Tim Prister

Kicking accuracy has been difficult to come by for Notre Dame amidst its 24-4 run the last two seasons. Former Purdue kicker Spencer Porath is poised to solve the Irish issue from 2024-25. He converted 88.2 percent of his field goals last year and hasn’t missed an extra point in 41 college attempts.

As Notre Dame begins to turn most of its attention to the construction of the Class of 2028, there remain a couple of pieces to the Class of 2027 puzzle yet to be interlocked. One would give the Irish an even greater gathering of d-linemen while the other would embark upon the reconstruction of the LB room.

There’s never a shortage of five-star talent in the receivers room at Ohio State. Following the ‘25 season, the Irish tapped into that talent base to land Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham. Graham shined in the spring. Porter (knee) is now on a healthy path toward competing to be Malachi Field’s successor.

When you think of “wildcards” among Notre Dame's 2026 personnel, who comes to mind? The forgotten aspect of Notre Dame's secondary play without its most significant figure. Freeman counts his blessings at Notre Dame. Closing out the Class of 2027.

Notre Dame and Miami clearly have the most complete secondaries on this list. What separates them is that the Irish didn't lose as much production as the Hurricanes and Notre Dame's pass-defense statistics in '25 out-shined even that of the national-title runners-up.

One of two wildcards along Notre Dame's offensive line when pre-season camp opens -- along with Charles Jagusah -- Craig will return to the Irish starting lineup as soon as he's recovered from a second torn ACL. Craig and Jagusah are among the 15 different offensive linemen who have started a game since 2023.

Notre Dame opponents such as Boston College, Wisconsin, Purdue and Syracuse are among the programs that finished with losing records last season that could be aided by a stronger performance by their special teams. SMU should offer a big surprise at kicker.

Cooper Flanagan played a role in Notre Dame’s short-yardage success in 2024 with QB-Riley Leonard doing much of the heavy lifting. Now recovered from an injury that limited him to one game in ’25, Flanagan will assist the Irish offense in multiple ways, including his natural physicality.

Kelly's “singular job” reference of “bringing Notre Dame football back to being relevant” was Step One. He brought Notre Dame football back to prominence but couldn't get the Irish over the hump in post-regular-season play. He was never close to winning over the fan base the way Freeman has.

Drayk Bowen and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa garner a majority of the publicity heaped upon Notre Dame's talented, deep linebacker corps. And yet it was Jaiden Ausberry who started 10 of the 12 games next to Bowen in 2025. Look for more of the same from the Baton Rouge, La. product.