The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have some outstanding players entering the 2026 NFL Draft. While some names are getting a lot of attention, there are others who are going under the radar. One player fits like a glove with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Let’s take a look at who one outlet believes it to be and why they feel that way.

Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price is listed as a perfect fit for the Seattle Seahawks

The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman wrote an article discussing fits for NFL draftees and teams. One of the players who was highlighted was Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price, fitting him with the Seattle Seahawks. Below is what Baumgardner wrote about the fit:

“Notre Dame’s other outstanding running back, Price, had no problem shining through Jeremiyah Love’s enormous shadow. Despite being a clear No. 2 RB in college (to arguably the best player in this draft), Price has the goods to grow into a lead NFL back — possibly sooner than later.

“Price’s first step and ability to sink before exploding into a cut make him a terror in the box and off the edge. He’s an explosive kick returner who isn’t afraid to run people over. With the loss of Kenneth Walker III, and with Zach Charbonnet rehabbing from winter ACL surgery, Seattle is in the market for a difference-making back. (Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson, Wake Forest’s Demond Claiborne, Washington’s Jonah Coleman or Arkansas’ Mike Washington Jr. are other names to watch.)

“Price is the best of the bunch behind Love, and he should be ready to compete for starting carries quickly. Price absolutely could be available for Seattle at No. 62 and could even be worth a slight trade-up, if need be.”

Price was the RB2 for the Fighting Irish. In 41 games across three seasons, he had 280 rushing attempts for 1,692 yards (6.0 yards per carry) with 21 rushing touchdowns and 15 receptions for 162 yards (10.8 yards per catch) with three receiving touchdowns. For Seattle, they need to replace Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III’s production. With the offense having top wide receiver options with Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed, they can use a running back like Price to be a weapon out of the backfield.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are expecting to come into the 2026 college football season with some vengeance on their mind. After not being selected for the 12-team College Football Playoff, they enter this upcoming season without some star players. What is the biggest question for the Fighting Irish as we are still months away from the opening kickoff? Let’s take a closer look at what one outlet believes it to be.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have to figure out who their playmakers are

Manny Navarro of The Athletic wrote an article highlighting the key question for each of the AP Top 25 teams as spring football is closing. For Notre Dame, he highlighted the question as who will be the team’s go-to playmaker. Below is the snippet he wrote for the team:

“Quarterback CJ Carr is the Heisman Trophy favorite – at this early stage – but does he have dangerous weapons to get the ball to? Former walk-on Jordan Faison is back after leading the team with 49 catches for 640 yards and four touchdowns, but star tailback Jeremiyah Love is off to the NFL along with Carr’s three other top receiving targets. Notre Dame added two former five-star receivers from Ohio State in Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter via the portal, and somebody needs to emerge as Carr’s primary option.”

Notre Dame is going to be in a tough position with some changes at key positions on the roster. However, coach Marcus Freeman is hoping the team can reflect last year’s program, which won the final 10 games of the season. They have talent at skill positions, but it will be interesting to see which player or players can step up to become elite playmakers.

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Hannah Hidalgo has been a siginificant factor in the Notre Dame Fighting Irish making the Elite 8 this year. The team has been stepping up, as they face their toughest test in the Elite 8 against the UConn Huskies. This game is going to be intriguing on Sunday, but one outlet is predicting that Hidalgo will have a historic performance. Let’s take a look at what she is predicted to do.

Hannah Hidalgo is predicted to record a quadruple-double in the Elite 8

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a massive challenge in the Elite 8 as they take on the UConn Huskies. Hannah Hidalgo is going to need to have a huge game against her rival if they want to advance to the Final Four. Tim Capurso of Sports Illutrated said as a bold prediction that Hidalgo posts a quadruple-double.

“[Hannah] Hidalgo and the Irish won’t be scared of the mighty Huskies. And Hidalgo will author a game for the ages, racking up 10-plus points, rebounds, assists and steals to keep Notre Dame in the game for three-plus quarters. But ultimately, the Huskies’ defense, and the combination of Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, will prove to be too much for the Fighting Irish, leading to a double-digit UConn win.”

Hidalgo almost reached that mark in the Sweet 16 against the Vanderbilt Commodores. In that game, she recorded 31 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, 10 steals, and one block. UConn has some incredible players on it and is a rivalry game. They actually played in the regular season at Storrs, where she was held to 16 points.

This game, besides being for a trip to the Final Four, is going to be significant. It will be intriguing to see if this game is closer than the 38-point loss for the Fighting Irish when they met in the regular season.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been one of the bigger surprises in the NCAA Tournament. Star Hannah Hidalgo has been putting on an incredible performance throughout the tournament, including breaking the record for steals in a tournament run. She has been able to dominate, but the team faces its toughest test yet on Sunday against the UConn Huskies in the Elite 8. Let’s take a closer look at what Hidalgo said regarding this game and the team’s mindset.

Hannah Hidalgo says the Elite 8 game will be different for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

There have been a lot of changes for Notre Dame this season, bringing some inexperience against their longtime rival, UConn. While speaking 24 hours before their Elite 8 game against the Huskies, Fighting Irish star Hannah Hidalgo mentioned how this is a different team than the one that played against UConn earlier this season.

“I feel like I can say that UConn hasn’t seen the best Notre Dame. I take joy in knowing that when they saw us the first time, it was not Notre Dame basketball. Now we’re playing Notre Dame basketball to the best of our ability, and so I think it’ll be a fun game.”

This is the second time these teams have matched up this year. They played back on Jan. 19 in Storrs, with the Huskies winning by 38 points. Hidalgo would be held to 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting. She would also mention on Saturday how some of her teammates may have been a bit overwhelmed and afraid of the stage.

“I think before when we played UConn, we played a little afraid… I think we were a little probably starstruck. Being in a stage like that was different. … it was a lot of people’s first time playing at UConn, against UConn. So now that we’ve seen it, we’ve been through it, I think it’ll help us a lot.”

UConn and Notre Dame will be playing in the Elite 8 on Sunday afternoon. They will play the winner of the Regional 4 section of the bracket (South Carolina, Oklahoma, TCU, Virginia). It will be intriguing to see if Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish can pull off one of the bigger upsets of the NCAA Tournament.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been playing well throughout the season. They are now heading into the NCAA Tournament as a six-seed and are hoping to make a run at the national championship. Notre Dame has had an impressive season and made the tournament as an at-large bid as their leader Hannah Hidalgo led the way statistically. With the NCAA Tournament tipping off, let’s take a look at one outlet’s rankings of players in March Madness and where the Fighting Irish players rank.

Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo ranks third in top players in Women’s NCAA Tournament

Ahead of the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament, the Sports Illustrated staff wrote a list of the top 68 players competing for the national championship. Only one member of the Fighting Irish made the list in junior guard Hannah Hidalgo. Below is the snippet the staff provided about her selection:

“Atlas shrugged. Hidalgo hasn’t. After Notre Dame lost Olivia Miles to TCU and Sonia Citron to the WNBA, Hidalgo has taken on an intense workload (36.2 minutes per game) and single-handedly ensured the Fighting Irish remained a Top 25 team. She’s a game-wrecker on both ends of the floor, best illustrated by her NCAA-high 5.4 steals per game.”

Hidalgo has been having an excellent season for Notre Dame as the junior is carrying the workload. She is averaging 25.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 5.4 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 36.2 minutes. Hidalgo is also shooting the basketball at a strong clip as she has a 48.1/25.0/83.5 shooting split in 36.2 minutes per game. The only two players ranked above her are UConn’s Sarah Strong and Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes.

Notre Dame’s first-round matchup is on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET as they take on 11th-seed Fairfield in Regional 1. It will be intriguing to see how far Hidalgo can help bring the program in the NCAA Tournament as the six-seed in March Madness this year. We could also be seeing the final games of some stars at the collegiate level.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish may have missed the postseason, but they are still making headlines. At the beginning of the NCAA Tournament, one of their former players has made a career change. Instead of playing men’s basketball, they are looking at the gridiron to be part of the NFL. Let’s take a closer look at who it is and what we know about this signing.

The Indianapolis Colts signed Carson Towt to become a tight end

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Indianapolis Colts are signing Notre Dame forward Carson Towt. Their thought process is to transition him to a tight end for their team. This is a bit of a rarity as Towt has no prior football experience in high school or college, but the Colts have done this before. One of their other tight ends, Mo Alie-Cox, had no experience after playing at VCU before signing with the team.

Towt played for the Fighting Irish men’s basketball team in the 2025 season while averaging 5.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Prior to that, he spent four years at Northern Arizona. Towt is listed at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds, so he certainly has the size to play in the NFL. This is something that will be intriguing as an undrafted free agent from last year’s class is now going to be with the Colts.

This signing does not guarantee that Towt will make the roster or even be part of the practice squad. However, this is a low-risk signing for Indy that signed a player with some name recognition from South Bend. It will be interesting to see how he does and if he will ever suit up for the Colts.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have one of the top coaches in Marcus Freeman. With more than half a decade of experience and shaping the program, Freeman has been able to bring the Fighting Irish to one of the premier programs on an annual basis. There are a bunch of lists ranking coaches, but let’s take a closer look at where he lands on this list from a premium outlet.

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman ranks seventh among the top college football coaches in 2026

The Athletic’s Steward Mandel curated a list of the top 25 college football coaches. To no surprise, Marcus Freeman was high on here as he climbed from the 10th spot last season. He now occupies the seventh spot on the list and below is what he wrote about the Notre Dame coach:

“The selection committee deprived Freeman of a second CFP trip, but he’s still gone 24-4 with a national championship appearance over the past two seasons. Though Freeman is a defensive coach by training, the Irish have developed an explosive offense and a consistent assembly like of quarterbacks under his watch.”

The only coaches listed ahead of Freeman were:

1. Curt Cignetti
2. Kirby Smart
3. Ryan Day
4. Dan Lanning
5. Kalen DeBoer
6. Steve Sarkisian

Freeman has done an excellent job since taking over the program once Brian Kelly left for the LSU Tigers. As he enters his sixth season with the Fighting Irish, Freeman is 43-12, including being 5-2 in bowl games and a national championship game appearance. He is one of the premier young coaches in the sport, and has flirted with an NFL coaching job. However, he has stayed in South Bend and is returning for another season.

With a lot of key players being upperclassmen, it will be intriguing to see how Freeman looks heading into the 2026 college football season. Freeman has the chance to continue climbing these lists and cement himself in the top five if he can continue winning games.

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One of the most influential figures in Notre Dame football history has passed away on Wednesday. Legendary coach Lou Holtz is one of the major names in college football over the years, but has taken a step back over the last year. While he overcame prostate cancer more than a decade ago, the cause of his death has not been announced. Let’s take a closer look at what the Fighting Irish have posted regarding Holtz’s passing.

Legendary coach Lou Holtz passes away at 89

It was announced on Wednesday evening that coach Lou Holtz has passed away in Orlando, Florida, at the age of 89. Below is the official statement posted by the Notre Dame football social accounts from the family of Holtz:

“Louis Leo ‘Lou’ Holtz, legendary college football coach, Hall of Famer, bestselling author, and one of America’s most influential motivational voices, has passed away at the age of 89 in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by family. Born January 8, 1937, in Follansbee, West Virginia, Holtz rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most respected figures in college athletics. Over a remarkable five decade career, he led college programs at William & Mary, NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina. He transformed every team he inherited and captured the 1988 National Championship with the Fighting Irish. Holtz was preceded in death by his beloved wife of more than 50 years, Beth, with whom he shared a life grounded in faith, devotion, and service.

“Holtz is remembered for his enduring values of faith, family, service, and an unwavering belief in the potential of others. His influence extended far beyond the football field through the Holtz Charitable Foundation and the many players, colleagues, and communities shaped by his leadership. He is survived by his four children, nine grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Funeral arrangements, including a Mass of Christian Burial at the Basillica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame, will be announced as details are finalized.”

Holtz would spend 11 of his 33-year coaching career with Notre Dame, the longest of any of his tenures. In that time, he would go 100-30-2 from 1986-96, including the 1988 National Championship. His 12 career bowl victories are the sixth-most in college football history as well.

In January, it was announced he was in hospice, but updates have been limited. It will be intriguing to see how the Fighting Irish honor him when their football season begins

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After finishing his 2025 season as a Heisman finalist, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is ready for the next step in his career. Love participated in the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis over the weekend, putting on a show in the drills that he ran.

Love was able to meet with teams as well and the reaction so far has been a positive one.

Going into this draft process, Love was considered a first-round pick and some had him as a top 10 talent. But it appears as if his stock increased with his performance in Indianapolis.

Jeremiyah Love’s stock on the rise for 2026 NFL Draft

With the combine officially complete, mock drafts are slowly coming out with updates from Indianapolis. In a few of them, Love has shot up in the Top 10 and some have him going in the top 5. The latest?

Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports released his mock draft and has Love going No. 4 overall to the Tennessee Titans. Here is what Davis wrote on Love going to Tennessee in his mock:

What’s the best way to advance the development of QB Cam Ward, last year’s No. 1 overall pick? How about giving him a player perhaps adjacent to Saquon Barkley or Bijan Robinson in terms of game-breaking ability and versatility? Love is an every-down back, one who’s averaged 6.9 yards per carry and caught 55 passes over the past two seasons. The Titans could keep his usage in check as a rookie with RB Tony Pollard under contract for one more season. But pairing Love and Ward could potentially create an offense primed to surge ticket sales when the Titans move into their new stadium in 2027.

Love would be a huge addition to the Titans offense. Not only do they have a need at the position, but taking the pressure off of Cam Ward is crucial for the qaurterback’s second season. He could split carries with Tony Pollard as well.

For Love, Tennessee seems like a really good fit. The New York Giants sit at No. 5 as well and could be another good fit for him. They would also pair him with a young quarterback in Jaxson Dart.

The highest I’ve seen Love go is No. 3 overall with Todd McShay revealing that following the combine. Love will participate in Notre Dame’s pro day is scheduled for March 24th. It’s another opportunity for Love to improve his draft stock even more.

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Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is certainly proving his case that he’s the best running back available in the 2026 NFL Draft.

More News: Notre Dame expected to leave the ACC

Love rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 199 carries for the Fighting Irish last season. There was an argument to be made that he deserved the Heisman Trophy, but the award ultimately went to Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

During his three seasons at Notre Dame, Love carried the ball 433 times for 2,882 yards and 36 touchdowns. He entered the scouting combine in Indianapolis this week hoping to boost his draft stock.

On Saturday, he did just that.

Per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Love recorded the fastest time in the 40-yard dash among running backs with a 90+ NGS production score in the last 10 years with a time of 4.36.

“Jeremiyah Love recorded an official 4.36-second forty at this year’s Combine, the fastest time among RBs with a 90+ NGS production score over the last 10 years,” Next Gen Stats posted on X. “Love now holds a 94 overall score, tied with Sonny Styles for highest in this year’s class.”

Jeremiyah Love recorded an official 4.36-second forty at this year's Combine, the fastest time among RBs with a 90+ NGS production score over the last 10 years.

Love now holds a 94 overall score, tied with Sonny Styles for highest in this year's class.

Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/xXoGzEH00W

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) February 28, 2026

Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love wants to do it all

More News: Notre Dame rejects bowl game to snub ESPN

Per ESPN, Love wanted to participate in the combine to showcase his skills, even though he really had nothing to gain and something to potentially lose by running.

Love believes he can be an asset in several areas for a running back-needy team.

“I can do it all, I can receive, I can block, I can run, you name it, and I’m going to do anything for any team to have success,” Love said. He added on his ability in pass protection and that “nobody has really beat me in blocking. I’ve pretty much dominate guys who’ve tried to rush me … I completely dominate in blocking.”

It’s a shame Love didn’t have the opportunity to showcase those skills for Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff. But some NFL team will be lucky to have Love on the field next season.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a lot of talent on last season’s roster. However, there are some key contributors who are not returning and instead entering the 2026 NFL Draft. While the Fighting Irish are going to be littered throughout the draft class, they have one of the top players in the entire class. Let’s take a closer look at who believes Notre Dame has one of the most talented players getting ready for their rookie NFL season.

Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Jeremiyah Love as the second-best player in the 2026 NFL Draft class

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. wrote an article discussing his Big Board for the top 25 players in the 2026 NFL Draft class. The first person is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, but right behind him is Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. Below is what he wrote about Love:

“Love reminds me a lot of Reggie Bush. The 20-year-old has vision and burst between the tackles and to the outside, and he can break tackles with ease (60 forced missed tackles on the 2025 season). Once he gets into space, he can take it to the house with his breakaway speed too. But Love isn’t only an outstanding runner. He also is a high-impact pass catcher. An NFL team will be able to flank him out wide and create a whole other dimension of the offense.”

Love had an outstanding season where he finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting. The All-American recorded 199 rushing attempts for 1,372 yards (6.7 yards per carry) with 18 rushing touchdowns while also adding 27 receptions for 280 yards (10.4 yards per catch) and three touchdowns. His 21 total touchdowns set a program record.

With multiple teams at the top of the draft needing a running back, it will be intriguing to see which one selects Love.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been one of the more successful college football programs over the last few years. They have accumulated a lot of talent and after the 2026 Senior Bowl, some players were able to improve their draft stock. One player is seeing their draft stock surge after their performance, so let’s take a closer look at who it is and what one publication is saying about their performance.

Trevor Sikkema believes Malachi Fields will surge up draft boards after the Senior Bowl

Pro Football Focus’s Trevor Sikkema posted an article discussing who has improved their draft stock following the Senior Bowl. One name who was mentioned was Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Malachi Fields. Below is what he mentioned about Fields’ performance:

“Fields was the best “big” receiver in Mobile. He showed up at 6-foot-4 and 218 pounds, checking all the size boxes you would want for an “X” receiver. However, during practice, he also showed much better body control, precision and quickness with his routes, whether that was comebacks or more vertical routes. He also had one of the best plays of the week, a diving catch 50 yards down the field. He earned a 76.2 receiving grade this season, but his 40th percentile separation score versus single coverage also wasn’t too shabby. He was a mid-round projection going into the week, but we could see him get some early Day 2 love after the Senior Bowl.”

Fields had a solid senior season in 2025 for the Fighting Irish as he recorded 36 catches for 630 yards (17.5 yards per reception) with five receiving touchdowns. It was a bit of a down year compared to the previous two years, but he has been able to showcase his dominance after spending four years with the Virginia Cavaliers before transferring to Notre Dame after four seasons. Fields was able to play well for the American Team in the 2026 Senior Bowl, but it will be intriguing to see how much his draft stock improves as the draft inches closer.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish missed out on the College Football Playoff last season in controversial fashion and decided to pass on playing in a bowl game. Unfortunately, that ended the college career of star running back Jeremiyah Love.

Love, who was one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates in the nation during the 2025 season, will take his talents into the 2026 NFL Draft. Many believe that he has a good chance to be a top-10 pick. At the very worst, he should be a top-20 pick.

With that being said, the NFL Draft is still over two months away. A lot of speculation has begun coming out about where Love could land to begin his professional career.

Keeping that in mind, Pro Football Network analyst T.J. Randall has made an exciting prediction for Love’s NFL future. He believes that the Notre Dame star will end up landing with the Kansas City Chiefs with the No. 9 overall pick.

“A reunion between the Chiefs and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is the cherry on top here that will seemingly maximize this pick. Bieniemy cut his coaching teeth as a running back’s coach, so dropping a creative back with short and long-range capabilities into this system sparks hope that the Chiefs can regain their offensive prowess.”

Jeremiyah Love teaming up with Patrick Mahomes?!

Should this prediction end up becoming a reality, Love would be teaming up with superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes to begin his career. That would be a dream scenario for a young running back.

Throughout the course of his college career with the Fighting Irish, Love played in three seasons. He racked up 433 total carries for 2,882 yards and 36 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 6.7 yards per carry. Love also caught 63 passes for 594 yards and another six touchdowns.

Looking into the future, Love is expected to develop into a star running back at the NFL level. Notre Dame fans will continue rooting him on in his next chapter, but will never forget the tenure that he had playing for the Fighting Irish.

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After being left out of the College Football Playoff in 2025, Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman plan to leave it on all the field next season.

More News: Notre Dame expected to leave the ACC

The Fighting Irish want to leave nothing to chance in 2026. To do that, they need all of their players giving their best performances week in and week out.

Notre Dame’s offense should be good next season with CJ Carr returning for his second season as the starter. He’ll have a veteran receiver corps to work with.

The defense hopes to be better in big games in Chris Ash’s second season as the defensive coordinator than they were against Miami and Texas A&M last season. One key contributor to the defense should help fuel a run to the CFP.

Chris Low of On3 is projecting cornerback Leonard Moore to become an All-American in 2026.

“Moore is the top returning defensive back in the nation,” Low wrote. “He had five interceptions a year ago after picking off two passes as a true freshman. When teams do throw Moore’s way, he’s a blanket.

“Over his two seasons with the Irish, he’s allowed just 4.8 yards per target. He moved to the slot against USC’s Makai Lemon last season and held him to two catches for 28 yards.”

Notre Dame needs Leonard Moore to have a big year

More News: Notre Dame rejects bowl game to snub ESPN

Moore, a native of Round Rock, Texas, is set to play in his third season for Notre Dame. He’s played in 26 games and started 20, recording 79 total tackles, three forced fumbles, 25 passes defensed, and seven interceptions.

Last season, Freeman praised Moore for his ability to lockdown the best wide receiver of the opponent.

“He is as good as I have been around at the position,” Freeman said, via Sports Illustrated. “We have had discussions if we need to match him up with the best wide receiver where he’s at, we will. You also have to be able to do that and play some zone.”

Moore is facing one obstacle this offseason. Highly respected cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens is leaving the Irish to join the Baltimore Ravens under new head coach Jesse Minter. With Mickens gone, Notre Dame will rely on Moore to lead the secondary in 2026.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were on the outside looking in for this season’s College Football Playoff, getting jumped by Miami and finishing behind Alabama when it came to selection Sunday. With two losses to ranked teams, the committee didn’t believe in the Fighting Irish’s resume.

That led them to end their season and not participate in a bowl game. But now, with a new stipulation, the Fighting Irish have put themsleves in good spot for future playoffs.

Beginning in 2026, the Fighting Irish will receive an automatic bid into the playoff if they are ranked in the top 12. They will not be bumped for an auto qualifier. It’s a great rule for the Fighting Irish as it goes into effect right away. However, not everyone is happy with this.

Stephen A. Smith sounds off on Notre Dame

Among those who aren’t happy with this new rule is ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. He made his feelings known on Friday morning as well as part of “First Take”. Here is what Smith had to say about the Fighting Irish.

“The reason why I’m ticked off is because what the hell is this about Notre Dame?” Smith asked. “Why do we got a separate category for Notre Dame? What makes them so damn special? I’m really getting sick of this Notre Dame fawning. Who the hell are they? The Fighting Irish? Whatever. I love Marcus Freeman. Love him. Love him. Great coach, and I respect Notre Dame. I want to state for the record that I think they should have been in the postseason. I get it. They were clearly one of the top-12 teams in the nation.”

“But, when people are complaining about Alabama being ahead of them, Alabama went to Athens and beat Georgia on the road weeks earlier. Yeah, they got stomped in the SEC Championship Game by Georgia a few weeks later, but they were pretty banged up at that particular moment in time. They played a conference championship game. What was Notre Dame doing? They were at home sitting on the couch. Why? Because they’re not a member of a conference.

He continues the rant by talking about the ACC and Notre Dame’s complaints that the conference didn’t fight for them. He then ends it by calling them out for not joining a conference.

“They had a member to be a member of a conference, but their AD (Pete Bevacqua) sat there moaning about how the ACC Commissioner (Jim Phillips) didn’t speak up for Notre Dame but spoke up for Miami. Well, you’ve got about 25 sports. About 23 are in the ACC, but you pull football out because you want to keep the bag for yourself. So, you want the bag and want them to talk highly of you even though you won’t associate your football programs with the conference because you want to keep the bag all for yourself. And then, when you don’t make the Playoff, you want to blame everybody else instead of looking into the mirror. This is sickening. Get your ass in a conference and compete like everybody else.”

For Notre Dame, this is all noise. They got the clause they wanted and with a favorable schedule ahead, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t make the College Football Playoff in 2026. Anything less than that is a failure.

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Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has been heavily linked to two NFL jobs in recent months: the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants.

More News: Notre Dame expected to leave the ACC

The Giants have their eyes on former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh as their No. 1 target, followed by former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.

On Tuesday, a third AFC North job became available when Mike Tomlin informed the Steelers he was resigning after suffering a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans on Monday night.

Not long after Tomlin’s announcement, Freeman revealed he would meet with the media on Wednesday afternoon.

“Marcus Freeman is speaking to the media in a press conference setting on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET,” Tyler Horka of On3 posted on X. “It’s the first time Freeman has been made available in this capacity since Notre Dame was snubbed from the College Football Playoff.”

Marcus Freeman is speaking to the media in a press conference setting on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET.

It's the first time Freeman has been made available in this capacity since Notre Dame was snubbed from the College Football Playoff. pic.twitter.com/YCczIWeL42

— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) January 13, 2026

It’s unclear what the nature of the press conference would be about.

Freeman was allegedly involved in a police report at a local high school wrestling match over the weekend.

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman wouldn’t have to interview with Steelers

More News: Notre Dame rejects bowl game to snub ESPN

However, Freeman has also been tied to the NFL in recent days despite signing a contract adjustment with Notre Dame following the end of the 2025 regular season.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported on Sunday that league teams have pretty much disregarded the contract adjustment for Freeman. League teams could bypass the interview process if they wanted to hire Freeman.

“These teams who viewed him highly still believe there is a chance that he comes to the NFL,” Rapoport said. “They still believe Mike (Garafolo) he is a top-tier candidate. Now, it would probably not be like Marcus Freeman come in and interview. It would be they go through the process and then say, ‘This is the guy we want.'”

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday afternoon, Freeman is expected to stay in South Bend for 2026.

“In spite of interest from several NFL teams, Marcus Freeman still is expected to remain at Notre Dame for the 2026 season, per sources,” Schefter posted on X.

With Tomlin out in Pittsburgh, there will be speculation regarding Freeman and the Steelers. Freeman could put that idea to rest in the press conference.

Or he could confirm it.

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Per the South Bend Tribune, a police report was filed against Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman on Sunday.

More News: Notre Dame expected to leave the ACC

The alleged incident occurred between Freeman and Chris Fleeger, a New Prairie high school wrestling coach. Per the Tribune, “claims of physical contact allegedly occurred” between Freeman and Fleeger.

On Sunday afternoon, Notre Dame released a statement on the alleged incident, claiming Freeman did not engage physically with anyone. The alleged incident started when Vinney Freeman, Marcus’ son, was “verbally accosted” during his wrestling match.

“Vinny Freeman, head coach Marcus Freeman’s son, was verbally accosted during and after his wrestling match by a local wrestling coach,” the statement reads, via Pete Thamel of ESPN. “Marcus and Joanna Freeman intervened and removed Vinny from the situation.

“At no point did Coach Freeman physically engage with anyone. We believe that the police report, which includes video evidence, fully exonerates Coach Freeman and makes clear these accusations are totally unfounded.”

Statement from Notre Dame athletics:

“Vinny Freeman, head coach Marcus Freeman’s son, was verbally accosted during and after his wrestling match by a local wrestling coach. Marcus and Joanna Freeman intervened and removed Vinny from the situation. At no point did Coach Freeman…

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 11, 2026

Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman is still receiving NFL interest

More News: Notre Dame rejects bowl game to snub ESPN

Freeman is 43-12 during his time at Notre Dame since taking over the program before its bowl game during the 2021 season. He led the Irish to an appearance in the national championship in 2024.

Freeman has been linked to teams in the NFL since the Irish finished their season with a 10-2 record and No. 11 ranking. ND and Freeman agreed to adjust the head coach’s contract before 2026.

Per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network on Sunday morning, the contract adjustment has not stopped league teams from keeping an eye on Freeman during this hiring cycle. Freeman has been most closely linked to the New York Giants.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have largely been getting shut out in the transfer portal, and with teams starting to load up on the top players, it’s starting to become very concerning for Marcus Freeman and Co.

However, there is still time for Notre Dame to save face in the portal, and there is one player in particular the Fighting Irish should be heavily pursuing: former Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Quincy Porter.

Porter entered the transfer portal earlier in the week, and not surprisingly, Notre Dame was instantly pitched as a potential landing spot for the former five-star recruit. Remember: the Fighting Irish were one of the top destinations for Nick Marsh, too, only to watch him sign with Indiana.

It’s time for Freeman to put the pedal to the metal and add Porter to salvage what has been a nightmarish to start to the offseason in South Bend.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish must add Quincy Porter in the transfer portal

Porter appeared to have a bright future at Ohio State, but with the Buckeyes bringing in fellow five-star commit Chris Henry Jr. to play alongside of Jeremiah Smith in 2026, Porter decided he no longer wanted to remain patient in Columbus after logging just four catches for 59 yards this season.

Notre Dame certainly needs Porter’s more than Ohio State. That’s for sure.

Top wide receiver Malachi Fields is entering the NFL Draft, and while Jordan Faison appear to be returning, the Fighting Irish seriously lack depth behind him.

Yes, four-star receiver Micah Gilbert should receive more playing time next fall, and Notre Dame is importing five wide outs — including three four-star prospects — in its 2026 recruiting class. But there is no question that the Fighting Irish could use another body.

Porter was the fourth-ranked wide receiver and the 31st-ranked player nationally in the class of 2025, via 247 Sports.

At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds and with tremendous athletic ability, the Oradell, N.J. native could ultimately become a stud before long.

With the Fighting Irish already having budding star CJ Carr under center, a match between Porter and South Bend seems like a perfect fit.

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The end of the 2025 college football season was brutal for Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Despite finishing the year with a 10-game winning streak, the Fighting Irish losing their first two games of the season came back to bite them. Those two losses came against the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies.

