Devin Fitzgerald
Freshman wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald arrived at Notre Dame as one of many highly anticipated NFL legacy recruits. The son of NFL Hall-of-Famer wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Devin, had as high expectations as any young receiver from the moment he stepped on campus. After what many said was an impressive performance in the jersey scrimmage on April 18, Fitzgerald shined yet again during the spring game.
He showcased a particularly special connection with freshman quarterback Noah Grubbs, who he connected with for a 28-yard touchdown on the eighth series of the game. That was one of his three receptions on the day, totaling 54 yards with 20 of them coming after the catch. He proved to be a threat down the field and in the short game with his run-after-catch abilities. Fitzgerald may still be a freshman, but he has clear potential to do great things in the coming years.
Blake Hebert
One of two freshman quarterbacks in the Irish QB room, Blake Hebert showed Saturday that he is currently the favorite to land the QB2 job. Sophomore quarterback CJ Carr is the clear starter, being named the Heisman favorite by multiple sources early in the offseason. As a result, the quarterback battle has shifted from 2025’s QB1 fight to QB2 in 2026. Grubbs also had a solid performance last weekend, but it was Hebert who showed veteran-level prowess.
Both of Hebert’s first two drives ended in touchdowns, something no other quarterback could claim during the scrimmage. His first was highlighted by a 53-yard deep ball to sophomore wideout Cam Williams that set up a touchdown by freshman running back Jonaz Walton. But it was Hebert’s second series that was arguably the most impressive offensive showing of the day. After an incompletion on the first play, Hebert and the offense rattled off 10 consecutive positive plays that culminated in an 8-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Elijah Burress, where he threaded two Irish defenders.
Jaylen Sneed
The most striking standout of the game was senior linebacker Jaylen Sneed, who proved scrimmages aren’t just opportunities for younger players to shine through. After a slight regression last season, he showed that the 2026 season could be his best yet. On Saturday, it seemed like no name was coming over the loudspeaker in Notre Dame Stadium as much as Jaylen Sneed’s. He finished the day with four tackles, the most of any Irish defender. Of his four tackles, three of them were credited as solo efforts.
His most impressive play of the day came in the game’s seventh series. After a rough start to the series for the offense that eventually resulted in a third-and-19, Carr rifled a pass to senior tight end Ty Washington over the middle. Unfortunately for the offense, Washington dropped the pass into the hands of freshman safety Ethan Long, who also let it get away from him. That led to one final bounce putting the ball into the hands of Sneed for the game’s first of two turnovers.
Sneed’s efforts were recognized at the end of the game, where he was named the Player of the Game due to his four tackles and his interception off the bounce from Long.
Ethan Long
The second turnover of the game belonged to Long, who took advantage of his second chance after letting the aforementioned first slip away. The freshman took a redshirt season last year, collecting his first and only collegiate interception against Syracuse on Nov. 22, 2025. This season, he is already shaping up to be a new yet significant part of the reloaded Irish defense.
On what could’ve been yet another Grubbs-Fitzgerald connection, Long capitalized by coming out of seemingly nowhere for the defense’s second turnover of the day. As Fitzgerald streaked across the middle of the field, Grubbs rifled a well-placed ball that just so happened to also be within Long’s reach. The freshman jumped the route in excellent fashion, returning it another 20 yards to set up the game’s emphatic conclusion.
Spencer Porath
Last season, Notre Dame faced a familiar foe from 2025: kicking. They culminated in the all-too-familiar Boston College kicking disaster where the Irish went 1-for-3 on PATs and missed their only field goal attempt of the day on Nov. 1, 2025. This season, it would appear that those kicking woes could finally be laid to rest after two seasons of Irish fans tensing each time the kicking unit jogged onto the field with a new addition to the special team roster.
This offseason, head coach Marcus Freeman and special teams coordinator Marty Biagi added junior kicker Spencer Porath out of the portal from Purdue. His addition has already paid off, as he looked the part of a successful starting kicker on Saturday. He nailed each of his three PAT tries throughout the game before nailing a 43-yard field goal to win the game for the offense.
