Notre Dame football enters the 2026 college football season with national championship expectations, and the Fighting Irish running back room will play a massive role in determining whether head coach Marcus Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock can deliver on those aspirations.

After losing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to the NFL this offseason, Notre Dame must reshape its backfield. The Irish have five scholarship running backs ready to compete for carries, and each brings a different skill set to the table. From a veteran ready to step into the spotlight to true freshmen with tremendous upside, here is a full breakdown of the room and expectations for each player.

Aneyas Williams takes over as the veteran

Junior running back Aneyas Williams is now the most experienced player in the group. He averaged over 9 yards per carry last season behind Love and Price, albeit in a limited sample size. Banged up throughout last year, Williams is now fully healthy, stronger, and ready to potentially carry the load for Notre Dame.

The Missouri native was once a highly decorated recruit who has had to wait his turn since landing in South Bend. With expectations as high as they’ve ever been, many believe Williams can be the 1A option in a running back room that should still rank among the better ones in college football. He is a tough, physical runner who might not hit as many home runs as Love or Price, but he could end up being a better short-yardage back while also bringing all-purpose upside as a pass receiver.

Even if Williams ends up as the top back, the expectation is that Notre Dame will lean into much more of a committee approach than it did two years ago. The Irish could use as many as three to four running backs in the rotation, and I would expect it to be at least three.

Nolan James Jr. brings physicality and polish

The redshirt freshman from New Jersey is another tough, physical runner who is now up to 215 pounds. The staff loves the talent James brings to the table, and he is routinely the example that running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider uses during and after practice to showcase for younger players how to work through drills with proper footwork. That combination of good short-area explosiveness and power could earn James a very important role for the Fighting Irish.

Kedren Young is the biggest wild card

The biggest wild card in the group is redshirt sophomore Kedren Young. When he was available and on the field during his freshman season, he showcased a lot of upside and potential. However, a knee injury cost him the entirety of the 2025 season, and with him missing spring practice during that recovery, many are wondering exactly what to expect from the talented runner.

At about 5-foot-11, 230 pounds, Young brings a unique size and power element that Notre Dame simply doesn’t have on the roster otherwise. He is the biggest back by at least 15 pounds. If healthy, he should be able to carve out a short-yardage role at minimum, with a ton of upside still on the table for an early-down role. You can argue that if fully healthy, Young might have the most well-rounded skill set as a runner on the roster.

His availability will be the main question mark to keep a close eye on.

True freshmen Jonaz Walton and Javian Osborne provide depth

True freshman Jonaz Walton went through spring practice and impressed a ton of folks. At about 208 pounds with 10.5 100-meter speed, he offers an intriguing combination of long speed and a dense build. When Walton can put his foot in the ground and hit daylight, good luck trying to catch him. That long speed could carve out a change-of-pace role, though it’s more likely his contributions are limited early while the staff prepares him for a bigger role in 2027. If an injury happens to any of the top three backs, Walton feels like a player who will be ready.

Fellow true freshman Javian Osborne has been limited this offseason while recovering from an injury. Between him and Walton, you can make a strong argument that Osborne is the more physically gifted runner of the two, with elite short-area explosiveness and change of direction. The 5-foot-9, 200-pound back runs extremely low to the ground, has home-run ability to create explosives, and possesses natural hands out of the backfield. He could profile as an all-around weapon for Notre Dame down the road.

Whether he cracks the rotation at any point during 2026 or is brought along slowly to make a bigger impact in 2027 remains to be seen. He is the ultimate wild card in this group.