At the end of the day, that head-to-head loss against Miami is what got the Hurricanes into the College Football Playoff over Notre Dame.

Following the committee’s decision to leave the Fighting Irish out of the playoff, Freeman and company decided not to accept a bowl game invite. Unfortunately, Notre Dame has been suffering some losses to the NCAA transfer portal.

On Wednesday, some surprising news emerge about the Fighting Irish in the portal. Notre Dame lost an extremely talented wide receiver.

According to a report from On3 Sports college football insider Pete Nakos, freshman four-star wide receiver Antavious Richardson decided to enter the portal.

247 Sports had Richardson rated as a four-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. He was ranked as the No. 14 athlete in the class and the No. 217 overall player in the nation.

During his freshman season with the Fighting Irish, Richardson did not receive a role on the field. That led to him entering the portal to pursue an opportunity to play elsewhere.

It’s unfortunate to see Richardson leave the program. There is no guarantee that he would have developed into a key piece for Notre Dame, but the talent was there for him to be special. Losing him so early didn’t give the two sides an opportunity to develop and see if the fit could work.

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Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish saw a good numbers of players decide to enter the NCAA transfer portal this offseason.

After missing out on the College Football Playoff in controversial fashion, the Fighting Irish are focused on improving for next season. Freeman has made it clear that he’s sticking at Notre Dame despite a lot of rumors surrounding him as a candidate for NFL coaching vacancies.

One player who decided to leave the program at the conclusion of the 2025 season was quarterback Kenny Minchey.

Minchey, who originally committed to the Fighting Irish as a four-star recruit in the 2023 class, was unable to find playing time during his time at Notre Dame. In the 2023 recruiting class, Minchey was ranked as the No. 14 quarterback in the nation and the No. 169 overall player in the country, according to 247 Sports.

It seemed that Minchey had found his next step with a Big Ten program. He had reportedly committed to play for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. However, that decision was flipped.

According to a report from USA Today, Minchey has officially signed to play for the Kentucky Wildcats.

“Notre Dame backup quarterback Kenny Minchey flipped his commitment from Nebraska to Kentucky on Jan. 5, according to multiple reports, despite only committing to the Cornhuskers on Jan. 4.”

That shows just how quickly things can change in the transfer portal. Minchey clearly had last-second thoughts and decided that Kentucky would offer him a better chance to play right away.

During his time with the Fighting Irish, Minchey ended up completing 79.3 percent of his 29 pass attempts for 212 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also picked up 96 yards and scored two touchdowns on the ground.

Hopefully, he’ll be able to find success with the Wildcats. Things didn’t pan out as planned with Notre Dame, but Minchey is a talented quarterback who simply needs a chance to play. Kentucky might just be offering that.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish entered the transfer portal with very high hopes and had their sights set on multiple impact players who could help shape their national championship destiny heading into 2026.

Two of those names were wide receiver Nick Marsh and cornerback Jontez Williams, both of whom would have filled significant needs for Notre Dame. Instead, the Fighting Irish watched as Marsh committed to Indiana and Williams took his talents to USC in a pair of crushing blows.

So what is the issue for Notre Dame? Was it a lack of money? Did the Fighting Irish cheap out? Did Marsh and Williams simply not like what they heard?

Actually, it may have been none of those factors.

Ryan Roberts of A to Z Sports zeroed in on what actually could have been the primary reason in the Fighting Irish losing both top players: scheduling.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish messed up big time here

Notre Dame had visits scheduled with both Marsh and Williams on Monday, hoping to get the last meeting to try and sway the two stars. The problem? Neither Marsh nor Williams even made it to South Bend, as they both committed before the Fighting Irish even had the chance to woo them.

Roberts went on to say that Notre Dame seems to be using high-school tactics in its attempt to nab some of the top players available in the portal.

“Here is the problem: This isn’t high school recruiting,” Roberts wrote. “The transfer portal world is just so different. With such an abbreviated recruiting process, schools are better served by getting prospective players on campus first and trying to close while they are still there. In most cases, they will only have one chance to pitch. Notre Dame wasn’t on the table, made its pitch, and lost.”

Roberts makes a good point.

When it comes to high-school recruiting, you have a much longer period of time to land prospects. But when it comes to the transfer portal, we are talking about a matter of weeks and sometimes even days, which Notre Dame just experienced with Marsh and Roberts.

The transfer portal opened Jan. 2. Two of the Fighting Irish’s top targets were off the board by Jan. 5.

There is still time for Notre Dame to make moves, but it may need to alter its strategy.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish entered the transfer portal knowing they would have to make some major additions, and while defensive tackle seems to be the team’s most glaring hole, they could also use another wide receiver, especially with Malachi Fields departing.

Notre Dame’s top target? Former Michigan State Spartans receiver Nick Marsh, who is the seventh-ranked wide receiver in the portal (and that feels a bit low).

Of course, Marsh is in high demand, so the Fighting Irish will be facing stiff competition for his services.

LSU and Indiana seem to be the top two contenders for Marsh outside of Notre Dame, and Ryan Roberts of A to Z Sports has provided an update in that regard. And it’s an update that will have Fighting Irish fans pumped.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish could be the favorites to land Nick Marsh

For as much as Indiana needs another wide receiver, Roberts has reported that the Hoosiers seem to be third in the running for Marsh even after his visit to Indy, which means this could be a two-horse race between Notre Dame and LSU.

Robert seems to believe the Fighting Irish could have the edge.

“I’m told that Notre Dame will be very aggressive for Marsh, and that includes from a money perspective,” Roberts wrote. “Marsh will demand a substantial amount of money. The staff understands this and will remain competitive as final offers come in. This is a Notre Dame-LSU battle right now, but the Irish have a very real chance. Hitting that official visit out of the park this week will be the key.”

Marsh spent two seasons at Michigan State and is coming off of a 2025 campaign in which he hauled in 59 receptions for 662 yards and six touchdowns. He posted similar numbers during his freshman year, finishing with 41 catches for 649 yards and three scores.

Keep in mind that the 6-foot-3 weapon achieved those stats with a rather shaky quarterback situation, as Aidan Chiles has been a pretty significant disappointment in Lansing.

Notre Dame, on the other hand, has budding star CJ Carr under center. A Carr-Marsh duo could be lethal, and with LSU still sorting out its own circumstances at signal-caller, the Fighting Irish could hold a pretty significant advantage here.

We’ll see if Marsh ultimately takes his talents to South Bend.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish definitely need to add a defensive tackle in the transfer portal, and some are actually expecting them to make multiple additions at the position.

Well, Notre Dame has already scheduled visits with two interior defenders, one of which is former UCF lineman Horace Lockett.

Why is this so significant? Because Lockett — who played in just four games in 2025 before tearing a pectoral muscle — is 6-foot-6 and weighs in at a gargantuan 355 pounds, making him just the run stuffer that the Fighting Irish need up the middle.

Lockett actually began his collegiate career at Georgia Tech in 2022 and spent three seasons with the Yellow Jackets, barely receiving any playing time. He transferred to UCF in December 2024 and logged 13 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack during his limited time on the field with the Knights this past season.

Horace Lockett could be just what the Notre Dame Fighting Irish need

The retirement of defensive tackle Donovan Hinish has certainly put Notre Dame in a difficult spot when it comes to defensive tackle.

The Fighting Irish’s depth at the position is incredibly scarce, so in order to ensure that they are sound in the trenches, they will almost have to add at least two defensive tackles to their roster via the transfer portal.

Although his statistical sample size is rather bare, it’s hard to think of a better option than Lockett based on his size alone.

A former three-star prospect, Lockett is the 33rd-ranked defensive lineman in the transfer portal this winter, which feels a bit low given his potential. Had he not suffered a season-ending injury so early in 2025, he may have enjoyed a breakout campaign.

But because of Lockett’s lack of overall production, the jury is still largely out on the Atlanta native.

Lockett has one year of eligibility remaining, and it would certainly be nice for Notre Dame to add him for the chance of a national championship run in 2026. He also has visits lined up with Nebraska, Ohio State, Ole Miss and South Carolina.

The Fighting Irish lost their first two games of 2025 before reeling off 10 straight victories, but were ultimately left out of the College Football Playoff. They also declined a bowl invitation.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have already zeroed in on wide receiver Nick Marsh in the transfer portal, but bolstering the receiving corps is far from the only move Notre Dame needs to make in the coming weeks.

In spite of ending the 2025 college football season on a 10-game winning streak, Notre Dame has some very obvious holes on the roster, and perhaps the most glaring need of all is in the trenches.

More specifically, the Fighting Irish need help at defensive tackle and defensive end, and they are already making a push for now-former Penn State defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam. But is Gilliam the only player Notre Dame will try to add at the position? Or will the Fighting Irish attempt to double down?

Nick Shepkowski of On SI feels that Marcus Freeman and Co. will be very aggressive, particularly in trying to bag interior defenders.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish expected to add multiple defensive tackles in transfer portal

Shepkowski has identified defensive tackle as Notre Dame’s most prominent need this offseason, and he is anticipating that the Fighting Irish will pursue multiple players at the position in the coming days/weeks.

“This already shorthanded group took a massive hit when veteran captain Donovan Hinish announced his retirement earlier this offseason,” Shepkowski wrote. “Notre Dame was already behind where it needs to be at this position compared to some of the regularly elite defenses, and Hinish’s retirement only hurt that more. Expect the Irish to add at least two interior defensive linemen, if not three, during this portal opportunity.”

Of course, that’s easier said than done.

The Fighting Irish will be battling a host of top-tier teams for the best interior defensive linemen in this year’s portal, and they are already facing stiff competition for Gilliam, who is also slated to meet with Indiana and Texas A&M.

Gilliam is the third-ranked defensive tackle in the portal, via 247 Sports.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish could definitely stand to add another wide receiver in the transfer portal this offseason, especially with top weapon Malachi Fields heading into the NFL Draft.

Well, the good news is that Notre Dame already seems to be getting busy on that front with the portal opening on Friday, as Steve Wiltfong of On 3 has reported that the Fighting Irish are one of the top two teams to watch for Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh.

Marsh is the second-ranked wide receiver in the transfer portal behind Auburn’s Cam Coleman, who was a late addition.

The 6-foot-3 playmaker spent the first two years of his collegiate career with the Spartans and immediately flashed tremendous potential right off the bat, catching 41 passes for 649 yards and three touchdowns during his freshman campaign.

Marsh then followed that up by hauling in 59 receptions for 662 yards and six scores.

Nick Marsh would be the perfect addition for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame already has one of the top up and coming quarterbacks in the country in CJ Carr, who threw for 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions during his redshirt freshman season in 2025.

Now imagine adding Marsh into the mix?

While Marsh’s numbers may not completely jump off the page, it’s important to keep in mind that he had been dealing with a pedestrian quarterback situation at Michigan State, as Aidan Chiles has been a major disappointment for the Spartans.

Marsh is probably a more gifted receiver than Fields, who put together a spectacular year alongside of Carr this season. So you can understand why the Fighting Irish are apparently heavily pursuing Marsh.

Notre Dame went 10-2 this season, ending its year with 10 straight wins. It did not make the College Football Playoff and subsequently declined to play in a bowl game, so the Fighting Irish’s entire focus is on 2026.

We’ll see if Notre Dame can bag Marsh to generate significant excitement in South Bend.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had an excellent season that ended in heartbreak as their 10-2 record was not enough to make the 2025 College Football Playoff. The team was able to rattle off a 10-game winning streak after starting 0-2, but the selection committee did not believe their resume was enough to make one of the seven at-large spots. This sparked some controversy, but one legendary sports figure thinks the program would have continued winning and been crowned the national champions. Let’s take a closer look at what he said.

Dick Vitale believes the Notre Dame Fighting Irish would be the national champions if in the CFP

ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale would post on Twitter how he believes that, after watching some of the College Football Playoff games, Notre Dame would have won the national championship if they made the tournament.

“The more I watch these football playoff games I believe the @NDFootball team thet latter part of the season which kept getting better with each game would have been the NATIONAL CHAMPS – yes @Marcus_Freeman1 you would have PROUDLY been holding the championship trophy.”

The Fighting Irish were projected to be in the College Football Playoff for a majority of the regular season, before being flipped with the Miami Hurricanes for the final at-large bid. As a protest, the program would decline an invitation to play in any bowl games and continue its focus on making the College Football Playoff in 2026.

Even with the rumors regarding coach Marcus Freeman exploring his options, he remained in South Bend with the goal of winning the national championship. It would be interesting to project how Notre Dame would have done if they were able to compete in the College Football Playoff, but this should be used as motivation for the program next season.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have seen significant changes from the roster that was the first team out of the College Football Playoff rankings. With some players entering the NFL Draft or the NCAA Transfer Portal, things are going to look different in South Bend. However, there will be another player who has decided to officially retire from college football altogether. Let’s take a deeper dive into the captain who made this decision.

Notre Dame captain Donovan Hinish announces retirement from football

In an Instagram post on Monday afternoon, Hinish posted photos from his playing career with the caption reading, “To say it was a blessing is an understatement, thank you for everything ND.”

Hinish still had another year of college eligibility remaining and saw his brother, Kurt, parlay his success with the Fighting Irish into a multi-year career. However, he has decided to hang up the cleats. Back in November, coach Marcus Freeman discussed how he believes Hinish is a “high achiever.”

“And high achievers are consistent, right? He consistently chooses hard. When I think of Donovan Hinish, I think of a guy that just from where he’s from, how he was raised from his parents, his brother and sister, he is a guy that that’s who he is. He’s a guy that consistently chooses hard. And when you do that enough in practice, then all of a sudden it happens in a game that becomes who you are. And he’s a tough, tough guy battling through injuries and continuing to put team first.”

Hinish wraps up his career with 57 total tackles (29 solo, 28 assisted), 6.5 sacks, and one pass deflection over three years. It will be difficult for Notre Dame to replace one of its captains both on and off the field. It will be intriguing to see if he joins the coaching staff in some capacity or will just step away from the program altogether.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been in a spot where they have seen some major changes to their roster following the 2025 season. There were rumors swirling about coach Marcus Freeman potentially jumping to the NFL and leaving the program, but we have gotten some major news regarding that situation.

Let’s take a closer look at what is being reported regarding the Fighting Irish and Freeman’s future.

Marcus Freeman decides to stay with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Freeman has decided to remain with the Fighting Irish in 2026. Freeman would also confirm this with a post saying so on Twitter/X. This is after multiple NFL teams have shown at least some interest in hiring the 2024 Bryant Coach of the Year. There were rumors that the New York Giants were basically ready to hand him the reins to the team, but it appears that he will be staying in South Bend for at least the 2026 season.

As a result of his staying with Notre Dame, he has also agreed to a restructured contract, putting his compensation in the “top tier” of college coaches. His contract was originally signed last season and had him under contract through the 2031 season. With the Fighting Irish looking to find a way back into the College Football Playoff after being on the outside this season, this is a major step for the team moving forward.

2026…run it back

Go Irish

— Marcus Freeman (@Marcus_Freeman1) December 29, 2025

Freeman has had incredible success in the five years with the program. He’s posted a 43-12 record, including 5-2 in bowl games.

