With the official announcements of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to the NFL, Aneyas Williams will get the opportunity to be the starting running back for Notre Dame football. This will be his third year in South Bend, and he has already made an impact the past two seasons. Williams will be the top returning tailback for the Fighting Irish entering 2026. After a plethora of NFL talent the past decade, Williams will be the next Irish running back to lead the ground attack and mentor the loaded position group this fall.
Recruiting & Statistics
2024 Recruiting Rankings: #19 running back and #251 player per 247Sports Composite rankings
2025 Stats: On the ground, Williams had 24 carries for 224 yards (9.3 yards per carry), five rushing touchdowns, with a longest rush of 54 yards. He added two receptions for 40 yards.
2024 Stats: On the ground, Williams had 34 attempts for 219 yards (6.4 yards per carry), two rushing scores, with a longest rush of 58 yards. He added 18 receptions for 172 yards.
Williams Headlines Deep Irish Backfield
Unfortunately for Aneyas Williams, he was behind the top two running backs in the entire country last season. Both Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price will be two of the top running backs taken in the NFL Draft. Love helped make Notre Dame running backs the gold standard across college football once again by finishing 3rd in the Heisman voting.
Ironically, Williams saw a bit more playing time in 2024 rather than 2025. Thankfully, he has been patient behind two Notre Dame legends. Now, it will be his turn to lead the Irish running backs next season in what is expected to be a “hungry” Notre Dame football program.
Notre Dame Running Back Legacy
There were times during the Brian Kelly era when it was apparent that Notre Dame was not recruiting or developing running backs at an elite level like Alabama. Fast forward to the past two college football seasons, and the Fighting Irish undoubtedly have the best running back room in the nation.
Since Kyren Williams, the Irish have been on a “hot streak” of top-tier tailbacks in South Bend. Kyren was a complete running back with physicality, speed, receiving, and blocking abilities. Then Audric Estime came into the mix with a physical running style that reminded a lot of fans of Jerome Bettis.
Just when fans thought it could not get any better at running back, in stepped Jeremiyah Love. His mixture of speed, athleticism, physicality, and overall video-game-like moves may not be seen again at Notre Dame during my lifetime. The one-two punch of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price the past two seasons made the offense unbelievable to watch. They both were home-run threats every time they touched the football.
2026 Running Backs Room
Gi’Bran Payne, Kedren Young, and Nolan James Jr. all currently return for the 2026 season. Outside of Aneyas Williams, Nolan James Jr. returns the most carries out of all the running backs with 14 attempts for 37 yards. As Love and Price head to the NFL, almost all the production from last season will be gone.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has also loaded up with incoming freshmen Jonaz Walton (#11 running back, #167 overall player per 247Sports) and Javian Osborne (#15 running back, #189 overall player per 247Sports).
I would not be surprised if one of the Notre Dame running backs returning from a year ago hits the transfer portal after this article is written. There are a lot of tailbacks on the roster, and I fully expect Walton alongside Osborne to pass up a few others on the depth chart. Who knows, coach Freeman could even pick up a transfer running back, which would be surprising.
Final Thoughts
Aneyas Williams will finally get his opportunity to shine in South Bend alongside a Heisman-favorite quarterback in CJ Carr. The 2025 Notre Dame offense was electric in many ways, but I believe the 2026 team will be able to put up a lot of points as well with their own skill sets.
Fans have already witnessed excellence from Williams in the Orange Bowl and his two touchdowns in the season finale against Stanford when Jeremiyah Love was hurt. Now, it is his turn to get the bulk of carries this fall and continue the physicality alongside an NFL-like offensive line in 2026. Every running back has their own style, and I believe Fighting Irish fans will love the energy and toughness that define Aneyas Williams’s rushing attack.
