Notre Dame football is one week into the 2026 season, and the Fighting Irish already have some clarity after their 41-13 victory over Wisconsin. Head coach Marcus Freeman’s squad looked dominant in the opener, but with the depth chart still featuring plenty of “or” designations, there are real opportunities to shake things up before the schedule stiffens against BYU, Miami, and SMU.

With Rice coming to Notre Dame Stadium this week, the Fighting Irish have a perfect chance to lay the groundwork for what this roster should look like when the stakes rise. Here are the position battles and rotational tweaks worth watching.

Francis Brewu or Tionne Gray need to start at defensive tackle

This is the most obvious move Notre Dame can make.

Former Pitt transfer Francis Brewu was tremendous against Wisconsin, and Tionne Gray was right there with him. Both players are wildly different. Brewu is 6-1, 285 pounds, while Gray is 6-5, 320 pounds.

They bring different strengths and different potential drawbacks, but the tape from week 1 made one thing very clear: those are the two most impactful interior defensive linemen on this roster.

Armel Mukam is a talented player with a lot of upside who just made his first start. He is going to get better. But the eye in the sky never lies, and Brewu and Gray were simply better against Wisconsin.

With Jason Onye unfortunately dealing with an ankle injury, both Brewu and Gray should see increased opportunities against Rice, even against an inferior opponent. That expanded workload will give us an early look at what the defensive tackle rotation should look like when Onye returns.

The depth from spots 3 through 6, whether that is Mukam, Onye when healthy, Christopher Burgess, Elijah Hughes, or Sean Sevillano Jr., can sort itself out. The priority is getting either Brewu or Gray into a starting role with the highest percentage of snaps.

DJ McKinney should be the starting field corner opposite Leonard Moore

This change may have already happened.

DJ McKinney, a transfer from Colorado, looked very good against Wisconsin. He had the pick-six that everyone remembers, but the play that stood out most came early in the game when he broke up a pass that wasn’t even thrown at his man. He redirected and came downhill because he has simply seen a lot of football at this point. His experience showed.

Jayden Sanders, the true sophomore who transferred from Michigan this past offseason, played a lot and had a couple of nice moments. He also gave up the double move for a touchdown to Malachi Coleman. The difference between a young player still figuring things out and a veteran who has logged serious reps was evident.

Sanders is a valuable football player, but his best fit might be as a Swiss Army knife type, backing up multiple spots, rotating into the slot, and providing depth across the secondary. McKinney should be the starter opposite Moore.

Get the young linebackers on the field

Inside at linebacker, Drayk Bowen had a strong game and is the clear starting MIKE. Jaiden Ausberry is a solid player. But the Jaylen Sneed conversation needs to happen.

Notre Dame has done this with Sneed for years now. Every offseason the buzz builds about his weight, his practice reps, how good he looks. Then the games arrive and the eyes and instincts just are not there.

He is a valuable player in a specific, niche role. He is not a starting caliber linebacker at Notre Dame.

The fact that Madden Faraimo did not get a single defensive snap against Wisconsin is a problem. If the staff is going to keep Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa off the field when he is fully healthy because of Sneed, that would be a massive mistake. Viliamu-Asa should be available for the Rice game, and he needs to see playing time.

Faraimo needs snaps, too. The next couple of weeks should be about developing those younger linebackers while using Sneed in the specific role where he can contribute most.

Sullivan Absher is the starting right guard

The right guard spot is still listed as an “or” on the depth chart, but this one should not require much debate. Sullivan Absher should be the starting right guard. The difference between him and Styles Prescod was night and day against Wisconsin. Prescod will still play in some capacity, and there may eventually be a battle when Matty Augustine returns, but until then Sullivan Absher is the guy. It was obvious.

Let the slot receiver battle play out

The slot is the one position where a definitive answer does not exist yet.

Mylan Graham looked pretty good in limited opportunities, though one of his catches was negated by penalty. Jaden Greathouse had just one reception for 6 yards. Over the next couple of weeks against softer competition, Notre Dame needs to let this battle breathe and determine who should get 60% of the reps versus 40%.

This Rice game and the weeks that follow are about building the foundation. The schedule gets significantly harder once BYU, Miami, and SMU arrive, and Freeman’s staff has a window right now to get the rotation right before it truly matters.