However, after missing the College Football Playoff this season, the team opted out of playing a bowl game. It will be intriguing to see how the team does going forward. But he will still be calling the shots for the Fighting Irish.

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The buzz is growing about Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and the open New York Giants job.

More News: Notre Dame expected to leave the ACC

Freeman’s Fighting Irish cancelled the season after being kept out of the College Football Playoff with a No. 11 ranking. The down time gives Freeman some extra space in his calendar to consider the NFL.

On Sunday, the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo suggested Freeman would be a top target for the Giants.

“We’ll focus on the Giants here, Marcus Freeman mentioned as a guy that should be in their coaching search, yes, that is the case,” Garofolo said. “I expect him to be the foremost amongst the college candidates.”

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman expected to listen

More News: Notre Dame rejects bowl game to snub ESPN

College football insider Josh Pate believes Freeman will at least hear what New York has to offer. However, he thinks Freeman will return to ND for 2026.

“I expect Marcus Freeman to listen and I also expect Marcus Freeman to be the head coach at Notre Dame next season,” Pate posted on X.

I expect Marcus Freeman to listen and I also expect Marcus Freeman to be the head coach at Notre Dame next season https://t.co/z21mdaUpiM

— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) December 21, 2025

Earlier in December, ND athletic director Pete Bevacqua said the program plans to match whatever Freeman is offered by the league.

“I would never say we wouldn’t match anything when it comes to Marcus,” Bevacqua said, via USA Today. “I make sure that he knows that he will be where he deserves to be, and that is at the top, top, top tier of college football coaches when it comes to compensation every year.”

Freeman is 43-12 during his time as head coach of the Irish. Notre made an appearance in the national championship in January, the only season the program made the CFP under Freeman in his four seasons as the permanent head coach.

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Marcus Freeman is going to have a lot of potential opportunities this offseason if he entertains leaving the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Teams in the NFL have shown interest in the coach and if he decides he wants to make the jump to the pros, teams will be interested. There is one job that is reportedly waiting for him to take if he wants it, so let’s take a deeper dive into the team Freeman can take over in the NFL right now.

Marcus Freeman could be the next New York Giants coach

While appearing on Giants Nation Show, NFL insider Ian O’Connor discussed how he believes Freeman has the job with the New York Giants if he wants it.

“He was talking to [Notre Dame] about giving him a new contract. It seems like they’re going to have to do that every year because Freeman is going to be an attractive candidate every year. You see the way he runs his program, his public, the way he carries himself in public. He is, you could see that CEO type, which a lot of owners want now and he’s never coached in the NFL, so that’s a question mark.

“But the coach at a high-profile program like that and to have the success he’s had is impressive. So I think if he’s willing to leave Notre Dame, I think he’d get the [New York Giants] job, frankly… If he wants to leave, if he wants to coach in the NFL, I do think he’ll be the next coach of the Giants”

O’Connor would continue to explain how even with the Giants job on the table, Freeman is showing that he wants to remain with Notre Dame. With the talks of a contract extension from the school and wanting to win a national championship in South Bend, it is difficult to imagine him walking away. Freeman has a 43-12 record, including a 5-2 bowl record in his five-year coaching career. It will be intriguing to see if the NFL is able to entice him away from the Fighting Irish.

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman has been involved in a lot of rumors this offseason. From the NFL pursuing him to other college programs, his name has been plastered all over the college football rumor mill.

Despite all of the rumors, Freeman seems to be 100 percent committed to Notre Dame.

Freeman has quickly become one of the top head coaches in the football world. He has led the Fighting Irish to a lot of success, including a run to the national championship game last season. Unfortunately, Notre Dame ended up losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes in that championship game.

Lately, a lot of rumors have surrounded Freeman being a potential candidate for the Michigan Wolverines.

Of course, Michigan’s job has opened up after the program decided to fire Sherrone Moore. Freeman would be an elite upgrade over Moore, but the likelihood of him leaving the Fighting Irish for the Wolverines seems almost nonexistent.

With that being said, legendary college coach Urban Meyer has issued a strong response to the Freeman to Michigan rumors.

“I don’t have much inside scoop on this,” Meyer said. “But someone said Marcus Freeman. What are you… out of your mind? … When you hear that stuff, that’s an agent out there, throwing his name out. I can promise you, you’re going to hear the words ‘extension’ and ‘a raise.’”

Since taking over the Notre Dame job back in 2021, Freeman has led the program to a 43-13 record. He has the program on the right trajectory and is just getting started.

If he does choose to leave for a job in the NFL, the Fighting Irish would take a big step in the wrong direction. Hopefully, that scenario does not end up becoming a reality.

Expect to continue hearing Freeman’s name mentioned in the rumor mill. Those rumors aren’t going to stop. Thankfully, it seems that he’s all-in on Notre Dame at this point in time.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had an outstanding season, but failed to make the College Football Playoff a year after competing in the national championship game. The program finished as the first team out and decided to boycott its bowl game as a result. However, just because the team didn’t make the College Football Playoff doesn’t mean the players are going to miss the action. Let’s take a closer look at one player who has taken the hatred of the Miami Hurricanes to the next level.

Jeremiyah Love makes sure you know who he’s rooting for in the first round of the College Football Playoff

The Fighting Irish officially have their season concluded, but they are going to be locked into the College Football Playoff. One of the biggest conversations throughout the CFP rankings was the placement of Notre Dame vs. Miami. The teams played against one another in the regular season, which Miami won 27-24 to begin the season, but the Fighting Irish were ranked ahead of them in every CFP rankings. However, during the conference championship weekend, the committee decided to make a switch and place the Hurricanes in front without either team playing that week.

Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love took to his Instagram account and updated his note. On his account, it says “Texas A&M, yk da job” as they prepare to host the Miami Hurricanes in the first-round of the College Football Playoff. Is it a fun little jab for Love to throw? Yeah, but it is harmless at the end of the day. Love is entering the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Fighting Irish are getting prepared for the NCAA Transfer Portal window to open up and begin bolstering their roster.

These two teams will be playing against one another again next season as they are in South Bend on Nov. 7. With major College Football Playoff hopes on the line late in the season, that is going to be a game to circle on the calendar as well.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish may have had a disappointing end to the season, but the roster is going to look a lot different.

With the program seeing success over the last few years, many players have decisions to make. Some players are going to return to the program, others will enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, and others will enter the NFL Draft.

One superstar player has officially made his decision, so let’s take a closer look into what his future will look like.

Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love makes 2026 NFL Draft plans

On his personal Instagram account, Jeremiyah Love announced he will be foregoing his senior season and entering the 2026 NFL Draft:

“Making the decision to attend Notre Dame was easy because of the people. From the amazing football support staff, to my fellow students – I could not have picked a better place for me to grow into the man I am today.

“It is with a wealth of gratitude, I will take the many experiences Notre Dame has given me and apply those lessons learned as I move onto the next level. I look forward to representing my family and Notre Dame in the NFL.”

Love’s decision to declare for the draft is a big blow for Irish head coach Marcus Freeman, who tried to convince the running back to stay for a run at the College Football Playoff in 2026.

Love had a season for the ages as he finished with 199 rushing attempts for 1,372 yards (6.9 yards per carry) with 18 rushing touchdowns as well as 27 receptions for 280 yards (10.4 yards per catch) with three touchdown receptions.

He finished as a 2025 Heisman Trophy finalist and was third in the voting. After breaking the single-season program record with 21 total touchdowns, it will be intriguing to see where he winds up being drafted as one of the top running backs in the draft class.

The post Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman loses critical player for 2026 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Last week, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua claimed the ACC did “permanent damage” to its business relationship with the school during the final month of the college football regular season.

More News: Evidence of SEC officials keeping Notre Dame out of CFP goes viral

“We were mystified by the actions of the conference to attack their biggest, really, partner in football and a member of their conference in 24 of our other sports,” Bevacqua said on the “The Dan Patrick Show” last week. “They have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame.”

During his news conference, Bevacqua suggested an apology from the ACC would not be enough to fix the relationship. Emails from the conference were accidentally sent to the Fighting Irish about the ACC’s plans to promote its football teams over Notre Dame.

Notre Dame expected to leave the ACC

More News: Notre Dame rejects bowl game to snub ESPN

Pete Sampson of The Athletic believes the relationship for ND and the ACC is headed for a divorce, though the timing of the split is not yet known.

“For those who see the social media campaign by the league to promote Miami over Notre Dame as a flashpoint in this dispute, the ACC and the Irish were growing apart before that,” Sampson wrote. “Barring an unlikely reconciliation, it’s hard to see Notre Dame and the ACC sticking together for the long haul.

“This entire relationship feels like an inevitable divorce, with the biggest questions being when it happens and how much it costs.”

Another obstacle for ND is finding a new partner.

Would the Irish be able to sign a friendly deal with the SEC or Big Ten like they have with the ACC that allows them to remain independent in football while playing in-conference for 24 other sports?

Would ND have to join the SEC or Big Ten a full-time member in football?

Or maybe the Irish will push college football toward a super league, where the sport needs to go.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have seen two-sport athletes throughout their sports. There are a handful of names that come to mind, such as Jordan Faison, Dylan Faison, and Pat Connaughton, but there is another name preparing to join that list: Mark Zackery IV. The freshman has already played this season for the football program, but is also getting prepared for the basketball team as well. Let’s take a closer look at what his coach said about his abilities.

Mark Zackery IV is ready to be the next Notre Dame 2-sport athlete

Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry discussed the conversation he had with football coach Marcus Freeman about having Mark Zackery IV on the basketball roster. He would explain how he is looking out for Zackery rather than only his team.

“The first question I asked Coach [Marcus] Freeman was, ‘Is this going to affect him in any way for next year?… I’m not being selfish. I want this kid to have a great career at Notre Dame, not help me.”

Zackary is expected to provide impact on both sports. He would play cornerback and record 10 total tackles (seven solo, three assisted) with a pair of pass deflections this season. Zackary is yet to make an appearance for the basketball program, but is expected to get some action soon for the Fighting Irish.

He is expected to play a solid role for the team when he gets on the floor. The program has had incredible success already this year, going 9-3 and riding a four-game winning streak. It never hurts to add another talent to bolster the team. Coach Shrewsberry gave a glowing review of his ability on the court in the announcement of his addition.

“I think that Mark will be a great addition to our program. I have seen him play many times throughout his high school career. Whether competing with Team Teague, Indiana Elite, or Ben Davis High School, he always does things that help lead to winning. He will be an asset for us with his ball handling, playmaking, and defensive abilities. More importantly, he is a great young man that will add more value to our locker room and culture.”

Notre Dame is adding a 5-11 guard who showcased his skills. He averaged 11.0 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game for the Indiana state runner-up last year. He also was shooting an outstanding 39.4 percent from the 3-point line. It will be intriguing to see how long it takes for Zackary to crack the rotation of the Fighting Irish.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish saw running back Jeremiyah Love have one of the best seasons in all of college football. As a result, he was named as one of the four finalists for the award. On Saturday evening, the 2025 Heisman Trophy was presented, but Love did not win. Instead, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza walked away as the Heisman Trophy winner. Let’s take a closer look at the Heisman voting and discuss how Jeremiyah Love wound up doing.

Jeremiyah Love finished third in the 2025 Heisman Trophy voting

Despite having the best season for a running back, Jeremiyah Love would wind up placing third in the 2025 Heisman Trophy voting. He finished the season with 199 rushing attempts for 1,372 yards (6.9 yards per carry) with 18 rushing touchdowns. He also added 27 receptions for 280 yards (10.4 yards per catch) with three touchdown grabs. This season would be a record-breaking one for the running back as he set the program single-season record with 21 total touchdowns.

However, the Heisman voters did not view it that way as he would finish in third place. The voting breaks down into first, second, and third-place votes. First-place votes are worth three points and decrease by one point each spot. The total points is the way the Heisman voting is determined. Jeremiyah Love would get 46 first-place votes, 157 second-place votes, and 267 third-place votes. He received more than 100 third-place votes more than any other player in the top 10.

His 719 points trailed Fernando Mendoza (2,362) and Diego Pavia (1,435) while surpassing Julian Sayin (432). When looking at the region voting, he would finish third in all five regions as well. Despite not winning the Heisman Trophy, Love would walk away with the 2025 Doak Walker Award, given to the top running back in college football. He was the first Notre Dame running back to win the award in its existence.

Love had one of the top seasons that we have seen in college football in a long time. However, it takes a special season to beat out quarterbacks, especially when your team misses the College Football Playoff. It will be intriguing to see if he stays for another season or if he enters the NFL Draft following this performance.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish aren’t going to the College Football Playoff, as their season ended by declining a bowl invitation. Now, the future of the program and head coach Marcus Freeman is the big storyline. Freeman has been mentioned as a candidate for the Michigan job, although that’s not likely. What is likely though is interest from NFL teams.

As the NFL hits the stretch run here in Week 15, more and more coaching rumors will be popping up. The latest comes from Dianna Russini of The Athletic on Saturday morning.

Russini mentions the Giants having interest in Freeman as a candidate BUT the bigger news is that other NFL teams should be interested in Freeman as well.

Multiple interest from NFL teams in Marcus Freeman

As Russini reports, it won’t be just the Giants showing interest. Instead, multiple other NFL organizations will have interest in Freeman as soon as the offseason begins.

Here is what she wrote on Saturday morning:

I also expect Freeman to garner interest from other NFL organizations. The 39-year-old has spent the past four years leading Notre Dame, taking the Irish to the national championship game last season. Last December, he agreed to a lucrative contract extension through 2030. And though he has never coached in the NFL, his leadership, people skills and ability to thrive in one of the most high-profile jobs in the country are what’s drawing the interest of general managers and owners.

Freeman is currently enjoying time off after another season at Notre Dame. But it’s clear he’s going to have to make a decision over the next month or so. With the interest being there from NFL teams, now might be the perfect time for him to head to the NFL as a coach.

Or he could stay at Notre Dame and attempt to chase a national title. Time will tell.

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman has become somewhat of a hot name on the coaching carousel, even though there is zero indication that he plans on leaving South Bend any time soon.

In fact, Freeman has been floated as a potential head-coaching target for the New York Giants, who recently fired Brian Daboll. But would Freeman actually make sense in New York? Joe DeLeone of A to Z Sports isn’t so sure it would be a match.

“On the flip side of this, Freeman should not see the Giants as the right situation for him,” DeLeone wrote. “Freeman has the potential to become a high-level NFL coach after gaining more experience as a college head coach. However, the disarray of the Giants organization isn’t a situation a coach who’s never coached in the NFL should want to take on.”

DeLeone added that he also doesn’t think New York should even want Freeman and should instead go for a coach with actual NFL experience.

Will Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman bolt for the NFL?

Freeman has developed quite the reputation on the collegiate level thanks to his brilliant work at Notre dame. He led the Fighting Irish to a National Championship Game appearance last year and led them to 10 straight wins following an 0-2 start this season.

Notre Dame was snubbed of a College Football Playoff appearance and has chose not to participate in a bowl game, a choice that has been viewed rather unfavorably by some. Nevertheless, you can understand why the Fighting Irish are miffed.

