. Let's explore them in detail.

CJ Carr is a Heisman hopeful

CJ Carr enters 2026 with very good odds to win the Heisman trophy. While Carr flashed greatness at times in 2025, the year-two goal is to become more consistent game to game. Does Carr suffer any sort of "sophomore slump" or does he get better week to week?

2026 HEISMAN ODDS ARE HERE 🚨

CJ Carr & Arch Manning lead the way 😤 pic.twitter.com/yNWFGeh9Uq
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) January 20, 2026

Can Notre Dame's offensive line stay healthy?

For Carr, or any other part of the Irish offense to succeed, the offensive line must be healthier than it has been in recent years. Can players like Ashton Craig and Charles Jagusah contribute all season and stay in one piece? It's very hard to operate an elite offense with 2-3 backups starting for large portions of the season.

Love & Price are gone to the NFL

With Jeremiyah Love and JD Price heading to the NFL, 89% of Notre Dame's rushing production from 2025 is gone. For as much as Aneyus Williams has impressed in his third-string role so far in his career, doing so as the number one back is a different animal.

Does Aneyus become this key piece in 2026? Which younger players, like Kedron Young, emerge and make a splash to help the cause?

Notre Dame's receiving room has athletes who must prove themselves

While the Irish lose Malachi Fields from 2025's team, they gained two mega athletes from Ohio State in Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter. Both have extremely high athletic ceilings, but are low on experience. Just how impactful can they be when added to Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse, and Micah Gilbert?

Notre Dame's young tight ends must step up

For the first time in a long time, Notre Dame will enter a season without an established tight end to rely upon. Does Cooper Flanagan or young James Flanigan become the top emerging pass targets? Where does Ty Washington fit into the mix as a key blocker?

Notre Dame has tons of talent on the 2026 offensive roster. The question is how quickly it can come together and at what level? In my opinion, CJ Carr and the offensive line are the keys to this dynamic.

If both of these key pieces are reliable at an elite level, the entire operation will click at a new level of efficiency Notre Dame hasn't displayed yet in the modern CFB era.