GREEN BAY, Wis. -- When Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for LSU, he spoke about finding a place with a higher ceiling to compete for championships.

Five years later, Marcus Freeman has spent his tenure trying to prove Notre Dame does not need one.

The Irish enter the 2026 season coming off one of the most productive offensive years in the country. Notre Dame averaged nearly 42 points per game last season, second-best nationally, and returns the quarterback who orchestrated it all.

CJ Carr is back after throwing 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns while completing 66.7 percent of his passes in his first full season as the starter. Now, with another year in offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s system, Carr enters the season as a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite and one of Notre Dame’s four captains.

“These dudes that are 6-8 and 6-7, they look at him, and what he says — ‘yes sir,’ and we go,” Freeman said. “He can’t forget that because they are all following him.”

Carr said being selected as a captain by his teammates carries special meaning.

“It’s amazing,” Carr said. “I knew it was something I wanted — to be named a captain by your teammates, who you go to work with every day. It’s one of the greatest achievements of my life.”

Carr may also have more options around him this season. Jaden Greathouse and fellow captain Jordan Faison give the Irish proven experience at wide receiver. Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter (when healthy) bring former five-star talent to the room, while Matt Jeffrey, Micah Gilbert, Jerome Bettis Jr., and Devin Fitzgerald provide Notre Dame with additional depth.

“I wouldn’t see it much as a competition in our room,” Faison said. “All of us are brothers, so we’re trying to push each other farther and beyond. If you’re trying to elevate just yourself, you’re kinda being greedy, you’re being selfish.”

The biggest question facing the offense may be one position over. Notre Dame must replace one of the most dynamic running back duos in college football after Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price became first-round NFL draft picks. Love went No. 3 overall to the Arizona Cardinals, while Price was selected No. 32 by the Seattle Seahawks.

Their departures leave a massive amount of production behind, but Aneyas Williams, Kedren Young, and Nolan James Jr. now have an opportunity to establish themselves.

“I’ve seen a lot about how the running back room is going to be the weak spot,” Williams said. “And you take that and use it.”

But whoever emerges in the backfield will have plenty of size blocking in front of him. Notre Dame’s offensive line features Anthonie Knapp and Ashton Craig at 6-foot-5, Will Black, Guerby Lambert, and Sullivan Absher at 6-foot-7, and Joe Otting at 6-foot-4.

The challenge for the Irish is less about finding capable bodies and more about determining the best combination of five.

That depth extends to tight end.

Cooper Flanagan and Green Bay native James Flanigan headline a position group Denbrock believes has enough depth to rotate four or five players without lowering the standard.

“I think we got a deep room, which is a good thing,” Denbrock said. “We are four and five deep in that room that can really play meaningful snaps and play championship football.”

Championship football is ultimately the expectation. The program’s motto this season is “Choose hard — leave no doubt.”

But first, the Irish must handle Week 1 against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.