Notre Dame football returns home this weekend.

Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish will welcome the Stanford Cardinal for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday in South Bend. Stanford head coach Tavita Pritchard is in his first season, and it has been a rough start to his tenure.

The Cardinal sit at 2-3 overall, including a 1-3 record in conference play. Stanford showed some signs of life during the first couple of weeks, but it is coming off a 57-3 drubbing against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The offense is averaging just 17.4 points per game, while the defense is allowing 38.2. Both numbers rank in the bottom seven of the entire FBS.

Notre Dame is a much more talented team and shouldn’t have much trouble with Stanford. Still, the Irish do not want any sort of trap game before they travel to take on the BYU Cougars the following week. Here are the Stanford players Notre Dame needs to keep a close eye on to take care of business early.

Stanford’s offensive players to watch

The best story for Stanford has been quarterback Davis Warren. The former Michigan quarterback looked rather unplayable at times in Ann Arbor, but he has been pretty good for the Cardinal. Through five games, Warren has thrown for 1,207 yards and five touchdown passes against just one interception.

Warren hasn’t had a great offensive line or skill position group around him, and he has still done a nice job. He hunts completions and finds a lot of easy windows. Additionally, there is a little more juice in his arm than you might remember, and he will test some tighter windows at times. Warren is the player with the most to gain on Saturday, and he could be the biggest headache for defensive coordinator Chris Ash and the Notre Dame defense.

Stanford also has a few intriguing pass catchers. Wide receiver Caden High is on the smaller side, but he leads the team with 266 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 17 receptions. Tight end Benji Blackburn has also had a good season, hauling in 20 receptions for 159 yards. He isn’t a dynamic athlete, but the bigger-bodied pass catcher has been consistent at the short and intermediate levels of the field.

The most dynamic weapon Stanford has to offer is true freshman wide receiver Zion Robinson. The 6-4 Texas native held an offer from Notre Dame in the 2026 recruiting class, and the Irish staff liked him quite a bit. Robinson hasn’t been heavily targeted, but he has seven receptions for 155 yards. His 22.1 yards per reception average is the highest on the team.

If Stanford makes a big play in the passing game, it is probably going to be Robinson on the other end.

Up front, left tackle Niki Prongos is the best that Stanford has to offer. He is a potential top-100 pick in the 2027 NFL draft. Prongos has dealt with some injuries this season. If healthy, he has the best chance of counteracting star Notre Dame pass rushers Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young.

Stanford also has a very talented running back in Micah Fold, but the run blocking hasn’t been up to par. He is a strong runner, however, and can make some chicken salad out of you know what at times.

Stanford’s defensive players to watch

On the defensive side of the football, the best player for Stanford by a landslide is linebacker Matt Rose. He actually had a nice game against the Fighting Irish last season.

Rose has played in four games and leads the team with 38 total tackles and four tackles for loss. He is a physical, downhill player with an innate ability to seemingly always be in the right place at the right time.

Notre Dame fans should be somewhat familiar with edge rusher Gabe Kaminski. The Chicago native was part of the 2025 recruiting class and held an offer from the Irish, but he was not a player Notre Dame’s coaching staff pushed for. Kaminski leads Stanford with two sacks despite playing in only three contests.

Notre Dame should take care of business

Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has a massive advantage on Saturday. Even with talented players like Rose and Kaminski on the other side, this should not be much of an issue for a very talented Notre Dame offense, as long as the Irish don’t shoot themselves in the foot.

Make no mistake about it, Stanford is not a great football team. The Fighting Irish should come away with a lopsided victory. If the Cardinal have any chance of keeping this game close, however, these are the players who will need to make it happen.