Nolan James Jr. looks to finish one of his 26 carries against Michigan State, September 19, 2026. (Photo AJ Houk/Fighting Irish Preview)
Nolan James Jr. left Notre Dame Stadium Saturday night with 121 rushing yards, a touchdown and the best performance of his young college career.
And apparently, that wasn’t good enough.
“I think I left some meat on the bone out there on Saturday,” James said Tuesday.
Meat on the bone? After 121 yards? Okay, Nolan. You have our attention.
Because that gets directly to one of the biggest questions surrounding Notre Dame’s offense three games into the season. The Irish may have found their most effective running back. Now can he break one? Notre Dame still has not produced a rushing play of 20 yards this season. James’ 17-yard run against Michigan State is the longest by an Irish player. After spending the last two years watching the Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price show that routinely turned ordinary running plays into see-you-later touchdowns, this is taking some getting used to.
James solved part of the problem against Michigan State, carrying 26 times for a career-high 121 yards in the 27-10 victory. The more Notre Dame fed him, the better he seemed to get. During that 17-play third-quarter drive, James carried nine times.
“That’s always been my strong suit as a back,” James said. “When people get tired, I get stronger.”
I like the sound of that. But Notre Dame needs somebody to eventually turn one of those four-, six- or 10-yard gains into 40 or 60.
He’s Done It Before
There is plenty of evidence James has that ability. As a senior at DePaul Catholic in New Jersey, he rushed for 1,921 yards and 19 touchdowns, averaged 7.9 yards per carry and had a long run of 80 yards. He finished his high-school career with 5,911 all-purpose yards and 45 touchdowns. He produced when the stakes were highest, too, carrying 29 times for 244 yards and two touchdowns in the 2024 state championship game.
So we aren’t wondering whether James has ever been an explosive runner. He has. We’re wondering when that explosiveness will show up at Notre Dame.
“I think it just comes more [from] expecting to break those instead of being surprised when I do break them,” James said. “And then just being ready to make people miss in the open field.”
And when I asked whether maybe he just needed another block, James wasn’t passing the buck.
“I think it’s a team effort, as always, but I think a lot of it’s on me,” he said. “When I do see the open field, just recognizing, ‘All right, we got to go now.’”
Patience — Then Go
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has described James as almost “hovering” above the ground when he runs. James calls it a “glide.”
“I just try to be as smooth as possible,” James said. “Even when I have to make hard cuts, I try to keep it as smooth as possible.”
You can see it. James isn’t frantic behind the line. He waits, finds the crease and gets through it. He says he has also learned to understand why he’s being patient rather than simply relying on instinct. But there comes a time to hit the accelerator, and James found a perfect example on the Michigan State film. Late in the game, with Notre Dame protecting its lead, James stayed downhill rather than bouncing a run outside. His thinking was simple: don’t be a hero. Take the yards and finish the game.
Then he watched the tape.
“I was like, ‘Ah, man, I do bounce that one, maybe it is a big play,’” James said. “My mindset is like, first quarter next game, I bounce that.”
The next game is Purdue. The timing appears favorable.
More Than One Answer
None of this means we should forget about Aneyas Williams, who has already shown at Notre Dame that he can break long runs. James also made it clear he doesn’t view Williams as someone standing between himself and the football. He described Williams as a leader he looks up to and said the two constantly compare what they’re seeing during games.
“He’s not a me guy,” James said. “He doesn’t let it affect him on a daily basis. He’s not in there all pouty if he doesn’t have a good game. He comes in and works every day, no matter what happens on Saturday.”
And Jonaz Walton remains another intriguing option. Notre Dame doesn’t need one back to provide all the explosiveness. Three would work just fine.
Right now, though, James is making a pretty convincing argument for more opportunities.
An Opportunity at Purdue
And if you’re looking for a week to get the running game healthy, Purdue would appear to be a pretty good candidate. UCLA just rushed for 369 yards and averaged 7.7 yards per carry against the Boilermakers.
James has already shown he can carry the load. Twenty-six carries against Michigan State answered that question. Now comes the fun one: Can he provide the home-run threat Notre Dame has been missing?
James watched the Michigan State film and saw yards he didn’t take — meat still on the bone. If that same opening presents itself Saturday afternoon at Ross-Ade Stadium, we already know what he’s thinking.
“I bounce that.”