Story by
Roundtable Sports
Notre Dame 2026 Player Profile: Tight End Ty Washington
- Story byRoundtable Sports
- Notre Dame 2026 Player Profile: Tight End Ty Washington
(Angela Driskell, Irish Breakdown)
Notre Dame 's tight end room is relatively wide open heading into the 2026 season which is an unusual spot for the program that's considered to be 'Tight-End U'. There's no question around the level of talent in the room, rather a question around who will be filling what role? There's players coming back from injury, young players on the rise and a couple of returners looking to leave their mark. Former Arkansas transfer Ty Washington is one of those players. Washington came to South Bend ahead of the 2025 season. Now, he's headed into year two of the system and is looking to set the foundation of Notre Dame's tight end room.
Here is our 2026 preview and profile for Washington:
Advertisement
TY WASHINGTON PROFILE
Class/Eligibility: 5th / Senior
Height/Weight: 6-4, 253
Hometown/High School: Leesburg, Ga./Lee County
CAREER STATS
2025: 244 snaps - 5 catches, 34 yards, 6.8 YPC, 1 TD
2024 (Arkansas): 116 snaps - 2 catches, 25 yards, 12.5 YPC, 1 TD
2023(Arkansas): 164 snaps - 11 catches, 170 yards, 15.5 YPC, 2 TD
2022(Arkansas): 18 snaps - 1 catches, 17 yards, 17.0 YPC, 1 TD
CAREER: 542 snaps - 19 catches, 246 yards, 12.9 YPC, 5 TD
2025 SEASON IN REVIEW
Washington played in all 12 games of the regular season for the Irish last fall. The 6-4, 253-pound Georgia native played a grand total of 244 snaps, but was used primarily as a run-blocking tight end. He did record five catches for 34 yards and caught his first touchdown in a Notre Dame uniform at home, under the lights against Navy in the second half. Of Washington's 244 offensive snaps, 155 of them were as a run blocker while 33 of them were as a pass blocker according to Pro Football Focus.
Advertisement
As the season progressed, Washington grew more comfortable in his role in the Notre Dame offense. He was very open to saying last season that he will 'do whatever the team needs him to do' over the course of the season and we saw just that. His numbers don't necessarily light up the stat sheet, but his performance as a run blocker was noteworthy last fall. The former Arkansas pass catcher will look to build on that performance during his final season in South Bend.
FALL CAMP PREVIEW
Washington is coming off of an impressive spring. He reshaped his body during winter workouts, looked more explosive and nimble for being 6-4, 253-pounds. He, along with a host of other offensive players, looked to have benefitted this past spring from playing in an offense that returned its starting quarterback and offensive coordinator. Washington will now have to take the foundation he laid in the spring and use it to propel himself forward throughout summer workouts and into fall camp because the tight end room will be at full strength at the end of July and through August.
With young, talented tight ends on the rise and redshirt junior Cooper Flanagan back to full health the outlook at this position is looking up as the Irish gear up for the regular season. Washington will have his work cut out for him for the remainder of the offseason, but his experience and physical transformation at Notre Dame will give him leverage while battling for a spot in the tight end rotation.
Advertisement
2026 EXPECTATIONS
I fully expect Washington to be a part of the 2026 tight end rotation. There's several players in the room that will become factors on offense this season and Washington is one of them. The question is, in what role and in what capacity? The outlook of the room as blockers in the run game looks really promising. But there was little to no separation in this group as pass catchers. In 2023, Washington had a game with the Razorbacks where he caught seven passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns on the road against a ranked Ole Miss team. Can he be that for Notre Dame's offense? He certainly has the potential to be.
We know for sure he'll be a factor in the run game and he could carve out a role in the red zone. There's no question that Washington will play throughout the season. For the remainder of the offseason, he'll be in a battle to fight for the No. 2 tight end spot and be the first guy off the bench when the offense goes 12 personnel.
A GOOD SEASON FOR WASHINGTON WOULD BE ....
One where he makes a consistent impact on offense in the run game and pass game. This is shaping up to be a strong year for the tight ends as run blockers, but nobody has emerged as a pass catcher. But that could all change quickly in fall camp. Washington is headed into his final year in South Bend. Emerging as a pass catcher on offense and maintaining his performance as a run blocker would be a strong season for the former Arkansas transfer.
Advertisement
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!
Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @TTrow5
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook
