Notre Dame kicked off its 2026 fall camp today and we were there for the entire practice! The practice report will begin with a look at the Irish offense.
Here's what the groups looked like when they lined up in team or 7-on-7 situations.
GROUP 1
QB CJ Carr
RB Aneyas Williams
X Jordan Faison
Z Jaden Greathouse
W Micah Gilbert
TE Cooper Flanagan
LT Will Black
LG Anthonie Knapp
C Joe Otting
RG Sullivan Absher
RT Guerby Lambert
Ke dren Youngalso got a lot of snaps with the first group today and looked good. Matty Augustinegot a few reps at right guard, but it was mostly Absher.
GROUP 2
QB Blake Hebert
RB Kedren Young
X Cam Williams
Z Mylan Graham
W Jerome Bettis Jr.
TE Ty Washington
LT Styles Prescod
LG Cam Herron
C Christopher Terek
RG Matty Augustine
RT Owen Strebig
We also saw Jonaz Waltonand Nolan James Jr.at running back with the second group. Bubba Frazieralso got work at the Z position and had a good day. Elijah Burressmissed much of the early part of practice, but when he returned he lined up at the W position. We also saw Matt Jefferyat Z with the second group.
QUARTERBACK
It was a solid first day for CJ Carr, as expected. Threw with good timing, mostly made good decisions and ball came out quite well. He had a half roll corner route that he forced into double coverage, definitely the worst ball of the day for him. Missed outside on a post route to Jordan Faison as well. But outside of that he was quite sharp. Good timing on stop routes, had a great ball over the middle to Ty Washington for a big gain in between two defenders. When he missed against tight coverage it was on the opposite side of the defender every time, which is where the ball needs to be. The timing he threw with resulted in good coverage turning into tough catches or break ups, and not picks. That's where you want to be. Carr also threw an out cut to Matt Jeffery that Dallas Golden undercut well, but it was perfectly placed on the outside and Jeffery made a diving catch.
It was an interesting day from Blake Hebert. He looked easily like the 4th quarterback during individual routes and 1-on-1. Rushed his arm mechanics, the ball sailed or died, depending on his feet and he just looked way behind the freshmen. Then he got out there in 7-on-7 and especially team periods and looked really, really good. He had arguably the best ball of the day on a perfectly thrown Go route to Jerome Bettis for a huge gain. He also threw a seam off his back foot that was placed well to Bubba Frazier for a big gain. He also hit Mylan Graham up the seam for a big gain and also showed good accuracy on short throws, took the check down when needed and didn't look flushed at all from the pressure (from the D).
We only got to see Noah Grubbsduring individual and he looked good. Arm has gotten a tad stronger, he's thicker and he was extremely accurate during individual and routes on air. He was working with the third team down on the opposite field during the team period, which we couldn't see.
We got to see Teddy Jarrardduring those same periods, but he was the quarterback during the 1-on-1 period while the other QBs were working with the inside run fits. This was my first time seeing him throw in person. Jarrard's lead foot is still an issue at times when he throws downfield. He transitions to his lead foot too quickly, which throws off his weight transfer. But he still throws a nice ball in those situation. When his transition is clean the ball explodes out of his hand and is impressive. He's a long limbed athlete so his throwing motion is longer, but it's really quick and repeatable, which leads to consistently good zip. During 1-on-1 he showed good zip and ball placement. A few times he threw off his back foot a bit and missed, but overall he was solid. The only problem is the DBs were lights out during that period and broke up a lot of passes, but that wasn't on Jarrard. I liked the zip he got on the stop/comeback routes and he threw a really nice outside Burst Corner route to Mylan Graham that beat Adon Shuler. Good first impression from Jarrard, who has filled out since last summer.
RUNNING BACK
Backs looked good today. One thing I noticed from the entire group was exceptional patience on the zone runs. Saw that from a number of backs. Also very impressed with how well this group catches the ball. Strong first day by the group.
