Notre Dame had the nation's best running back room in 2025, and the duo of Jeremiyah Loveand Jadarian Pricemade history as the first backs from the same school to be taken with the first two picks in a draft. That's what the backs on the 2026 team have to replace. Those are certainly big shoes to fill, and asking the current group to replace that duo directly is unfair. The key for Notre Dame in 2026 is getting this group to play to its full potential.
We continue our 2026 preview series with a look at the running backs:
Aneyas Williams- 24 att., 224 yards, 9.3 YPC, 5 TD / 2 rec., 40 yards
Kedren Young- 21 att., 116 yards, 5.5 YPC, 1 TD (2024)
Nolan James Jr.- 14 att., 37 yards, 2.6 YPC, 0 TD
On the surface the expectations seem impossible to achieve. Replace Love and Price as impact players. Replace 2,413 yards of offense. Replace 35 offensive touchdowns. Replace the big plays. Replace the all-around game that made that the nation's best duo last season. Play at a level that makes the top two backs first round picks.
That's quite a lot!
The reality is it's unfair to ask any group of backs to replace Love and Price directly in all the ways that were just laid out. Notre Dame won't ask this group to be Love and Price, and they shouldn't. The expectation for this group, and for position coach Ja'Juan Seider, is to get this group to play to their full potential in a system that will built more around CJ Carrand a potentially dominant offensive line.
What this group will be asked to do is play to their own talent level, and if they do that Notre Dame should have an outstanding group of backs this season. There is plenty of talent and depth, diverse skills and enough home run ability to continue putting a big play running game on the field. There's also a chance for a bit more diversity at the position than we saw the last two seasons.
This group will be asked to play within the system, protect the football, take advantage of the opportunities that are there and be clutch.
One of the many questions at running back is will there be a "lead back" this season, or will it be a bit more of a "by committee" approach. If there is a lead back, like we saw the last three seasons, will it be one back that dominates the reps (like 2023) or will it be two backs that dominate the reps, with a clear No. 1 as part of that duo?
Junior Aneyas Williamsheads into fall camp as the projected No. 1 back, despite being limited this spring. Williams is without a doubt the team's most experienced back, having rushed for 443 yards, caught 20 passes for 212 yards and scoring seven touchdowns. As a freshman, Williams earned the team's third-down role and showed off impressive pass blocking and pass catching skills. As a sophomore, Williams rushed for 224 yards and five scores while averaging 9.3 yards per carry. For his career, Williams has averaged 7.6 yards per carry and already has three touchdown runs of over 50 yards on just 58 carries.
Williams is a different type of back than Love or Price, possessing more of a vertical game, but he can make people miss when he needs to. He runs with really good pad level, has good vision and as mentioned his all-around game is impressive. I won't be surprised if a healthy Williams emerges as the team's lead back.
Had he not gone down with an injury in the first week of fall camp, redshirt sophomore Kedren Youngmight be in the No. 1 position heading into fall camp. Young had an outstanding spring in 2025, and expectations were he was at least going to be the team's short-yardage back last season. He's a big back with impressive feet and vision, and he might have the best "lead back" skills on the roster, assuming he gets his game back after missing a season with a knee injury. If he returns to form there is little doubt that Young will be a factor this season for the Irish run game.
What makes the 2026 running back depth chart so impressive is the depth of talent on the roster. Williams and Young is a strong combination, assuming both can stay healthy, but there is plenty of talent behind that duo. So much so that it's far from a guarantee that both — or either, for that matter — will be in the two-deep all season.
Redshirt freshman Nolan James Jr.is an overlooked member of the backfield, but he had a strong spring. James was a late addition to the 2025 class and he wasn't a highly ranked recruit, so there wasn't as much buzz when he signed. His stats in mop duty also weren't impressive, but make no mistake, James is a talented back. He is well built, strong, elusive and like Williams has a strong all-around game.
James is also in a unique spot despite being a young player. Williams and Young are talented older players, and there are two very talented freshmen behind him. Despite his youth, James needs to make a strong impression on the coaches and have an impactful fall camp in order to put himself in position to challenge the older players and keep the younger players at bay.
Speaking of the freshmen, there is a reason fans were so excited about landing this duo. Georgia native Jonaz Waltongot better throughout the spring, and he finished the spring off on a strong note. He's built like a power back and he certainly shows the cutting ability and physicality to be that kind of runner when the need arrives. But despite his short, stocky, bowling ball frame he is also the team's most explosive runner. Walton was a 10.5 runner in high school and we saw that juice in limited opportunities this spring. Walton has a chance to be a dynamic runner in time, and of all the backs on the roster he most reminds me of Price. He is still learning the finer points of the position, but he has difference maker tools.
Classmate Javian Osborne missed the spring while recovering from surgery to repair his injured hand, which is something he dealt with in high school. Osborne was an exceptionally productive high school back that rushed for over 6,500 yards and 100 touchdowns in his career. Osborne is an explosive back with impressive vision and his cutting ability is rare. While he lacks Walton's home run speed, he has more than enough speed to hit home runs in this offense. It remains to be seen how quickly he'll get fully healthy, or how quickly he'll be able to learn the offense, but if he can get caught up to speed quickly he'll have a chance to force his way into the rotation right away.
1. Can this unit play championship football?- This group has talent, there's no question about it. On paper, there is enough depth, enough talent and enough unique skillsets for this group to play very good football in 2026. The question, however, is can they be dominant? Can they be a reason that Notre Dame wins a title this season, as opposed to just being part of an offense that plays championship football and is dominated by other positions. The closer they get to playing at that level the more explosive this offense will be, and the harder it will be to stop this offense. If the Irish backs play at a high level in 2026 this offense will be special, and could be even better than last season.
2. Are the freshmen as good as advertised?- The veterans are very good, but I want to see the young backs push them. Even if they aren't good enough to earn premium carries as rookies, if they are as good as advertised they will at the very least push the veterans and ensure they play their best football. But if they are as good as I hope they can be, there will come a time at least one of these two young backs make an impact, if not both.
3. Can the group stay healthy?- This is a room that has dealt with a lot of injuries. Williams wasn't 100-percent as a sophomore, and the arm injury that lingered all season is what limited him in spring practice. Young missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL. Osborne missed all of spring with a hand injury that also plagued him in high school. If the unit is healthy it is deep and talented, but this group only had two healthy players in the spring.
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