Notre Dame football is right in the beginning stages of fall camp, and the 2026 college football season kicks off in just a couple of weeks. 

For head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish, this is the time of year to piece together the full picture of what this roster will look like. That means identifying which players are raising their stock and could play much bigger roles than expected. 

From wide receiver to the secondary, there are several names generating buzz out of fall camp. Three in particular stand out based on early returns.

This list doesn’t include everybody. Wide receiver Matt Jeffery has had a strong start to camp. Jonaz Walton has done a lot of tremendous things. Defensive tackle Armel Mukam is making a name for himself. 

There are plenty of players who could be part of this conversation, but these three are the ones standing out a ton right now.

WR Micah Gilbert is taking advantage of his opportunity

This one is a fault of my own, because I admittedly got a little too caught up in the hype early on for Quincy Porter when he transferred over from Ohio State. The former five-star, now a sophomore, has a ton of upside and potential, and I still think he can be a major player for Notre Dame in 2026. 

The issue with Porter is that he wasn’t able to participate in spring practice, remains on a limited basis right now, and has not been fully cleared for game action as he continues recovering from surgery in January.

That has given Micah Gilbert a tremendous opportunity to fight for a potential starting spot at boundary receiver. For people who remember him coming out of North Carolina in the 2024 recruiting class, the same class as quarterback CJ Carr, Leonard Moore, and the rest of that group, I was high on Gilbert. 

He put together some tremendous senior film and played in high school with Bryce Young, Notre Dame’s starting defensive end. I liked a lot of what Gilbert put on film in terms of his potential.

At 6-2, 205 pounds, Gilbert is physical and moves better than people are going to give him credit for. The issue has always been availability. He’s been plagued by nagging durability concerns as a redshirt sophomore. Nothing major, but a broken hand here, a pulled hamstring there. 

Those little injuries stunted his development. He finished last season with only nine receptions, and I believe he could have had a bigger role if he was available more consistently.

I’ve been wait-and-see with Gilbert. I love the talent, the potential, the upside. But I needed it to actualize into something on the field and into a more consistent version of the player. 

Based on the early returns of this offseason and fall camp, I’m buying right now that Gilbert is going to play a much bigger role than I initially thought. He might be the starting boundary receiver for this team, and if he’s healthy, he has the chance to have a breakout season. That boundary position is increasingly important in offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s offense.

Stock up for Micah Gilbert. Let’s see if Porter is able to get back to full capacity and fight for that spot. For now, it appears Gilbert is taking advantage of the opportunities in front of him.

Freshman WR Bubba Frazier brings something unique

Sticking at wide receiver, Bubba Frazier might be the most underrated receiver in the 2026 recruiting class. He was a player I loved coming out of Georgia. He’s not big at 5-10, 180-something pounds, but he is explosive, stronger than you would think, and dynamite after the catch. 

You heard a lot of great things in the spring. You heard a lot of great things in summer workouts. That has transitioned over to fall camp.

The freshman wide receiver class is talented and deep. Kaydon Finley is a player I loved coming out of Texas. Devin Fitzgerald has had a strong offseason. Dylan Faison just had a tremendous contested catch this past week. 

But I think it might be Bubba Frazier who has the potential for the earliest impact at wide receiver among the freshmen.

Frazier brings something unique to this team that Notre Dame may not have enough of: the ability to win after the catch. He’s a natural slot/Z type who can make plays in both spots, and you are getting the football in this kid’s hands to make magic happen. 

Maybe that ends up being five to 10 receptions in the end (who knows!), but it could end up being one where you get one or two chunk plays in big moments. He’s able to at least be out there as an active participant and a potential weapon for Carr.

I am buying stock in Bubba Frazier. If he doesn’t break out this fall, I think he is a huge breakout watch going into next offseason. I have loved everything I’ve heard about the young man so far.

Michigan transfer CB Jayden Sanders keeps making noise

Perhaps the most unique transfer portal pickup of this cycle, Michigan transfer sophomore cornerback Jayden Sanders has been putting in work this offseason. We saw him in the spring playing mostly outside corner, but due to some injury concerns including the Blue-Gold Game, he was asked to play nickel. 

I thought he looked good doing that dirty work and being able to work inside.

Throughout the offseason, Sanders has had the flexibility to play on the outside and in the slot. Every time I hear about him, it’s in a positive light. 

The work he’s putting in the weight room, the consistency he’s showing on the field, the tenacity, the competitiveness. His name just keeps popping up. At some point, when you hear a player’s name that often, clearly there is fire to the smoke.

At 6-0, 190 pounds, Sanders is a bigger, strong corner who played good football for Michigan last fall. I didn’t think he would be a huge rotational piece for this team. I thought it was more of a depth play and a developmental upside play for a couple of years from now. 

Sanders is going to play in 2026, and I have a feeling he’s going to play even more than I think right now.

Stock up for Jayden Sanders. He’s done a tremendous job acclimating and competing in what is arguably the deepest secondary in all of college football.