SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football was able to preserve the redshirt seasons of all but four members of its 2025 high school signing class: linebacker Madden Faraimo, defensive backs Dallas Golden and Mark Zackery IV, and kicker Erik Schmidt.
Of the 25-member class, five players never saw the field while 16 others were limited to no more than four of 12 games during the regular season.
Special teams offered the initial path for Faraimo to shine on coverage units, while early-season injuries opened the door for Golden and Zackery to earn rapid high-leverage snaps on defense.
With a 30-man signing class in the fold after National Signing Day on Feb. 4, here’s a look at five incoming freshmen who could make an early impact this fall. That could be out of pure talent or positional necessity, but Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman has made a habit of deploying his best players, regardless of experience.
Jasper Scaife, punter
With fellow Australian James Rendell moving out after two seasons, Scaife is the leading option to handle punting chores for the Irish in 2026.
Scaife, knowing for his booming kicks, played two seasons of Australian Rules Football, most recently for the Hawthorn Hawks.
It should help that long snapper Joseph Vinci worked with Rendell for the past season and a half.
Ian Premer, tight end
With last year’s starter, Eli Raridon, headed to the NFL, the floor could be open for this five-star prospect to earn playing time alongside Cooper Flanagan and James Flanigan.
At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Premer will need to bulk up a bit in order to handle the blocking aspects of the position, but the Great Bend, Kan., product is a freak athlete who also held a basketball scholarship offer from Kansas State.
Joey O’Brien, safety
Blessed with the lanky frame (6-3, 185) and playmaking ability Kyle Hamilton brought to South Bend in 2019, O’Brien might not need much time to justify his five-star status out of Wyndmoor, Pa.
Notre Dame has both starting safeties back in captain Adon Shuler and rising star Tae Johnson, but new defensive backs coach Aaron Henry arrives with a clean slate and a deep secondary group.
Jonaz Walton, running back
With the highly productive tandem of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price off to the NFL, position coach Ja’Juan Seider has junior Aneyas Williams atop an otherwise modest group of returnees.
That means Walton, the 5-9, 205-pounder from Carrolton, Ga., could get early carries if he shows he can handle the playbook, blitz pickup and other Day 1 responsibilities. Walton also could break in Price’s successor on kickoff return, where the four-star signee scored four of his 85 career touchdowns.
Javian Osborne, running back
Even if Walton hits the ground running, he could be in a battle for playing time with his classmate from Forney, Texas. At 5-10 and 200 pounds, Osborne set a school record with 105 career touchdowns.
The top recruiting services had both backs in similar proximity in their rankings, placing both Walton and Osborn among the top 5-10 running backs nationally in the 2026 signing class. Notre Dame’s next J&J backfield combo could be pretty dangerous, too.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Five incoming freshmen who could help Notre Dame football in 2026
Reporting by Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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