Freeman has gone 43-12 since taking over at Notre Dame and has posted three straight double-digit win campaigns, so you can understand why his name is beginning to gain momentum in NFL circles. But given the poor success rather of college coaches in the NFL, you can see why Freeman is being warned to avoid certain jobs.

The Giants actually do comprise a rather enticing destination. They have a potential franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart, other intriguing weapons and could potentially land a top-five pick in the NFL Draft this year. But they have made just two playoff appearances since 2012, and because it’s New York, Freeman would be under intense pressure.

It’s probably wiser for Freeman to get a few more notches under his belt on the NCAA level before making the jump to the pros.

The post Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman warned to avoid one specific coaching job appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Notre Dame reacted very negatively to the perceived College Football Playoff snub it endured. After being ranked within the playoff field until the very end to be swapped out for Miami, the Fighting Irish were upset. They ripped the ACC, revealed a guaranteed spot for the future, and declined to play a bowl game. Now, that all could backfire in the future.

More News: Former NFL QB Doesn’t Hold Back About Notre Dame Missing CFP

Potential foes could freeze out Notre Dame after post-snub anger

More News: Big 12 fires shot at Notre Dame amid SEC conversations

If Notre Dame places within the top 12, which is more or less the range to make the College Football Playoff, in the final rankings next year, they will make it into the field. They were ranked 11th, but missed out due to Tulane and James Madison getting in.

But because of this guarantee, many potential opponents no longer want to play the Irish. The Irish are getting, per Dan Wolken, “preferential treatment” for the playoff, and teams don’t want to potentially help bolster their resume.

Because Notre Dame does not play in a conference, a chosen status that may eventually (and probably already has) really hurt the team, they are not guaranteed any good teams. If they joined the SEC, for example, they’d be able to play some really good teams, like Texas, Alabama, LSU, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, or Georgia.

But since they have to schedule their own games outside of a conference, other teams must agree. And per Wolken, it sounds like some good teams might prefer not to play them since a win in those contests would help Notre Dame work into the top 12 and thereby guarantee a spot in the playoff.

The Irish played a few ranked opponents, including Texas A&M and Miami, to open the year. They lost those two games, and both teams made the playoffs. Had they won one, this would be a different conversation.

But now, moving forward, it may be harder to schedule ranked opponents like that. They’ll probably still play USC, which is often ranked, but getting the big schools to potentially pad their resume might be a little harder now because of how they’ve looked to other ADs in the wake of the committee’s decision.

The post Notre Dame’s post-snub behavior could backfire spectacularly appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Notre Dame has gotten into some drama with Power 4 conferences amid its battle with the ACC this week.

More News: Evidence of SEC officials keeping Notre Dame out of CFP goes viral

The ACC campaigned hard for Miami to bump ND in the final College Football Playoff bracket, which it did.

On Tuesday, athletic director Pete Bevacqua told reporters that he plans to meet with ACC leadership about how it handled its social media and television campaign in the final month of the season.

“I’d tell you at this point we haven’t really given that a ton of thought,” Bevacqua said. “Are we looking for an apology? Quite frankly, I don’t think an apology does anything or unwinds what has happened.

“But at the right time we’ll sit down with the ACC leadership and I think hopefully have a frank, honest, hopefully a productive conversation. But I’ll tell you that time is not now.”

The Big 12 takes aim at Notre Dame

More News: Notre Dame rejects bowl game to snub ESPN

Per Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark called out Bevacqua for taking a shot at ACC commissioner Jim Phillis.

“I don’t like it,” Yormark said. “His behavior has been egregious. It’s egregious going after Jim Phillips.”

Amid ND’s drama this week, Bevacqua said he had been in contact with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. While he said the two talked about changing the CFP format, he declined to offer more details on other issues they discussed privately.

“Since Sunday, the only Commissioner I’ve spoken to, a couple of great conversations with him is Greg Sankey,” Bevacqua said. “Greg and I talk all the time. I can’t tell you how much I admire Greg and his leadership. And good conversation is really about format, process–gave him my viewpoint on the process.

“He shared some thoughts that he had with me that obviously between Greg and me.”

The end of the Irish-ACC partnership?

There has been speculation the Irish could try and get out of its agreement with the ACC and find a deal with a new conference.

Earlier this week, Phillips released a statement on why the ACC acted the way it did during the football season.

“The University of Notre Dame is an incredibly valued member of the ACC and there is tremendous
respect and appreciation for the entire institution,” Phillips wrote, via Matt Fortuna.

“With that said, when it comes to football, we have a responsibility to support and advocate for all 17 of our football-playing member institutions, and I stand behind our conference efforts to do just that leading up to the College Football Playoff Committee selections on Sunday.”

Phillips didn’t think the ACC stepped its bounds.

“At no time was it suggested by the ACC that Notre Dame was not a worthy candidate for inclusion in the field. We are thrilled for the University of Miami while also understanding and appreciating the significant disappointment of the Notre Dame players, coaches and program.”

STATEMENT from ACC commissioner Jim Phillips on Notre Dame: pic.twitter.com/nNqmDDbphW

— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) December 8, 2025

The Irish don’t feel that way. But it doesn’t look like the Big 12 is ready to take on a big headache like Notre Dame, even with the money they bring to conferences.

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Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were denied access to the upcoming College Football Playoff. Despite many believing that the program should have been, the committee decided to give Alabama the opportunity to compete for a national championship.

That decision has been met with a lot of backlash from the media, players, and fans. Very few believe that the committee made the right decision.

Despite the outcry following the decision, Notre Dame will not have a chance to make the same kind of run that it made last year. Of course, the Fighting Irish made it all the way to the national championship game before falling to the Ohio State Buckeyes last season.

Plenty of reactions have been coming out about the news of Notre Dame being snubbed. One new reaction came from former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky. He is not happy with the decision.

Orlovsky spoke out strong and made it clear that he believes the Fighting Irish should have been in the playoff over Alabama.

“Alabama has not looked good in about five weeks. They’ve lost two of their final four games,” Orlovsky said.

“They didn’t look good against LSU about five weeks ago, they did not look good against (Oklahoma), they did not look good against Auburn. … Notre Dame should have been in over Alabama. Conference championships don’t matter anymore. They don’t matter anymore. It’s a joke what happened and Notre Dame should have been in.”

Many have made the same argument that Orlovsky made. However, it’s all for nothing as Notre Dame will simply have to swallow the snub. The Fighting Irish also decided to decline their bowl invitation following the College Football Playoff news.

Hopefully, the program can come back stronger next season and get back to hunting a national championship. It will also be interesting to see how the Crimson Tide play in their first round matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners on the road.

The post Former NFL QB Doesn’t Hold Back About Notre Dame Missing CFP appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The season for the N0. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish is over following the College Football Playoff selection committee’s decision to toy with the program as a prop to get its fans to watch rankings shows on ESPN.

More News: Evidence of SEC officials keeping Notre Dame out of CFP goes viral

The Fighting Irish chose to reject a bid to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against No. 12 BYU, an opportunity to see which of the remaining players on each roster had more fight after being the first two teams left out of the CFP.

Nice try ESPN!

Notre Dame players and coaches thought it was better to skip the bowl as seniors prepare for the draft and other members contemplate their future for 2026, via On3. The team playing in the bowl game would not have been the same one that won ten games in a row to end the regular season.

Following the Irish’s decision to bring the season to a close, the team is losing a key piece of depth for 2026.

Could Notre Dame QB Kenny Minchey go to Vandy?

More News: Notre Dame rejects bowl game to snub ESPN

Per Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer of CBS Sports, quarterback Kenny Minchey is set to hit the transfer portal.

“Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey is expected to enter the transfer portal, sources tell me and @chris_hummer for @CBSSports,” Zenitz posted on X. “Former four-star recruit who nearly won the Fighting Irish starting QB job before Notre Dame ultimately went with CJ Carr.”

With some added context to the decision, Pete Sampson of The Athletic hinted Minchey, a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, could be in play for Vanderbilt to replace Heisman Trophy-hopeful Diego Pavia.

Kenny Minchey is from the Nashville area and there’s a local school there that has an opening at quarterback. https://t.co/ZoV1vI89FB

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) December 8, 2025

Minchey, a sophomore, went 20-of-26 passing for 196 yards this season. He added 84 yards and one touchdown on the ground. He’s not expected to see much playing time with C.J. Carr becoming one of the better passers in the nation.

The No. 1 goal for the Irish is to make sure Carr returns in 2026. The freshman went 195-of-293 passing for 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions this season.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been one of the biggest topics in college football, and it’s not because of anything good.

More news: Nick Saban sounds off on Notre Dame being left out of CFP

The Irish ended up not making the selection to participate in 2025’s College Football playoff. Following Notre Dame’s blowout win over Stanford on thanksgiving weekend, the team missed the cut in favor for Alabama and Miami.

Following the snub, the team then announced they declined an invitation from the NCAA to play in a bowl game, effectively ending their season.

A couple of former NFL players have now sounded off on the team’s shocking end to the 2025 season.

Robert Griffin III and Chase Daniel did not agree with Notre Dame getting snubbed

More news: Chicago Bears defensive back earns NFC defensive player of the month award

Legendary college football quarterback and former NFL veteran Robert Griffin III posted via X, that he does not blame the team for deciding not to play in a bowl game.

I don’t blame Notre Dame one bit for deciding not to play in a Bowl Game when they should have been playing for a chance to win the National Championship in the College Football Playoff. pic.twitter.com/TgB0kAn85r

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 7, 2025

Former NFL veteran quarterback Chase Daniel also gave his thoughts on the snub. Daniel said that he believes that Notre Dame should’ve gotten in over an Alabama team that has three losses on the year.

Notre Dame should’ve been in over a 3 loss Alabama team….no question pic.twitter.com/cY07oBCqh7

— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) December 7, 2025

After having the fourth best odds to win the national championship, the Fighting Irish will unfortunately end their season without competing for a championship.

The NCAA has been heavily criticized since the decision. Many fans and analysts have accused the NCAA of being biased towards SEC and ACC teams.

The post Former NFL players react to Notre Dame’s shocking College Football playoff snub appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Notre Dame fired back at ESPN, the College Football Playoff selection committee, and the ACC by declining its invitation to the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 27.

More News: Evidence of SEC officials keeping Notre Dame out of CFP goes viral

The Fighting Irish exited the season with a No. 9 ranking, but dropped to No. 11 after blowout wins over Syracuse and Stanford. Amid the heated discussion about what to do with Alabama, Miami and the Fighting Irish, the ACC campaigned hard for ND’s demise.

Instead of setting its sights on Alabama, ACC coaches trashed the Irish. The conference decided to play the Week 1 contest between ND and Miami nonstop on its network.

Shane Gillis defends Notre Dame

More News: Notre Dame rejects bowl game to snub ESPN

Notre Dame superfan Shane Gillis ranted about the ACC during his appearance on The Film Guy.

“Never the ACC after they betrayed us this year, Gillis said. “I don’t know if you saw their social media, every day they were trashing Notre Dame… All the money we gave them. We blessed them. And this is how they repay us?”

“Never the ACC after they betrayed us this year… I don’t know if you saw their social media, every day they were trashing Notre Dame.”

“All the money we gave them. We blessed them. And this is how they repay us?”

Shane Gillis

: Film Guy Network

pic.twitter.com/YOL3rCeh3S

— Notre Dame Recruiting (@NDrecruiting01) December 7, 2025

The ACC hurt the Irish

Many Irish fans feel the same way.

Frankly, ND needs to reconsider its relationship with the conference. The ACC couldn’t even get its own structure right, setting up a conference championship dynamic where champion Duke was left out after an 8-5 record for James Madison.

The ACC is incompetent.

And this season, they’re weren’t a great partner.

Notre Dame shouldn’t have to boost the ratings of its weaker conference teams only to be treated like a pariah. The Irish could exit their agreement, putting pressure on programs like Clemson, Florida State, and Miami to seek a better conference.

Sorry Pittsburgh, you’re stuck. Have fun with Pat Narduzzi.

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On Sunday, the College Football Playoff selection committee made a bold statement to leave Notre Dame at the alter of the final bracket.

More News: Notre Dame rejects bowl game to snub ESPN

The Fighting Irish spurned ESPN, ACC and the CFP committee in return, rejecting the opportunity to play against BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against BYU and give Disney money in the process via a large ND viewership.

Amid the Irish’s enormous middle finger to the college football world, the locker room appears shaken by missing the CFP.

Notre Dame’s head coach was acting unusual

More News: Evidence of SEC officials keeping Notre Dame out of CFP goes viral

Per ESPN’s Jen Lada, Irish athletic director Pete Bevacqua suggested Freeman was acting unusual after learning ND would not compete in the CFP.

“Usually (Freeman) has answers or reasons for why these things happen,” Lada said. “He has none & that was unusual. He said he has no answers. It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t add up why ND is not in this playoff field.”

.@JenLada reports from Notre Dame on the mood surrounding the Fighting Irish after they missed the College Football Playoff. pic.twitter.com/kDGCY48rpk

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 7, 2025

Players and staff were hanging their heads while walking around the facility.

It’s fair to wonder whether Freeman intends to stay in fight another season with Notre Dame amid its fight with the ACC, ESPN and CFP committee.

While the Irish reportedly have a memorandum of understanding that next season they’ll be issued a CFP spot if they’re ranked in the top 12, there’s no guarantee the committee won’t drop the program over bias and spite.

Marcus Freeman to the NFL?

In recent weeks, Freeman has been linked to NFL teams like the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, that might be refreshing while he’s at a program that doesn’t intend to join a conference to better its chances to get in the good graces of ESPN.

As Brad Powers notes, the CFP committee’s decision could cause Freeman to rethink his future with ND.

“One of the worst days in the history of Notre Dame football,” Powers posted on X. “Will be future ramifications. Marcus Freeman leaving. Joining a conference.”

Of course, the Irish and Freeman could take another path, choosing to play every opponent on its schedule in 2026 the way they did against (SEC program) Arkansas and (ACC program) Syracuse.

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With a No. 11 ranking, Notre Dame is now out of the College Football Playoff after dropping two spots in two weeks after a 29-point win over Stanford.

More News: Evidence of SEC officials keeping Notre Dame out of CFP goes viral

The 11-2 Irish are eligible for a bowl game. On Saturday, it leaked ND would be asked to go to the Pop-Tarts bowl to play No. 12 BYU if it was left out of the CFP.

(Update): Per a statement by Notre Dame, the team is rejecting its bowl game.

Via ND:

“As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season. We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026. -The 2025 Notre Dame Football Team.”

pic.twitter.com/TyzavvzpC1

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 7, 2025

No bowl game for the Irish?

More News: Nick Saban sounds off on Notre Dame being left out of CFP

The Irish could decide to take their frustrations out on BYU, who was punished by the CFP committee for losing the Big 12 championship. However, it appears ND athletic director Pete Bevacqua is considering rejecting a bowl bid after being left of the CFP.

Via Tyler Horka of On3:

“Notre Dame athletics director Pete Bevacqua told @JenLada he hasn’t thought about where the Fighting Irish might play in a bowl game after getting snubbed from the College Football Playoff. Good on him. The system has made it CFP or bust in this era. And his guys got hosed.”

