Where Notre Dame Must Improve to Grow Offense in 2026

Much has been made with Notre Dame being one of the national championship favorites in 2026.

Yes, the last two years have seen the Fighting Irish be among the nation's best, but what has to happen in order to get over those remaining hurdles that have kept Notre Dame from the ultimate team glory?

We'll examine these things through the off-season, as we'll go into the offense, defense, special teams, and anything else.

Today we start by looking at one place the offense has to improve, and how that will have to be done after a regression at the position.

Notre Dame's Third and Short Issues in 2025

A quick look shows Notre Dame's offense was one of the best in the nation in 2025, as it averaged 42 points per game, the second most of any team.

However, that doesn't mean there weren't certain issues, though.

Specifically: Notre Dame on Third Down and Short.

Notre Dame faced 27 third downs with three or fewer yards to gain in 2025. Of those, just 12 were converted.

It feels like forever ago at this point, but remember the infatuation with Jeremiyah Love in the Wildcat? And how awful that got?

If Notre Dame goes to Wildcat, do you even want to know?
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) October 11, 2025

Seemingly, whatever Mike Denbrock tried, didn't work in those situations. Now, a drop in quality opponents as the year went on shifted the number to be better, but I still find myself concerned with it as the page is turned to 2026.

Notre Dame Will Have to Do More with Less to Solve Issue in 2026

What will be interesting in 2026 is that Notre Dame will look to combat this issue with what should be a step back in talent.

That's not to say Notre Dame won't be better overall in 2026, but at running back you can't help but imagine a step back will be taken.

However, when you lose Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price from a backfield, its bound to take a step back. Love will be the first running back off the board in the NFL draft while Price will likely be a Day Two pick. You don't just simply replace that.

However, can Notre Dame's offensive line be better in short yardage than it was a year ago?

Can CJ Carr, with a year behind him, cause more fear in what a defense thinks he may do in those situations?

With how slim the margin for error is when it comes to the top teams in college football these days, an overall improvement in this department could be the difference of playing well into January or simply just making the Playoff.