FIW Roundtable: Most intriguing aspect of Notre Dame’s spring practice

Notre Dame football will start its spring practices today, and there is plenty of excitement surrounding the program as the preparation for the 2026 season has officially begun. The expectations are massive, anything short of deep run into the College Football Playoff will be viewed as a disappointment. There are returning stars on both sides of the ball, starting with quarterback CJ Carr and linebacker Drayk Bowen, who isn’t at full-strength right now.

That opens the door for some younger players to get more reps, but that won’t be the case with Carr, as he’ll have to get accustomed to multiple new wide receivers he’ll be throwing too this fall. Not only that, gone are star running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, who both left early for the NFL. As with any team at the juncture of the season, there are plenty of interesting aspects for each squad.

The Fighting Irish Wire staff of Tim Healey, Sunny Verma and Michael Chen pick what’s most intriguing to them as spring practices opens up for Notre Dame. Tim Healey I have two things I am keeping an eye on. One is the wide receiver room.

We know quarterback CJ Carr can pass it -- but can the receivers catch it, and get yards after catch? Will Jaden Greathouse get back to a higher level of production after a down year in 2025? How will newcomers fit in?