Notre Dame athletics director Pete Bevacqua told @JenLada he hasn't thought about where the Fighting Irish might play in a bowl game after getting snubbed from the College Football Playoff.

Good on him. The system has made it CFP or bust in this era. And his guys got hosed.

— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) December 7, 2025

The Irish could stick it to the ESPN by cratering their bowl ratings with a rejection. ND has no reason to play BYU. Frankly, stars like running back Jeremiyah Love should skip the bowl so he doesn’t risk his status before the 2026 NFL Draft.

Notre Dame took a shot at ESPN

On Sunday, Bevacqua told Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports that ESPN and the selection committee wasted everyone’s time by the way they ranked teams during the season.

“Any rankings or show prior to this last one is an absolute joke and a waste of time,” Bevacqua said. “If the rankings shows are legitimate, there is no logical explanation of what happened to us. Have one ranking show at the end, like Sunday.”

ESPN pushed a hard propaganda campaign to get five of its SEC teams into the CFP, and committee did its bidding by using crazy mental gymnastics to punish Ohio State, BYU and Virginia for losing its conference championship, but not Alabama.

The Irish should get the last laugh by pulling the plug on the 2025 season. Conference championships no longer really matter, neither do ESPN’s sham bowl games.

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On Sunday, the College Football Playoff selection committee pranked Notre Dame by using mental gymnastics to keep Alabama at No. 9 and move Miami up two spots after Duke beat No. 17 Virginia in the ACC championship.

More News: Evidence of SEC officials keeping Notre Dame out of CFP goes viral

The Fighting Irish, who entered Sunday with the fourth-best odds to win the national championship, will go bowling. The selection committee ranked two Group of 5 champions, Tulane, and James Madison, above Duke, putting those programs in the final bracket.

During his appearance on ESPN on Sunday, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban argued Notre Dame, Miami and Alabama were more deserving than Tulane and JMU. He thinks the CFP rules should be changed to allow better teams in the tournament.

Nick Saban: Tulane and JMU weren’t as good as ND

More News: Notre Dame fans think Pittsburgh’s HC is campaigning to get Irish out of CFP

“I think the fact of the matter is all three of those teams should’ve gotten in and deserved to be in the College Football Playoff,” Saban said. “And for years now we have kept tweaking the criteria of how we select teams into the playoffs.

“I think you’re going to have two teams in the playoffs–no disrespect to the Group of 5–that are nowhere near ranked as highly as teams that are much better than them.”

Nick Saban reacts to the College Football Playoff field. #CFP https://t.co/VaX9AI4n5m pic.twitter.com/QWVejRTnXC

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 7, 2025

A devastating decision for Notre Dame

Saban thinks ND shouldn’t have been left out of the final bracket.

“To me this has got to be devastating for Notre Dame’s team, not to get the opportunity to play in the playoffs,” Saban said. “I’m happy for the teams that got but I just think there was one team that was left out, that I just think shouldn’t have been left out.”

The selection committee thought the Irish did, and the CFP will suffer for it. It’ll be interesting to see if the playoff expands to 16 teams or if they change the criteria to make it harder for Group of 5 programs to make the CFP.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were not given a spot in the College Football Playoff when the final rankings were dropped on Sunday.

Despite coming on strong late in the season and appearing to be one of the best teams in college football, Notre Dame will not have a chance to make a playoff run. Last season, the Fighting Irish made it all the way to the national championship before falling to the Ohio State Buckeyes

Marcus Freeman and company finished out the regular season with a 10-2 record. They were ranked No. 11 overall at the end of the regular season.

Both the Alabama Crimson Tide and Miami Hurricanes were included in the playoff picture. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough spots for Notre Dame.

Following the news breaking that the Fighting Irish were not included in the playoff picture, polarizing sports analyst Skip Bayless spoke out with a very strong reaction.

“It is ridiculous that JMU and Tulane are in the College Football Playoffs … and Notre Dame and Texas and Vanderbilt are not,” Bayless wrote on X. “This shouldn’t be about “everybody gets a chance.” This should be about THE BEST 12 TEAMS IN AMERICA. Come on.”

There are many who agree with Bayless. James Madison and Tulane earned their way into the playoff by the rules, but do they really stand a chance against the top teams in the nation? Probably not.

Unfortunately, both Notre Dame and Vanderbilt likely could have held their own and had a chance at making a run. Now, they won’t be able to get that opportunity.

This is a major setback for the Fighting Irish. They’ll simply have to wait until next season. Starting off the season slow ended up being a death sentence for Notre Dame football this year.

All that Fighting Irish fans can do now is to wait and find out where the team will end up when it comes to a bowl game.

The post Skip Bayless Doesn’t Hold Back About Notre Dame Missing CFP appeared first on ChiCitySports.

On Sunday, the College Football Playoff selection committee left Notre Dame out in favor of filling out a bracket that has five SEC teams.

More News: Notre Dame’s chances of making the College Football Playoff just changed

It’s impossible to overstate how biased the CFP conversation in the national media has been propagandized in favor of the SEC. Before the season, there was nonstop conversation about how NIL funding was causing talent in the south to leave for Big Ten schools.

Once the logo games started in SEC country, ESPN analysts pushed the narrative that the SEC deserved more teams because of hard hard the conference is.

SEC officials kept Notre Dame out the College Football Playoff

More News: Notre Dame fans think Pittsburgh’s HC is campaigning to get Irish out of CFP

The Irish went 1-1 in the SEC this season, with a 56-13 win over Arkansas. Their one-point loss (41-40) to Texas A&M will ultimately keep them from the CFP.

Fans on social media pointed out that a blatantly missed call on the fourth-down touchdown pass that allowed the Aggies to beat Notre Dame wasn’t called by an SEC officiating crew.

“This “patently egregious” non-call by SEC officials wound up costing Notre Dame a spot in the playoffs,” wrote a fan.

This "patently egregious" non-call by SEC officials wound up costing Notre Dame a spot in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/4w6BWn3Zqy

— Nolan Lepus (@NDIrishManiac) December 7, 2025

Fans think the Irish were screwed over

“Crazy to think an SEC officiating crew missing a blatant holding call on the final play of a game ultimately left ND out,” wrote former Irish quarterback Brady Quinn.

“SEC officials missing a blatant hold on a 4th down kept ND out,” posted another.

“SEC officiating is the reason ND is on the CFP bubble If the officials didn’t swallow their whistle on 4th and goal to give A&M the win against ND, both ND and Miami would be in the CFP,” wrote a poster.

“BAMA is unwatchable. If you are stuck on head to head there is a clear other comparison. A pure disgrace Bama made it in over ND. Watched them for 8 hours the last two weeks. The missed holding penalty against AM was SEC officials?” argued another.

“I hope ND refuses a bowl game. The committee screwed them. SEC officials threw the game at ND to protect A&M. No reason to assist ESPN with the ratings in a Bowl Game. And let the Bowl Game take a financial loss bc ND said no,” posted a fan.

The SEC refs didn’t help, but the SEC reps on the CFP committee did a good job of keeping the Irish out.

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Nobody has had a better conference championship weekend than No. 10 Notre Dame.

More News: Notre Dame’s chances of making the College Football Playoff just changed

One by one, the dominos have fallen in the Irish’s favor starting with Boise State’s win over UNLV in the Mountain West championship on Friday night.

On Saturday, No. 4 Texas Tech defeated No. 11 BYU 34-7 in the Big 12 championship, keeping the conference from having two teams in the College Football Playoff. Then, No. 3 Georgia blew out No. 9 Alabama 28-7 in the SEC championship.

Notre Dame to the Pop-Tarts Bowl?

More News: Notre Dame fans think Pittsburgh’s HC is campaigning to get Irish out of CFP

The Irish should move above the Crimson Tide in the final ranking.

However, if ND is left out of the CFP, Brad Crawford of 247 Sports is reporting the Irish are expected to play BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 27 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando Florida.

“We’ll likely see Notre Dame vs. BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl if the Fighting Irish are not selected for the College Football Playoff, a bowl source confirms to @CBSSports,” Crawford posted on X.

We'll likely see Notre Dame vs. BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl if the Fighting Irish are not selected for the College Football Playoff, a bowl source confirms to @CBSSports.

— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) December 6, 2025

Following the report, fans online had strong reactions to the possible matchup between the two loss programs.

Fans have strong reactions to the report

“Why are we assuming ND isn’t making it?” asked a fan.

“So you can see BYU get blown off the field again? Take a really good look at what ND has been doing to teams since the 2nd half of the game against Purdue. I’m sure Vegas has a “what if” line out there, and I’m betting ND is favored by double digits,” argued a poster.

“ND at 9, Bama at 10, BYU at 11, Miami at 12. ND and Miami H2H doesn’t matter as they won’t be compared by the committee if they are not adjacent in the rankings. ND and Bama will be in,” believes a fan.

“Honestly Miami and ND belong in the CFP but if the team that doesn’t get in draws BYU I want that beatdown to commence. Good lord do they look small, slow, and just completely overrated. Either ND or Miami will bully the crap out of them and the college football world needs to see it,” posted another.

A meaningless game?

“If Notre dame doesn’t make it they should sit out let the network that lobbied against them feel the pain of not having Notre dame for there ratings. Notre dame matters to networks it brings them money. Sit out of a bowl named after pop tarts,” thinks a fan.

“That would be a great match up but inferior bowl game,” wrote a poster.

“And it’s a meaningless game,” argued another.

Following Saturday’s results, the Irish are more than likely going to the CFP. The tarts bowl would just be stale.

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On Friday night, No. 10 Notre Dame received some big help for its College Football Playoff chances on Friday night when Boise State beat UNLV 38-31 in front of 27,152 fans at Albertsons Stadium to claim the Mountain West championship.

More News: Notre Dame fans think Pittsburgh’s HC is campaigning to get Irish out of CFP

The Irish beat the Broncos 28-7 on Oct. 4, meaning ND has a win on its resume of a conference champion.

On Saturday, the Fighting Irish needed a couple more things to go their way. With No. 9 Alabama (10-2) playing No. 3 Georgia, Notre Dame needs the Crimson Tide to get boat raced by the Bulldogs in the SEC championship.

The Irish also needed N0. 4 Texas Tech to beat No. 11 BYU in the Big 12 championship, making sure the Big 12 only got one team in the CFP.

ND received luck early on Saturday, with the Red Raiders dominating the Cougars 34-7 in front of 85,519 fans at AT&T Stadium. It was the first Big 12 championship for TTU.

Notre Dame’s chances of making the CFP just went up

More News: Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman announces decision on New York Giants

The Irish were essentially out if BYU won. However, with Texas Tech’s win, ND has a 85 percent chance of making the CFP now that the Cougars lost.

Of course, No. 12 Miami could move up to No. 11 after BYU’s poor showing against TTU. The CFP selection committee might have to take the head-to-head result from Week 1 into consideration. As we all know, the Hurricanes beat Notre Dame 27-24 in Miami (not exactly a neutral field).

The Irish faithful will pulling for one more miracle on Saturday afternoon. They need Georgia to win by multiple touchdowns against the Crimson Tide.

The Tide won the first matchup of the season 24-21 in Athens on Sept. 27.

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Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are hoping to have a chance to make another run at a national championship this season.

After coming up just short in the big game last year against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Notre Dame has put together another strong season in 2025. Even though the Fighting Irish got off to a slow start to the season, the team was able to pull together and get back on track.

Entering conference championship weekend, Notre Dame holds a 10-2 record and the No. 10 overall ranking in the nation. While the team is not guaranteed a spot in the playoff, it seems like Freeman and company have a good chance to get in.

With that being said, rumors have begun swirling about Freeman’s future. There are many who believe that the NFL could come calling for him this offseason.

Over the last couple of years, Freeman’s name has been connected to quite a few different coaching jobs. This offseason alone, he was talked about as a top-tier candidate for college programs like LSU, Florida, and Penn State. He doesn’t seem to have any interest in leaving the Fighting Irish for anything other than a good NFL job or perhaps the Ohio State head coaching position.

A new suggestion has been made about a historic NFL team who could be interested in Freeman.

Mike Tomlin’s status with the Pittsburgh Steelers is becoming an interesting storyline to watch. If the Steelers were to miss the playoffs this season, there is a growing belief that Tomlin could find his way headed out of town. Could Freeman be the man to replace him?

That is exactly what Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan has suggested.

“I think Marcus Freeman from Notre Dame is on that list and might even be at the top of the list. If the Steelers found out that, you know, Mike Tomlin did have eyes for the Bills or Sean McDermott got fired or the Giants, because he likes Jackson Dart, and they were starting to get an itchy trigger finger,” Fillipponi said.

“I think if they found out Marcus Freeman was interested in leaving college for the NFL, that would also entice them to make a move sooner rather than later.”

Again, this is just an opinion with no legitimate reporting backing it up. There is nothing concrete about Pittsburgh considering a move from Tomlin or that Freeman would be on the team’s shortlist of candidates.

While it’s not fact, Freeman would have a difficult time turning down a job offer from the Steelers.

Expect to continue hearing his name mentioned in coaching rumors in the coming weeks and months. Freeman seems likely to be back at Notre Dame in 2026, but he’s becoming a popular candidate for high-profile jobs.

The post Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman linked to high-profile NFL coaching job appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi was unable to get his team to win a meaningful contest in November to get into the College Football Playoff.

That doesn’t mean Narduzzi is against trying to put his stamp on the final bracket.

Narduzzi made a bizarre comment before losing 37-15 to Notre Dame on Nov. 15 that he didn’t care about beating the Irish because they weren’t in the ACC. His players responded via losing by three scores after ESPN’s “College GameDay” visited his sorry home crowd.

Two weeks later, the Panthers blew an opportunity to make the ACC Championship by allowing No. 12 Miami to walk all over them in a 38-7 route at Acrisure Stadium.

Did Pittsburgh HC Pat Narduzzi take a shot at ND?

A post on X by @CanesInSight went viral of an anonymous head coach’s quote published by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. The head coach played Miami and Notre Dame, and suggested the Hurricanes were a much better team than the Fighting Irish.

“First of all, Miami beat Notre Dame, so I don’t know why Miami wouldn’t be ahead of Notre Dame,” the anonymous coach said. “That’s the dumbest thing that I’ve ever seen. I don’t understand that.. Miami’s offensive line is gigantic. Notre Dame’s O-line is good, but it ain’t Miami’s.

“And Miami’s defensive line is way better than Notre Dame’s. ND’s D-line is good, but it’s not Miami’s. Their D-line is ridiculous. And that’s why Miami beat them. The trenches are where it all starts.”

Head coach who played both teams on Miami v. Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/79eWuV6Im5

— CanesInSight (@CanesInSight) December 5, 2025

Only 3 ACC coaches have played Notre Dame and Miami

A few ACC coaches have played both teams this season: NC State’s Dave Doeren, Syracuse’s Fran Brown Jr., and Narduzzi.

Given the bad blood between ND and Pitt, most fans online think Narduzzi fired the shot at the Irish.

