Notre Dame football and Marcus Freeman are entering the 2026 season with extremely high expectations as the Fighting Irish are ranked in multiple way-too-early Top-25 rankings, and recently, ESPN’s Greg McElroy went as far as stating he might put the Irish as his No. 1 team in his preseason poll. Notre Dame has an incredibly high ceiling for many reasons entering next season, but a major one is that Freeman had a top-rated offseason.
Freeman recruited from within and didn’t lose a single starter to the Transfer Portal, which, in this day and age, is just as important as who you added. The Irish lost only 14 players to the portal, and while they brought in just seven transfers, they are all 4-stars. When Irish fans look at Notre Dame’s additions and roster, a lot of attention is going to go towards Alabama transfer Keon Keeley, Ohio State transfers Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham, and key returners like CJ Carr, Adon Shuler, and Jordan Faison. But what about the Irish under-the-radar players returning and key 2026 newcomers?
So, here are three hidden gems who will exceed expectations for Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame next season.
Jayden Sanders
The one transfer addition to get a spotlight in this category is the 4-star transfer from Michigan, Jayden Sanders. The Irish cornerback position gets two veteran players back in Leonard Moore and Christian Gray, and a lot of talk is about the Colorado transfer, DJ McKinney. Someone who has the potential to breakout and trend in the right direction in Freeman and Chris Ash’s defense is the young cornerback from Michigan.
Last season, in his true freshman season, Sanders collected 23 tackles and one pass breakup in his lone season with the Wolverines. The Michigan transfer has tons of upside as he transferred to the Irish as the No. 5-ranked cornerback in the portal and ranked No. 111 overall. Coming out of high school, he ranked No. 128 in the 2025 recruiting class after logging 27 tackles, 15 pass breakups, and three interceptions in his senior season. Sanders is an elite ballhawk with incredibly high potential for the Irish.
Micah Gilbert
Notre Dame will return key receivers Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse, while adding two former 5-star recruits out of high school in Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter. However, someone who is not often talked about heading into next season is redshirt-freshman Micah Gilbert.
With the Irish needing some receivers to step up next season, Gilbert is someone who has the potential for a big sophomore season. In his redshirt-freshman season, he caught nine passes for 93 yards and 1 touchdown. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound receiver is a former 4-star recruit out of high school after collecting 2,200 receiving yards and 25 receiving touchdowns. Gilbert is a receiver Notre Dame fans should keep an eye on, someone who can shine and step up in this thin wide receiver room.
Khary Adams
Notre Dame has the fourth-ranked 2026 class according to 247Sports, and one true freshman who has the potential to make an immediate impact next year is 5-star commit Khary Adams. When someone is ranked as high as No. 29 in the nation, it is hard to imagine Freeman and Ash don’t give him game-time snaps and a chance to break out.
Adams ranked as high as No. 3 among cornerbacks in the 2026 recruiting class after logging 77 tackles, 4.0 tackles for a loss, and five interceptions in his final two seasons in high school. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound cornerback has elite speed and excellent timing to break up the passing lanes. With him being ranked as Notre Dame’s fourth-highest commitment, and in a position the Irish need depth in, Notre Dame fans should keep an eye out for the Baltimore native next season.