Mailbag! Notre Dame’s Preseason Hype, Most Important Players to Watch Week 1, Position Battles, and More!

Notre Dame enters the 2026 college football season with legitimate national championship expectations, but what must the Fighting Irish prove against Wisconsin to show that the preseason hype is justified? Tyler Wojciak opens the Friday mailbag by comparing this Notre Dame team to the 2024 national championship runner-up, identifying what he needs to see from CJ Carr and the Irish in Week 1 and revealing his most intriguing players to watch against Wisconsin; then, he projects Notre Dame’s captains, breaks down the kick-return battle and explains how Kedren Young and the tight ends could improve the short-yardage offense before assessing Cam Williams’ place in the wide receiver rotation; finally, Tyler explains how to interpret comments from Marcus Freeman and Mike Denbrock, dives into the challenges of evaluating tight ends in recruiting and looks ahead to his trip to Lambeau Field and a packed week of Locked On Irish coverage.   (0:00) - Intro (1:20) - 2024 Comparisons & What Notre Dame Must Show vs. Wisconsin (15:05) - Captains, Kick Returns & Offensive Roles (27:38) - Reading Coaches & Evaluating Tight Ends   Follow Tyler on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TylerWojciak Follow Locked On Irish on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LockedOnIrish Follow Locked On Irish on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lockedonirishpod/?hl=en Subscribe to Locked on Irish on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC749D_LgykIE8WLu7W4UQlQ   Everydayer Club   If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans.  Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonirish.supercast.com/   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!   KALSHI For a limited time, Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10.    Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast.   Wayfair Patio season is here and these deals won’t last! Head to https://wayfair.com right now to get your outdoor space ready for way less.  Wayfair. Every style. Every home.   LARINECO Give Larine a try. Right now, Larine Co is offering our listeners up to 50% off at https://BUYLARINE.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE.    Odoo Great organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon.   5-Hour ENERGY Bring on the sweetness with Cotton Candy 5-hour ENERGY®️ shots—available online now at https:/5hourENERGY.com or on Amazon.    Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.   FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel.Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get two-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.