Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman held an end-of-fall-camp press conference on Friday, updating the local and national media about the 2026 Fighting Irish team expectations, breakthrough players, potential starters, key storylines, and everything in between.

Fresh off a 100-play scrimmage, Notre Dame will now begin turning its full attention to the opening of the 2026 season, which involves a trip to Lambeau Field to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. With championship expectations surrounding Notre Dame going into 2026, one of the most intriguing storylines has been which true freshmen from the 2026 recruiting class can make an instant impact.

That was one of the elite classes we have seen Notre Dame land in recent years, so expectations are extremely high that at least a few of those freshmen will be able to come in and help this Irish team immediately. During the press conference, Freeman was asked a ton of questions about freshmen in different spots, which players they are depending on, and what potential rotations could look like.

Here are the freshmen he mentioned and alluded to that will make an impact in 2026. In some spots, it also became very clear that others may have to wait their turn.

Offense: who is going to play

It appears that the two positions where true freshmen could make an impact are running back and wide receiver.

At running back, Freeman talked about Aneyas Williams, Nolan James Jr., and Kedren Young as the top three backs to begin the season. He also alluded to trust in both true freshmen, Jonaz Walton and Javian Osborne, to play in 2026 if the need is there. Walton is a player who has been talked about a ton throughout fall camp and most of the offseason for his impact both in the weight room and on the field.

Freeman talked a lot about the consistency Walton has brought to the program during the media availability. He also talked about Osborne, who has been slowly coming along for the team, having a tremendous performance Friday morning during practice. Freeman called it the best Osborne has looked so far for Notre Dame.

At wide receiver, the two players worth keeping an eye on are Devin Fitzgerald and Bubba Frazier.

Fitzgerald, the son of Larry, has been getting some increased opportunities at boundary receiver, a spot that does seem to be open behind Micah Gilbert, especially while Quincy Porter is still on the mend and not expected back for a couple more weeks. Frazier is the other guy who sounds like he is ready to play if Notre Dame needs him in 2026.

His ability after the catch and overall speed and quickness have been a huge asset to this team so far.

Offense: barely mentioned, maybe not much of a role?

The one name not mentioned much was true freshman 5-star tight end Ian Premer, who did not enroll until the summer and was a little bit late onto the scene.

Despite that, he was complimented as a young, talented player during the availability. But when Freeman was asked about the tight end rotation, he mentioned Cooper Flanagan as the alpha of that group, including James Flanigan as part of the rotation. After that, Ty Washington and Jack Larsen were mentioned as the guys who will mix in as tight end 3 and tight end 4.

Premer was not mentioned in that initial rotation. Neither was fellow true freshman tight end Preston Friesell, but that one shouldn’t be much of a surprise. I still believe Premer can demand a role at some point in 2026, but it appears we should not expect him to be heavily in the rotation to begin the season.

None of the offensive linemen were mentioned as players to watch, which again isn’t much of a surprise, as was the case with the other wide receivers not named Fitzgerald or Frazier.

The backup quarterback position is still an ongoing contest, and Freeman was not ready to name the main backup behind CJ Carr. It’s possible that either Noah Grubbs or Teddy Jarrard could be in play for that spot eventually.

Defense: will play in 2026

With Notre Dame having such a deep defense going into the 2026 season, I don’t expect a ton of true freshmen to make a massive impact. But the one lone guy who continues to garner praise is 5-star pass rusher Rodney Dunham. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise, especially with him around for the spring and putting together a tremendous offseason for Notre Dame.

He will play on defense in 2026, and it also appears he will have a role on special teams.

Other guys mentioned as potential special teams contributors as true freshmen were defensive end Ebenezer Ewetade, cornerback Khary Adams, and cornerback Ayden Pouncey. None of them were specifically talked about on the defensive side of the football, but special teams could provide them a role to get on the field in 2026.

Defense: not mentioned, maybe won’t play a role?

Neither of the interior defensive linemen Elijah Golden nor Tiki Hola were mentioned, which isn’t a huge surprise. It’s a crowded defensive tackle room, and Hola is still recovering from an injury, as is cornerback Chas Smith, who is going to need to be patient.

The same can be said about the two freshman linebackers. That room is crowded, and I wouldn’t expect either Thomas Davis Jr. or Ja’Kobe Clapper to play any role in 2026 outside of maybe at some point competing for some special teams opportunities.