“One presumes it’s Narduzzi, who hates ND like it’s his job and has for decades,” posted a fan.

“Lol at narduzzi,” wrote another.

If Narduzzi was the coach quoted, his hot air spewed to make the article would be the most important thing he’s ever done in December to decide a CFP result.

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On Wednesday, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman confirmed his plans for 2026 after he addressed his potential candidacy for the New York Giants.

More News: 3 Reasons Why the Irish Should Make the College Football Playoff

During an interview with the New York Post on Tuesday, Freeman called the prestige of the Giants “tremendous” before crediting his Fighting Irish players for making it possible for him to be a candidate for the league.

“The gratitude you have, for one, even being mentioned by an organization like that,” Freeman said, via the New York Post. “I got a lot of respect for all NFL teams, but the history of the Giants is tremendous. But it’s gratitude for me, it reminds me of the honor that I have to be in the position I have.

“And I’ve said that before. I use that to remind myself of the gratitude that I have for this position because you wouldn’t have said that statement if I didn’t have this job and we weren’t having success.”

Marcus Freeman won’t be going to the New York Giants

More News: Fighting Irish gets surprise prediction for first CFP bracket

During an appearance on NBC’s the “Today” show, Freeman was asked if he’d “stay put” with ND for 2026.

“Oh yeah,” Freeman said.

Marcus Freeman just appeared on the TODAY show and they asked if he was staying at Notre Dame…

Freeman: Oh yeah pic.twitter.com/NY2alzMRNe

— Matt Freeman (@mattfreeman05_) December 3, 2025

While the Giants might be a prestigious job based on its history, former head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joel Schoen did plenty of damage to organization in recent years. New York is 2-11 after a 33-15 loss to the New England Patriots on “Monday Night Football.”

Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart’s future health is a concern, as he takes many hits that can lead to concussions. First-round pick Abdul Carter has seen the bench in recent weeks due to disciplinary issues.

Notre Dame is a more attractive long-term option

The Giants aren’t a good landing spot for Freeman, who has a chance to build a dynasty at Notre Dame.

On Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff selection committee dropped the Irish to No. 10 in the rankings. ND is on the bubble before No. 9 Alabama plays No. 3 Georgia in the SEC championship and No. 11 BYU takes on No. 4 Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship.

If Alabama and BYU win, the Irish are likely out.

Freeman’s team is in purgatory waiting. Despite not being a lock for a chance to play for a national title this year, that remains the goal of the head coach.

The NFL can wait.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are in a position where they are waiting to see if they are officially in the 2025 College Football Playoff. They will not play again until the field is finalized, but they are on the bubble of remaining in.

Of course, it will be a bit easier depending on the outcomes of specific conference championship games that aren’t in their control. Let’s take a look at the 2025 College Football Playoff bracket after Week 14 and discuss where the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are pencilled in.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Texas A&M Aggies in Round 1 of College Football Playoffs?

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are currently slated as the 10th seed in the latest 2025 College Football Playoff bracket. According to the selection committee, they would be on the road against the seventh-seeded Texas A&M Aggies in the opening round. The winner of that game would challenge the second-seeded Indiana Hoosiers in the quarterfinals, who are not projected as Big Ten Champions in this bracket.

TEXAS TECH INTO THE CFP BRACKET TOP 4 pic.twitter.com/9mCJ4G2D0F

— ESPN (@espn) December 3, 2025

This would be an intriguing matchup that we actually saw during the season. These teams played in South Bend in mid-September and saw the Fighting Irish drop to 0-2 on the season with a 41-40 home loss. That was the game that turned the Notre Dame season around and would be an excellent playoff matchup, if this is how the CFP plays out.

The Fighting Irish are 3-4 all-time against the Aggies, but this would be the biggest matchup they have played against one another.

The Fighting Irish were the last team in as the 11th and 12th seeds were slated for conference champions. The selection committee placed them ahead of the BYU Cougars, Miami Hurricanes, Texas Longhorns, and Vanderbilt Commodores in that order. It is going to be an intriguing conference championship weekend to see if the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are able to keep their spot or if another team leapfrogs them out of the CFP entirely.

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Dallas Cowboys Could Land Notre Dame Star Jeremiyah Love in Round 1 According to ESPN

One name that is generating buzz: Jeremiyah Love, the dynamic running back from Notre Dame. According to ESPN’s 2026 NFL Mock Draft, Love is projected as a first-round pick for the Dallas Cowboys

Why the Cowboys Might Pull the Trigger

With two first-round picks in 2026 — including the extra pick acquired from the Micah Parsons trade — Dallas has the flexibility to target a high-upside player. Love rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns so far in 2025, including a 171-yard game on 8 carries against Syracuse.

“Love has the size, speed, and versatility to thrive in a modern NFL offense,” says NFL draft analyst Matt Miller. “Dallas could use him as a true every-down back, giving their playmakers more space to operate.”

The Risks

Scouts note some concerns about Love’s durability and pass protection, and questions remain about whether he can handle a full NFL workload. However, if everything comes together, Love could become a cornerstone of Dallas’ offense for years to come.

If the Cowboys draft Jeremiyah Love in Round 1, it signals a commitment to versatility, youth, and playmaking ability. With two first-round selections, Dallas has the ammunition to take a calculated risk on a three-down back who can contribute immediately. Notre Dame’s star running back could be the catalyst the Cowboys need to elevate their offense in 2026.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been one of the most dominant teams this season behind running back Jeremiyah Love’s excellence. He has been able to place himself into the conversation for a Heisman Trophy finalist and made history in Week 14. There is a lot of excitement regarding the team and what he was able to do, so let’s take a deeper dive into the history Love made and discuss what it means for the program.

Jeremiyah Love Sets Touchdown Record for Notre Dame

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been one of the top offensive teams in the entire country and were able to showcase that early on against the Stanford Cardinal in Week 14. One of the reasons for the success has been running back Jeremiyah Love, who has been one of, if not the, best running back in college football this year. While on the opening drive of the game, the Fighting Irish were able to march down the field and Love was able to run in the football for a two-yard touchdown.

All you need is LOVE

His 2⃣1⃣st touchdown of the season #GoIrish | @JeremiyahLove pic.twitter.com/6WaG9p3af0

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 30, 2025

That would be the 21st touchdown of the season for Jeremiyah Love, which surpassed Jerome Bettis’ 20 total touchdown season in the 1991 season, for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish program record. Entering Week 14, Notre Dame was 18th in college football with 204.9 rushing yards per game as a team. Love has been able to be a threat in both the receiving and rushing game as he now has 18 rushing touchdowns while also recording three touchdown receptions.

He still has the entire second half of the game against the Stanford Cardinal to potentially put some more on the record, but this is a record that will be difficult to see broken. To break things down even further, Love has recorded at least one touchdown in every game outside of their opening game against the Miami Hurricanes. He has been one of the significant reasons why Notre Dame is currently in the College Football Playoff hunt, so it is difficult to imagine where they would be without him.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been one of the bubble teams for the College Football Playoff this season, as they have been one of the premier teams in the sport. They have a 9-2 record heading into Week 14 and are the ninth-ranked program. Their hopes of getting back to the national championship game is a bit tougher as they obviously cannot win a conference championship for one of the five automatic bids.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s CFP chances and discuss exactly why they should be in this season.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Should Make the College Football Playoff

The Fighting Irish Battled Through Adversity

While the College Football Playoff Selection Committee has a lot of discussions regarding the order of the teams in the CFP, the Fighting Irish have shown the ability to overcome adversity into success. The team started with an 0-2 record after losing games at the Miami Hurricanes and at home against the Texas A&M Aggies.

If you want to have the argument about “good losses”, it is difficult to find a better two losses than these teams, who entered the final week of the regular season in contention for their respective conference championships. Since the two losses, Notre Dame turned the corner and ran the table, including wins against two teams that were ranked at the time (USC and Pittsburgh).

Battling through the challenges after making the national championship game last season shows exactly why they have done enough to make the College Football Playoff.

The Jeremiyah Love Effect

Having a player in the Heisman Trophy conversation has seemed to be a way to put that team in contention for the national championship. Junior running back Jeremiyah Love is expected to get the invite next week to New York City as a Heisman Finalist and that should prove things are trending in the right direction for Notre Dame.

Love has been one of the leaders in college football as he entered Week 14 with 185 rushing attempts for 1,306 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and 17 rushing touchdowns while adding 26 receptions for 274 yards (10.5 yards per catch) and three touchdown grabs. The committee is still human, so seeing an impactful player on a winning team could simply be enough to put them over the hump.

Who can arguably jump them?

When looking at the Week 14 results before Notre Dame gets their game started against a lowly Stanford Cardinal program, there is not many teams who did enough this week to elevate themselves. Let’s take at some teams that were on the cusp of surpassing them in the latest CFP rankings.

The Michigan Wolverines lost at home 27-9 against the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Tennessee Volunteers lost at home 45-24 to the Vanderbilt Commodores. With the Texas Longhorns having three losses on the year, the Oklahoma Sooners barely defeating an unranked LSU Tigers, and the Alabama Crimson Tide in a tight matchup against the Auburn Tigers, it will be tough to have too many teams ahead of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame has one of the top programs in terms of points scored and points allowed per game. With the experience and championship-level schedule, it is going to be a significantly tough conversation by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee if they were to keep the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the outside of the College Football Playoff.

The post 3 Reasons Why the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Should Make the College Football Playoff appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Who’s Leading the Heisman Race in 2025

As of November 2025, sportsbooks and analysts largely agree: one quarterback leads — but there’s a cluster of elite contenders right behind him.

Here are the top five candidates with the best shot at winning, along with current odds to win the Heisman and what they bring to the table as you bet on NCAA awards.

2025 Top 5 Heisman Candidates & Their Odds

Rank	Player & School	Approx. Odds to Win (as of late Nov 2025)
1	Fernando Mendoza Heisman Odds (QB, Indiana)	~ –105 — sometimes listed as +100 or “favorite” on different books
2	Jeremiyah Love Heisman Odds (RB, Notre Dame)	+375 to +500 depending on sportsbook
3	Julian Sayin Heisman Odds (QB, Ohio State)	+360 to +550 depending on sportsbook and timing
4	Marcel Reed Heisman Odds (QB, Texas A&M)	+1100 to +1200 per recent odds boards
5	Diego Pavia Heisman Odds (QB, Vanderbilt)	+600 to +650 (though some sportsbooks list longer)

Where Could Norte Dame RB Jeremiyah Love Land? Top 2026 NFL “Fits” for Love

Here are several NFL teams that mock drafts and analysts frequently mention as potential landing spots for Love — along with why he makes sense there:

Team	Why It’s a Fit / What They Offer
Minnesota Vikings	Some analysts project Minnesota could take him in the mid‑first round (e.g., around pick 15) — a spot where teams looking to add explosiveness and youth at RB might pounce. PFSN
Washington Commanders	Given uncertainty at RB beyond this season (with current veterans nearing free agency), some mocks slot Love in the late 1st or early 2nd round for Washington as their eventual lead back. SI+1
Kansas City Chiefs	A few mock drafts suggest the Chiefs pick Love (e.g., in the mid‑first round)

What Could Affect Jeremiyah Love Draft Stock or Landing Spot

Here are some of the draft‑day variables that can impact where (and when) he goes:

• Positional value: Running back remains a debated position when it comes to first‑round capital. Some teams avoid spending top‑15 picks on RBs, which could push Love into early second round depending on the draft class depth and team philosophies

• Pass protection and size concerns: While Love brings speed and elusiveness, some scouting reports note that his pass‑protection and “ideal mass” may be slightly suboptimal for a feature back — a concern for NFL offensive coordinators

• Team drafting philosophy & fit: Landing spot depends heavily on team need and scheme. A zone‑heavy offense valuing speed and open‑field yardage (rather than power‑between‑tackles) likely boosts Love’s stock; more traditional, power‑run schemes might prefer a more bruiser‑type back.

Article updated at 7:10 PM CDT to reflect latest information

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.The Notre Dame Fighting Irish put on a dominant performance Saturday afternoon in South Bend, beating Syracuse 70-10.

They were up 35-0 in the first quarter and at one point, they were up 21-0 without the offense even touching the football in the game. And when the offense did touch the football, the scoring didn’t slow down.

That effort on offense was led by Heisman Trophy candidate Jeremiyah Love who racked up 171 yards on eight carries and found the end zone three times. He had touchdown runs of 45, 14 and the long of 68 in the game, showcasing his talents and adding to his Heisman-worthy resume.

Best RB in Notre Dame history.

Give him the Heisman.

Jeremiyah Love is special

pic.twitter.com/4hwohX1wHs

— Notre Dame Recruiting (@NDrecruiting01) November 22, 2025

But even with that performance, Love is still behind in the race for the Heisman. He did move up in the race but now trails just two other players.

Jeremiyah Love’s Heisman Trophy betting odds

Love continues to make a strong case in the Heisman race which is winding down with just one game to go. And now, he has the third-best odds.

Per Bet MGM, Love’s odds are now at +500 to win the Heisman. That’s behind only Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (-105) and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin (+275).

There’s one game left in the 2025 college football regular season for Love and that comes next week at Stanford. It’s a game the Fighting Irish should win. But it’s also another game in which it could get out of hand, again.

For Mendoza, the Hoosiers are ranked No. 2 and they play Purdue. Sayin has Ohio State at No. 1 and a date against Michigan next week. That game will be in the national conversation, providing him the chance to go out and make a statement.

For Love and Notre Dame’s chances, he’s probably going to need a big 200-plus rushing performance and a few touchdowns.

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Notre Dame received a nice surprise from the College Football Playoff selection committee on Tuesday night.

More News: Fighting Irish gets surprise prediction for first CFP bracket

The CFP gave the Fighting Irish a No. 10 ranking despite having a 6-2 record. The Irish started their regular season with losses to Miami and Texas A&M by a combined four points.

The one-point loss to the No. 3 Aggies doesn’t look bad now, but Miami has lost two of its last three games and is trending downward. The Hurricanes received a No. 18 ranking despite having the same record as Notre Dame.

The Irish have won six in a row, including an impressive 34-24 win over then-No. 20 USC on Oct. 18. With a favorable schedule to end the season, Notre Dame should win out against Navy, No. 24 Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Stanford to make the CFP.

Nick Saban has a worry for Notre Dame

More News: CFB insider reveals how Notre Dame can get back into playoffs

However, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban gave the Irish caution before playing the Midshipmen on Saturday. During ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday, Saban suggested that Navy could take advantage of Notre Dame’s defense if it didn’t play focused.

I would just say to Notre Dame, watch out,” Saban said via a transcription by On3. “We played Georgia Southern, I think it was 2011 or 2012, we (Alabama) had the number one team, great defensive team, in the country. Given up just over 300 yards for 10 games. Played these guys in the 11th game of the year.

“They rushed for over 300 yards in that game. They were cutting our guys. We had all NFL draft pick guys. They’re tapping out. They didn’t want to play against that offense, man.”

Navy’s option offense is a threat

Saban thinks the Irish could get “gassed” by Navy’s option offense.

