Marcus Freeman’s third full season at Notre Dame could hinge on how the Irish handle one of their most challenging early tests — a game loaded with history, pressure, and major implications.

Former Notre Dame star and current Los Angeles Rams RB Kyren Williams was named as the No. 85 player in the NFL.

Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Jaylon Smith opened his first restaurant and the Fort Wayne native would "like to open several more in Indiana."

Notre Dame just lost a key starting offensive lineman for the start of the year, something that happened just a season ago.

The broken arm Notre Dame lineman Charles Jagusah suffered has a chance to impact more than just Notre Dame during the 2025 season.

Jaylon Smith hopes to get three more years of football, but he's been working on life after the gridiron for more than 10 years.

Despite not being selected until the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft, Kyren Williams has turned into one of the most dependable backs in the league.

Notre Dame has a strong history of producing high-quality tight ends, many of whom go on to play in the NFL, including last season's leading receiver, Mitchell Evans. In fact, since 2011, the Fighting Irish have had 10 tight ends selected in the NFL Draft.

Get to know the class of 2026 prospects committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in this feature from Blue & Gold. We have provided background info on each of the commits below (in chronological order from the newest pledge to the oldest) and will continue to update this article each time Notre Dame lands a new commitment.