GREEN BAY — James Flanigan used to make fun of his dad for his signature celebration.
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During his 10 NFL seasons — including seven as a Chicago Bears defensive tackle and one with the Green Bay Packers — Jim Flanigan would pop up from a sack or a big tackle and pump his fist. His son, now a Notre Dame tight end, saw the highlight reels and thought it fit for teasing.
But during Notre Dame’s 41-13 win over Wisconsin on Sunday night at Lambeau Field, James reconsidered his stance.
Late in the first quarter with the score tied at 3-3, Flanigan took a short pass from quarterback CJ Carr and dived 3 yards across the goal line for a touchdown. He bumped chests with wide receiver Micah Gilbert and then stepped toward the crowd and pumped his fist in the air to celebrate the first touchdown — and first catch — of his Irish career.
“Now it’s kind of become my thing I guess,” Flanigan said of the celebration. “And it’s just super fun.”
Sunday’s game was a big deal for Flanigan even before the touchdown.
He grew up in Green Bay and had dozens of family members and friends attending. Not only did his dad play for the Packers, but his grandfather, also Jim Flanigan, played four of his five seasons as an NFL linebacker in Green Bay, including the Super Bowl II championship.
The 6-foot-6, 253-pound James Flanigan played in four games last season as a Notre Dame freshman, but there are bigger expectations on him this year. He tried to keep his excitement in check as much as possible heading into Sunday’s game and finished with two catches on three targets for 10 yards.
“My plan for it worked,” he said. “Pregame warmups, go on the field, soak it all in. If I see family, say hi and wave, and then once we run out of the tunnel after warmups, it’s all business from there. After the first play, I tried to lock in and focus on playing football.”
Flanigan plans to continue locking in as the Irish move on from their Week 1 win and look toward Week 2 against Rice. He’s reminding himself of the motto “SAS” — still ain’t (expletive) — as he looks to build on his performance.
Perhaps that will result in more touchdown celebrations.
Flanigan said he came up with the idea to pay homage to his dad when watching other tight ends’ celebrations. A Notre Dame coach told them to come up with better moves, and Flanigan did.
Carr called the moment “super cool” and said the Irish were pumped to see it.
“Three generations of Flanigans have been on that field and made some plays,” Flanigan said. “And that’s really special.”
Carr’s targets
There was little question who one of Carr’s top receivers likely would be this season. Jordan Faison had 49 catches for 640 yards and four touchdowns in 2025, and the former lacrosse player, who left that team to focus solely on football, had a team-high eight targets in the opener and finished with four catches for 81 yards, including 39 yards after the catch.
But with several receiving talents graduating last year, it was worth noting where the rest of Carr’s 19 completions on 29 attempts went.
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Running back Nolan James Jr. had four catches for 67 yards and a late touchdown, and wide receiver Micah Gilbert had three catches for 34 yards. Both were targeted four times. Flanigan and fellow tight end Cooper Flanagan each added two catches.
Gilbert’s three catches were a career high after he totaled nine for 93 yards and a touchdown last season.
“The trust I have in those guys is at a really good level and place, and it’s continued to grow with guys like Mylan (Graham) and Micah,” Carr said. “And then you’ve got guys like JG (Jaden Greathouse) and Jordan, who have been here for three years and I understand their body movements and the way they want to run a route and when they’re open and where I can throw the ball to them.
“So it’s a mix of both, and I’m super excited to continue to work with those guys.”
Carr said it was “amazing” to also get the running backs involved, with Kedren Young and Aneyas Williams each contributing one 11-yard catch to join James in the passing game.
“We saw on tape all year that checkdowns and those short, quick, late routes to those backs could be very helpful against this team, who kind of wants to draw back in a zone,” Carr said. “So being able to use them late in that second half, and they create a bunch of explosives with short passes that make my life easier.”
Heavy heart
Notre Dame captain and safety Adon Shuler said his emotions were “very high” as he took the field.
Shuler played a week after his family announced the death of his father, Don Shuler, at age 47. Shuler said earlier in the week he wanted to play because his dad, a big supporter of his career, would be mad if he didn’t.
“First time the Irish had played in a while. I feel like that’s enough (emotion) for itself,” Shuler said. “Definitely had a heavy heart, but throughout the week just having the support of my teammates, the staff, everybody in the building, I was just really blessed to have them.”
Shuler finished with seven tackles, including four solo, and showcased his physicality. He said the defense, which held the Badgers to three second-half points, wanted to set the tone for the season.
“It’s about us playing Notre Dame football, and today was a message,” he said. “We’re setting a message for how we want the season to be as far as what people say about the defense when they turn on the film.”
Changing of the guards
Notre Dame replaced starting right guard Styles Prescod with Sullivan Absher at halftime. The move came after the Irish rushed for just 29 yards in the first half and led 13-10.
Prescod, a 6-6, 304-pound junior, played in nine games last season, while the 6-7, 320-pound Absher is a senior who started five games and played in 12 last season.
Coach Marcus Freeman said the Irish knew they might use both.
“The plan was if we needed to play them both, we would,” Freeman said. “It wasn’t set in stone they’re going to go this series, this series, this series. But we knew there was a real possibility of Sully going into the game, and so we’ll evaluate it and see as we move forward. But there’s a lot of confidence in both of those guys.”
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