Notre Dame football enters the 2026 college football season as one of the strongest national title contenders in the country, and the offensive side of the ball is a massive reason why.

Head coach Marcus Freeman returns a deep and talented Fighting Irish roster, with offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock leading a unit that averaged over 40 points per game a season ago. Despite the departures of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, there is a tremendous amount of talent returning to South Bend. The offensive identity will shift slightly, but the pieces are in place for this group to take another step.

There is some projection needed, as there always is during any offseason. The structure will look a little different without some key contributors from 2025. Regardless, there are three massive reasons why everyone should be buying into the offensive hype for the 2026 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Quarterback CJ Carr is ready for a massive leap

The most obvious reason starts under center. Notre Dame returns quarterback CJ Carr, who was tremendous as a redshirt freshman. Carr had a lot working in his favor a season ago, including a talented offensive line and two of the best running backs in college football taking pressure off the passing game. He still showcased his talent in some of the bigger games and maintained an explosiveness in the passing attack that had been absent from the Notre Dame offense in recent years.

Now a year older, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound pocket passer heads into 2026 with legitimate NFL Draft hype. Many expect him to become one of the best signal callers in college football. With a talented group of wide receivers around him and a deep offensive line in front of him, there is no reason to think Carr can’t take another massive step in his development.

One of the deepest offensive lines in decades

A quarterback’s best friend is a talented offensive line, and this is where a quick hat tip to offensive line coach Joe Rudolph is warranted. Rudolph has assembled one of the deepest Notre Dame offensive lines in the last 30-plus years. The group features a strong balance of proven talent, potential breakout candidates, and some depth pieces who could surprise.

Anthonie Knapp returns and shifts to left guard, a position that should be more suitable for his skill set. Guerby Lambert, a full-time starter at right guard a season ago, moves out to right tackle.

If Charles Jagusah and Ashton Craig are both healthy, they should be among the better interior offensive linemen in the country. Even if health becomes a factor, Joe Otting and Sullivan Absher both gained valuable game experience in 2025, which should pay huge dividends.

At worst, Notre Dame has proven experience throughout its depth chart.

The lone question mark is at left tackle, where five-star redshirt freshman Will Black is set to start. While experience is a fair concern, Black brings elite-level traits and upside to the position. When you do have a lapse in experience, you want the player filling that gap to have the ceiling Black possesses.

The deepest wide receiver room in recent Notre Dame history

The Fighting Irish wide receiver room requires some projection, but this is the deepest unit Notre Dame has had in some time. With the potential improvements from Carr at quarterback, the Irish need talented options around him, and they have them.

Jordan Faison returns as the team’s leading pass catcher from a year ago and should be one of the better slot receivers in the country. Jaden Greathouse is back and fully healthy, setting up what should be a resurgent season. Notre Dame also welcomes two extremely talented former five-star wide receivers from Ohio State in Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham.

Beyond that top group, the depth is striking. Cam Williams, Micah Gilbert, Elijah Burress, Jerome Bettis Jr., Logan Saldate, and a couple of talented true freshmen round out a room with legitimate options at every spot. The tight end room carries some intriguing depth as well, giving Denbrock plenty to work with in the passing game.

The vibes around this offense are extremely high heading into the fall. Notre Dame has the quarterback, the offensive line, and the pass catchers to field one of the more explosive offenses in college football. If the pieces come together the way they should, this Fighting Irish offense has a chance to be special in 2026.