Aneyas Williamswas explosive during drills and got downhill well. Loved the patience I saw from him, made good reads and during a couple of run fit carries he planted his back foot and exploded downhill extremely well. Really shot through the hole with speed and decisiveness. Absolutely loved what I saw from Kedren Youngtoday. He was absolutely explosive today, both in drills and as a runner. Had arguably the best run of the day on Midzone where he showed patience, let the blocks set up and then cut right behind Joe Otting for a big gain. This was probably the fastest I've ever seen him getting downhill. Loved how confident he looked cutting off both legs, which was a big question mark. Probably the most impressive all around back we saw today.
Jonaz Waltonlooked more comfortable today than we saw in the spring and during team was actually the third back to get in. Decisive, quick and got downhill well. Had a couple of really nice grabs during drills and RVA periods. Nolan James Jr. caught the ball extremely well today as well. Didn't see much of Javian Osborneoutside of drills, but he looked sharp and explosive athletically.
WIDE RECEIVER
A lot more moving around with the WR today. We saw them flip the X and Z quite a bit, either presnap or with a motion, which is absolutely something I'm happy about. The battles between the WR and DB were quite good. DB got the most of them, but the WR really competed and had more wins than we saw the last couple of years on day one.
I know there will be skepticism about him because of the injuries, but this was literally the best I've ever seen Jaden Greathouselook, and I'm not being at all hyperbolic on this. Physically he looked great. Thicker upper body, leaned out a bit in the midsection and he was absolutely flying off the ball today. His burst off the line was as good as any receiver I saw today. Routes were crisp, explosive out of breaks and he caught the ball extremely well. Competed for the football, did a good job working back to the QB on stop routes and had two really nice sideline catches on out cuts. Jordan Faisonhad a good Jordan Faison type of day. Very quick, sharp routes and got very good separation during 1-on-1. Beat Jayden Sanders on his first rep, got a step on him later on a post route that was missed and did a good job finding soft spots in the zone.
Cam Williamshad a shaky start to the day, but overall had one of the best practices we've seen from him. He absolutely smoked DJ McKinney on a dig route during 1-on-1, I mean had him beat by 6-7 yards. But then he dropped the ball. I'm kind of thinking "Here we go again," but the rest of the practice was really, really good. Did a great job finding open spots in quick game and worked back to the ball very well. Had three catches with defenders draped all over him on stop routes, and he worked back on each one. Also showed some after the catch wiggle today on multiple short grabs. Had some inconsistency on what to do in the run game, which is one of those things he has to keep working through. Coaches and older players alike were really pushing him, working with him, trying to get him going. They are putting a lot into getting him going, so if he doesn't work his way onto the field it will be on him. But good first day, and also got reps at the X position all day, which was interesting.
Mylan Grahamhad a solid day as well. Beat Adon Shuler on a Burst Corner, had a really nice out cut vs DJ McKinney that I thought was going to be a completion, but McKinney did a great job closing and breaking it up. His route running was solid, but at times he was too choppy on the stop routes (stops, comebacks, etc). He also has to be a bit stronger fighting for the football. Micah Gilbert was wearing #14 jersey, but you couldn't really see it because the white #15 jersey was all over him today. Only time I saw him catch a ball was on a slant route against off coverage.
Loved what I saw from Bubba Fraziertoday. He is very explosive and a confident route runner/pass catcher. Got very good separation, made a great seam catch in traffic and did a great job getting free in the quick game. He's strong, you can see it, and he looked way more confident in the system than we saw in the spring. Remember what Malachi Toney was doing to the Notre Dame corners on pivot routes last year? Well, Frazier was doing that today. His top ends on a couple of routes drifted, which gave his direction away, but other than that he was solid. We didn't see Brayden Robinsonduring the team period because he was on the other field, but we did see him during individual drills and returning kicks. He is incredibly, incredibly explosive athletically.
Really liked what I saw from Jerome Bettis Jr. today as well. Smoked Mark Zackery off the line on a Go route, kept separation and then when Zackery grabbed him at the end of the play, Bettis locked into the football and still made the catch. He looked as good coming off the line as I've seen him. Impressed with him working in with the second group at W. Strong first day.
