Notre Dame lost its two best running backs to the NFL draft. Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price both went in the first two rounds, and wide receiver Malachi Fields is also gone. You’d think the Irish offense would take a step back. But On3 analyst J.D. Pickell isn’t buying that. He’s ranking Notre Dame’s offense No. 8 in the country heading into the 2026 season.
That ranking is basically a bet on CJ Carr. The quarterback wasn’t asked to do a ton as a freshman in 2025, but he finished the year with real poise and improved his accuracy as the season went on. He led a 10-game winning streak after a rough 0-2 start. Now he’s already on NFL scouts’ radar as a potential first-round pick in 2027. So yeah, the offense is his now.
But it’s not just Carr. Notre Dame lost a lot, but they didn’t lose everyone. Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse both have real chemistry with Carr, and they’ve been in the system long enough to run things smoothly. The coaching staff also brought in Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham as transfers, both of whom could push for starting reps right away. Cooper Flanagan is still at tight end, and he’s the kind of safety valve that keeps drives alive on third down.
The running game is the big question. Love and Price were a two-headed monster that defenses couldn’t really gameplan for. Love was a Heisman contender for a stretch, and Price would have been a household name if he’d been the guy on another team. Now that room is young and unproven. Carr may not have the same luxury of leaning on the ground game to take pressure off.
Pickell’s take is that Notre Dame’s offensive line is good enough to buy time, the receivers are solid enough to get open, and Carr is the kind of quarterback who can make up for the lack of a dominant run game. That’s a lot of faith in a guy who hasn’t even played a full season as a starter yet. But the Irish offense was legitimately explosive last year, and they’re not starting from scratch. They’re just retooling around a different set of strengths.
The season hasn’t even started, and there’s already a lot of noise around Carr. If this ranking holds up, it’ll be because he turned into the kind of player who makes everyone around him better. If it doesn’t, well, the NFL draft giveth and it taketh away.
Leave a Comment