Notre Dame is officially concluded with Fall camp, and now the attention turns to Wisconsin . Who were the biggest surprises?
Fall camp is now behind the Notre Dame football program, and the Fighting Irish have turned their full attention to the Wisconsin Badgers on Sept. 6.
While the expected starters largely held serve, several players outplayed their perceived expectations this camp and positioned themselves for significantly larger roles in 2026. From walk-on-turned-contributor wide receivers to a defensive tackle who nearly left via the transfer portal, head coach Marcus Freeman's roster is deeper than many anticipated.
Here are the top surprises from Notre Dame's fall camp.
The biggest offensive surprise of fall camp might be redshirt sophomore wide receiver Matt Jeffery , a 5-11, 195-pound dual-sport athlete who also plays for the Notre Dame lacrosse team. Jeffrey's path mirrors the one Jordan Faison took: he arrived as a scholarship lacrosse player, walked onto the football team, and has steadily climbed the depth chart.
Now in his third year in the program, Jeffrey turned heads throughout camp. Both Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock have spoken highly of Jeffrey, who is in line to be heavily involved in the wide receiver rotation. The projected starters at the three receiver spots figure to be Faison, Jaden Greathouse , and Micah Gilbert, but Jeffrey has shown the competitiveness through contact and playmaking ability to earn snaps at the Z position behind Faison and occasionally in the slot.
Early in the offseason, Jeffery was not on the radar as a player who could push for significant playing time. That has changed in a big way. Any wide receiver projection going into 2026 for this Fighting Irish team, led by quarterback CJ Carr , should include Matt Jeffery.
The feeling around Jack Larsen is similar, though not quite as extreme. Larsen enters his redshirt sophomore year after arriving as part of the 2024 recruiting class alongside Carr, Leonard Moore , and Brauntae Johnson. He was one of Notre Dame's earliest commits in that cycle, pledging around the same time as Cam Williams and Carr after the group connected at an Irish Invasion camp.
Larsen has been something of an afterthought through his first two years, largely because his body needed to develop. He came in as a smaller prospect but now stands at about 6-3, 250 pounds. The expected tight end depth chart heading into camp was Cooper Flanagan , James Flanigan, and then a battle between Ty Washington and true freshman 5-star Ian Premer. Larsen figured to sit fifth.
Instead, he is fighting to be the tight end 3 on this team. Freeman verified that in a recent media availability, and highlights have surfaced showing Larsen winning through contact. He has always possessed great hands and strong ball skills, but a tremendous offseason has put him firmly in the tight end conversation.
On the defensive side, the standout surprise is Armel Mukam. For those who have followed closely over the years, Mukam was a highly regarded prospect out of Woodbury Forest, originally from Canada, with explosive athleticism at 6-3, 250 pounds. He has been a slow-burn player since arriving in South Bend, with his body maturing significantly over the last couple of years. He now stands at about 300 to 305 pounds.
Mukam nearly left this offseason. He entered the transfer portal and had quality offers elsewhere. He ultimately decided to return to play for defensive line coach Charlie Partridge and compete for a spot. Players like Jaylen Sneed have recently praised the offseason Mukam put together, and those results are showing up on the depth chart.
Most people expected Francis Brewu , the transfer from Pittsburgh , to step in as a quality contributor. Jason Onye showed promise in 2025. Tionne Gray arrived as a monster defensive tackle transfer from Oregon . Elijah Hughes played quality football. Few had Mukam as a potential starter at defensive tackle heading into camp, but it appears he has earned that opportunity. If he does not start, he is still in line for a high volume of snaps.
The maturation has been tremendous to watch.
Sophomore transfer cornerback Jayden Sanders arrived from Michigan after playing significantly for the Wolverines as a true freshman in 2025. The expectation for his role at Notre Dame was unclear given the depth already in the secondary. All-American cornerback Leonard Moore returns, Christian Gray has moved from field corner to nickel, and DJ McKinney came in as a high-profile transfer portal addition with legitimate NFL upside and strong NFL grades.
Despite all of that, Sanders is fighting for the starting job at field cornerback against McKinney.
This is a rich man's problem for Notre Dame. The fact that an underrated player like Sanders might be good enough to start when the skeleton of an elite secondary is already in place speaks to the depth Freeman has built. Even if Sanders does not win the starting job, he projects as the primary backup at field corner with the versatility to serve as the main backup at nickel, a role he occupied often during spring practice.
The final surprise comes on the offensive line with redshirt sophomore Styles Prescod, who is projected as the backup left tackle. Prescod has apparently had such a strong offseason that he is in the conversation to potentially start at right guard, a position with several candidates including Sullivan Absher, and possibly Ashton Craig . Matty Augustine was also in the mix before suffering a broken foot.
Prescod's inclusion in the right guard race was not widely expected, but he has clearly impressed the staff. He might simply be too good to keep off the field. How Notre Dame handles that position battle - whether one player seizes it or the staff deploys a rotation - will be one of the more compelling storylines to watch as the opener against Wisconsin approaches.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Notre Dame's biggest Fall camp surprises have a chance to reshape the Fighting Irish heading into the 2026 season
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