Matt Jefferyhad a strong day as well. He's an explosive athlete as well, something I could say about just every WR we saw out there today. He had two incredibly diving catches, one on an out cut that was in bounds, and the other a backshoulder go route that was out of bounds. On the Go route, I do need to see Jeffery lean back inside once he gets outside and not let the DB work him out of bounds, but the catch was impressive.
TIGHT END
Didn't pay a lot of attention to the tight ends, but did see a few things. Ty Washingtonmade a lot of catches during 7-on-7 and team working the middle of the field. James Flaniganis a really strong blocker, but he is still a work in progress as a route runner. Jack Larsenhad two really nice blocks at the point of attack today. We didn't see Ian Premerduring the team periods, as he was down on the other field, but athletically he's outstanding. You could see that during drills. We didn't see Cooper Flanaganget targeted in team or 7-on-7, but he looked sharp running routes and catching the ball during drills.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The offensive line had some issues with the humidity today, and they were dragging a bit during drills. At the end of the drills, Joe Rudolphabsolutely lit into them. His group responded well and followed that up with a really strong run fit and team period. Overall the pass pro was outstanding from the first group, and pretty solid from the first group. They got a really good push against the DL at times, and there were 3-4 holes that were opened up huge. The DL won their fair share of battles as well, but I really liked the physicality we saw from the OL, which is saying something considering this wasn't a full padded practice.
We only saw Ashton Craigduring drills and a period that wasn't against a defense. This isn't a surprise, as he was listed on modified activity to start camp.
Anthonie Knapplooks so incredibly comfortable at guard, even more so than we saw in the spring. He's more comfortable with the pad level needed at the position, he reacted much quicker to things and of course, he was very physical at the point of attack. Really good pad level all day, very good movement and he works his feet through contact as well, if not better, than any OL on the roster. On the other side, Guerby Lambertwas tremendous day. He's a natural at tackle. His athleticism pops so much more there. He's so long, both arm and legs, that I think playing inside was a bit awkward for him, but at tackle he can fly all around. Tremendous feet, easy pop, handled all the different moves the edge players through at him, got a great push in the run game. Just an excellent first day from him.
I've seen a lot of stud offensive linemen during my tenure covering this team. Zack Martin, Chris Watt, Ronnie Stanley, Quenton Nelson, Mike McGlinchey, Alex Bars, Liam Eichenberg, Robert Hainsey, Aaron Banks, Jarrett Patterson and Joe Alt, among others. Some guys just have that look, with how they move, how they act, how they compete and just their obvious talent level. That's what I saw today when I watched Lambert and Knapp go about their business. Not down the road stars, there are several guys like that (Black, Merrill, Nichols, Garvin, Thom), I'm talking right now, 2026, they have that look.
Also liked what I saw from Sullivan Abshertoday. I put in my intel report that I was told he's quicker at right guard, and more comfortable playing right handed, and you could see that today. He'll never be confused for Knapp athletically, but he was nimble, sound technically, competed and he and Lambert continue to work extremely well together. Their timing on combo blocks in the run game is already sharp and they handled several twists and second level pressures with ease. I actually liked what I saw from the DL athletically and firing off the ball, but Lambert and Absher just handled everything they threw at them. It was a solid day for Will Blackas well. He had one bad pass set during team, but he used his length and quickness to recover well. Outside of that he was good protecting the back side and battled in the run game. His first step a few times during drills wasn't where it needed to be, but it was good during run fits and team. Worked well cutting off the backside run game.
I really liked what I saw from Owen Strebigtoday. He's put on a ton of weight and I was worried he wouldn't move as well, but I thought he looked good. He and Matty Augustineboth worked at RT, but then there were times they were next to each other with Augustine at guard. Strebig handled the edge well, got a solid push in the run game and was good in pass pro. Augustine is more powerful, but Strebig is more loose in the hips and patient in pass pro.
A few other OL observations:
*** Ben Nicholsand Tyler Merrillboth need to work on their footwork and pad level, but they both come off well, are very strong and they are MASSIVE.
*** Devan Houstanmoves really well at guard, solid day.
*** Sullivan Garvinlooks very comfortable at center, much more so snapping than we saw in the spring. His emergence this summer is a big reason the staff moved Cam Herronto guard.
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