“But I’m telling you, it can be if you don’t have a great scheme and your players don’t understand it, and you don’t spend a significant enough time preparing for it, you can get gassed by an option offense,” Saban said. “And you know, this Blake Horvath guy’s pretty (expletive) good at it.”

The Irish have seen Navy’s offense before.

Navy last beat Notre Dame 28-27 in 2016. The Irish have beaten the Midshipmen seven games in a row, including a 51-14 blowout in 2024.

Notre Dame has a lot to play for, but Navy has CFP hopes too.

Following Memphis’ loss to Tulane on Friday night, the Midshipmen are atop the American Conference and are fighting for an automatic bid by being the top-ranked Group of 5 champion.

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With the first official College Football Playoff committee ranking in the books, it’s clear that Notre Dame is in right now. Ranked 10th, the Fighting Irish have successfully rebounded from their tough start. There was some speculation that the committee, which takes a lot more into account, might penalize the Irish and drop them from their AP Poll spot, but they didn’t. One insider believes they probably should have.

More News: CFB insider reveals how Notre Dame can get back into playoffs

College analyst not pleased with Notre Dame’s #10 ranking

More News: Fighting Irish gets surprise prediction for first CFP bracket

The first two games of the season were close losses to ranked teams for Notre Dame. They lost to Texas A&M, which remains unbeaten. That’s still a good loss, and one that shouldn’t hurt the resume much. They also lost to Miami, which was ranked highly and spent a lot of time in the top 10, but two losses, including one to unranked SMU, have dropped them out of the top 15, so that loss isn’t aging as well.

With little else on the resume, SI’s Pat Forde doesn’t see how Notre Dame got ranked 10th. “Notre Dame is in position to make the College Football Playoff. It shouldn’t be—not yet, anyway—but it is. Those shiny gold helmets must have blinded the selection committee members to reality,” he wrote. “This kind treatment Tuesday was a bit more than Notre Dame deserves at this juncture. The Irish have one quality win, at home against 6–2 USC.”

He’s particularly baffled by the ranking of the Irish in comparison to the Louisville Cardinals. Louisville has a better record, and they beat the Miami Hurricanes. Yet, they’re ranked 15th and on the outside looking in. The committee praised how Notre Dame looks on both sides of the ball, which didn’t sit right with Forde. “The message seems to be that turning on the tape matters more than the game results,” he continued. “Or, it’s almost like brand name matters in college football.”

Forde finds this to be emblematic of a problem throughout the rankings. “All the squawking about strength of schedule didn’t lead to an overthrow of the status quo. The committee still largely ranked teams along win-loss lines,” he said. This was a fortunate turn for the Irish, who can now likely only move up, even though they won’t have any major wins coming the rest of the way.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 10th in the AP Poll after a crucial win over Boston College last weekend.

However, the AP Poll is one thing, and it’s relatively meaningless to the College Football Playoff selection committee. The committee has its own ranking, and they’ll begin unveiling it Tuesday night.

From Week 11 onward, every team will know exactly where it stands. For Notre Dame, will that be in the top 12 after starting the season with two losses?

One insider thinks so.

More News: CFB insider reveals how Notre Dame can get back into playoffs

Notre Dame predicted to make CFP in first committee projection

More News: Yes, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman has been linked to LSU job

The Fighting Irish have won six in a row, putting the two crushing losses to top-ranked teams in the first two weeks firmly behind them. The committee for the CFP doesn’t necessarily forget, which is why there’s a chance that their win streak won’t help them stay in the top 12.

However, USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer believes they will.

Toppmeyer thinks they’ll get the same rank as their AP Poll placement: 10th.

“When the Irish roll into selection Sunday boasting a 10-game win streak, that’ll weigh more heavily on the committee than the fact they started 0-2. Anyway, the committee can tamp down those two losses by virtue of them coming by a total of four points. CJ Carr could go down as Notre Dame’s best quarterback since … well, since a long time ago,” he wrote.

Texas A&M helps, Miami is beginning to hurt

The committee often places value on wins and losses, so a narrow victory over a bad opponent can hurt, and a close loss to a good opponent can hurt a little less.

Given that Texas A&M and Miami are both ranked teams, it’s a little bit excusable that the Irish lost both. Plus, as Toppmeyer mentioned, they lost by four combined points. Losses can’t help, but they can hurt less, and these losses appear poised to hurt less.

Interestingly enough, Texas A&M makes it in Toppmeyer’s prediction as the fourth team, so that helps Notre Dame out a lot. They lost to one of the best teams in the country, which shouldn’t take much away from the Irish.

The Miami loss looks worse as the season goes on because the Hurricanes have lost two of their last three games. They’ve tumbled out of the playoff range and are ranked 18th now. But that’s still one of the better teams in the NCAA.

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Last year, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish came so close to winning the national title but fell short to the Ohio State Buckeyes. This year, they’ve endured a rocky start, nearly slipping out of the top 25, to get back to the cusp of the College Football Playoff standings. At 12, they would likely fall short thanks to the automatic bids for conference winners, but they’re right there. One insider reveals how they can get in and the confidence level in the Irish doing just that.

More News: Yes, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman has been linked to LSU job

How Notre Dame can climb back into the CFP race

More News: Notre Dame Fighting Irish rise in Power Rankings despite bye week

Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff hopes are alive and well even now. After losing two to ranked teams to open the year, they’ve reeled off five wins and are now very much alive. They’re still not in a good position, as ESPN’s Heather Dinich claims they are “on the cusp” of the CFP right now, but they’re doing a whole lot better. Fortunately, it can and probably will get even better.

“The Irish had a bye week after a five-game winning streak, but they will seek to resume their slow climb back into playoff contention at unranked Boston College on Saturday. They need to run the table — and look like a playoff team — to move into a more secure spot,” Dinich wrote. It’s as simple as that. The Irish cannot stomach another loss, and they arguably can’t stomach another bad performance. Winning isn’t quite enough. They have to win and look good doing it, otherwise the committee very well may dock them.

“At No. 12 in this week’s projection, Notre Dame would be excluded from the playoff to make room for the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion, which this week is projected to be Memphis from the American. According to ESPN Analytics, Notre Dame still has the best chance in the country to win out (67.1%),” Dinich concluded. The equation is simple: win out and look good. And the odds of that happening, according to the metrics, are pretty good.

Despite a bumpy start, bad defense at times, and some injuries, the Irish are still in it and should be a major contender the rest of the way if they can avoid silly losses.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish didn’t play this week, but sometimes, that’s much better than playing and losing. That’s what happened in the latest Power Rankings for the Irish, as they were able to move up a space just because of how other teams did. As the team continues its fight back into the playoff conversation, every little positive change matters a whole lot.

More News: Yes, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman has been linked to LSU job

Notre Dame sees bump in rankings despite not playing

More News: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman plays coy on independent status

Last week, CBS Sports insider Brandon Marcello had Notre Dame 12th in the country. That’s exactly where the AP Poll had them. Now, thanks to some other teams moving down, the Fighting Irish are up to 11th in that list. They moved up mostly due to Missouri moving down. The Tigers had been 10th, but they dropped to 17th with a loss to Vanderbilt.

“Notre Dame sat at home during the bye week, and its path to the playoff still looks manageable,” Marcello wrote. “Undefeated Navy is on the docket Nov. 8 and a trip to Pitt after that is the most difficult challenge. First up is Boston College on the road this week.” Those aren’t automatic wins, but they’re definitely winnable games, which bodes well for the Irish getting back to the playoffs after a title game appearance last year.

The AP Poll was not as kind. Notre Dame remained 12th in that ranking, which is definitely the one that matters most right now until the CFP Committee starts releasing its rankings week in and week out. The Irish did not get the fortunate losses they needed to move up in the bye week.

Miami dropped a spot, but it wasn’t enough to move down below the Irish, who were off. Georgia Tech also slipped, but since they’re still unbeaten, they didn’t fall nearly far enough to reach the Notre Dame range. Other top 10 teams won crucial games, including Vanderbilt, which prevented the Irish from moving up.

But next week, the Irish are back in action, and there are a few games (Vanderbilt vs. Texas, Georgia vs. Florida, and Ole Miss vs. South Carolina) where, if the ranked team loses, Notre Dame could jump firmly into the CFP range.

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Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman addressed the fact that he’s aware of the rumors linking him to Penn State after James Franklin was fired.

More News: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman plays coy on independent status

On Sunday, LSU fired former Irish head coach Brian Kelly. Most Notre Dame fans rejoiced when Kelly left for Baton Rouge.

While Kelly deserved major credit for turning the program around from the dark years of Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham, and Charlie Weis, he was never going to elevate the Irish from a College Football Playoff pretender to a national title contender.

However, losing Freeman to PSU, LSU, or another school would sting. The Irish feel like they’re close to actually winning a title for the first time since 1988 when Lou Holtz ran the program.

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman is connected to LSU job

More News: Insider breaks down Notre Dame’s surging playoff hopes

On Sunday night, ESPN already linked Freeman to the now-open LSU job.

Via ESPN:

“Would LSU successfully swipe Notre Dame’s coach twice in a row? It’s hard to say. Should LSU make inquiries about Freeman? Absolutely. He has established himself as one of the sport’s top young coaches at just 39. Freeman is the first Notre Dame coach to win a CFP game — three in fact — as he guided the Fighting Irish to the national championship game last fall.

“He’s 38-12 as Notre Dame’s coach and has the team positioned for a possible CFP return if it can win out. Coincidentally, Freeman turned down LSU’s defensive coordinator job with Orgeron to join Kelly at Notre Dame. He has spent his entire career in his native Ohio or neighboring Indiana, and a move to the SEC could be jarring.

“Freeman ultimately might target the NFL as his next step, but he would at least have to consider a top program like LSU.”

The Irish have more to play for

Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. But more importantly, let’s hope these rumors don’t cause a distraction for the No. 12 team in the country.

The Irish have a chance to return to the CFP this year, and the program needs to do whatever it can to keep Freeman committed to the cause.

For More Chicago Sports:

Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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Notre Dame has successfully returned from the brink. After falling to 24th in the AP Poll, the Fighting Irish are back in the top 12, albeit literally 12th. That’s significant since the top 12 make the College Football Playoff, more or less. With a week off to reset after a crucial ranked win last week, the Fighting Irish could continue to rise despite not doing anything.

More News: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman plays coy on independent status

Notre Dame could move up in rankings despite taking bye week

More News: Insider breaks down Notre Dame’s surging playoff hopes

Sometimes, not losing is all a team needs to do. Winning, if it’s not impressive or it’s a close win against a bad team, can sometimes result in a team dropping from their previous rank. This will especially be true once the College Football Playoff committee starts releasing their own rankings, not just the AP Poll.

Nevertheless, doing nothing can sometimes be a good thing in college football, and it’s poised to be just that for Notre Dame this week. They’re off, but teams ahead of them are not, and key losses could send the Irish up into the top 10.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly wrote, “The hierarchy of teams ranked ninth to 15th above tells us quite a bit. Two-loss Notre Dame obviously needs a little bit of help, but considering there are head-to-heads between No. 9 and 13 and No. 10 and 15 this week, the Fighting Irish will likely move up a couple of spots despite being on a bye week. Their strength-of-schedule numbers will only get worse from here, however, so they need to keep looking the part as they have in recent weeks.”

Ole Miss and Oklahoma play this week, and that game could have major ramifications for Notre Dame’s spot. Missouri and Vanderbilt’s contest could, too. Of course, the Irish need the higher-ranked teams to lose, but it can certainly happen. Furthermore, with so many teams ranked near or higher than 12, losses are inevitable, so it would be a big surprise if the Irish came out of this week with the same rank. And after such a tumultuous start, that’s a big win for a team trying to work back into the conversation.

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Notre Dame is college football’s lone independent. They’re the one team in the sport without a conference, which has its pros and cons. Will that remain the case in the future? That depends, but head coach Marcus Freeman wasn’t willing to commit one way or the other. It’s become an intrinsic part of the Fighting Irish’s DNA, but there is a world where they eventually join a conference.

More News: Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff comeback is well underway

Notre Dame coach speaks on potentially joining conference

More News: Insider breaks down Notre Dame’s surging playoff hopes

Could Notre Dame ever join a conference? It’s certainly possible. One of the most unique things about the Fighting Irish is their status, but they might one day give that up. Conferences have realigned, disappeared, and changed altogether, so things are always shifting. Marcus Freeman opened up about it on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast via CBS Sports.

“The future of college athletics is always uncertain,” Freeman stated. “With private equity, with what’s going to happen with these conferences, if there’s a time that Notre Dame has to join a conference to ensure they can have the same opportunities to make the Playoff as everybody else, then I’m sure our administration would do it. Currently, the administration and myself and all of us feel confident that if we win the games we’re supposed to win, we take care of the business we’re supposed to take care of, we have just as good of a chance to make the playoffs as anybody else.”

For now, there’s no reason to consider joining a conference, but that could change. Notre Dame’s path back to the College Football Playoff is precarious since they are an independent. They can’t win a conference, so they can’t secure an automatic bid. And being 12th right now puts them on the fringe. The automatic bids might allow a team ranked lower, in this case South Florida, to get in over Notre Dame. That might force them to reconsider being independent.

There are pros and cons to the current setup, and the Irish have the ability to adjust to those in the future. They’re not planning to at this present moment, though.

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After starting 0-2, Notre Dame’s playoff chances, one year removed from a title game berth, were on the ropes. Now, they’re alive and well after five straight wins. They’re still very much on thin ice as the AP Poll’s number 12 team, which would put them on the fringe of the CFP ranking. They still cannot afford another loss as an independent team, but they’re surging back into the conversation. One analyst broke it all down after last week’s big ranked win.

More News: Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff comeback is well underway

Notre Dame is still on the outside looking in but with strong playoff chances

More News: Notre Dame lands 4 players in insider’s top 150 rank

The AP Poll usually differs from the CFP rank. Whenever the College Football Playoff committee starts releasing their weekly rankings, there will be discrepancies. Notre Dame, given the two crushing losses to top teams early on, might be a team with high variance. As of now, though, they’re ranked 12th and thus just on the fringe. However, that doesn’t put them in, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich.

“With the win against USC, the Irish climbed to No. 12 in this week’s CFP projection — quite a turnaround from the 0-2 start. But they would still be out if the playoff were today because the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion, which this week is again projected to be South Florida, is outside of the committee’s top 12,”Dinich wrote.

Basically, because of the conference setup, South Florida would get in automatically as the champion. This is despite them not being in the top 12. That wrinkle would lead to the 12th-ranked team, the Irish, being left out, so there’s still work to do.

“Notre Dame is in must-win mode for the rest of the season, but still has the best chance of any team in the country (69.2%) to win out. If undefeated Navy can keep winning, the Irish might have another ranked opponent on their schedule to add to the USC win,” Dinich concluded. The Irish are in good shape now, especially considering how things went to start the year. But even now, they’re not in.

The Irish could have another ranked opponent soon, but maybe not. Either way, they must win out and hope they can squeeze in higher than other non-champion at-large hopefuls who might end up left out for South Florida if the rankings stay the same. Otherwise, it’ll be a major disappointment. After making it so far last year, missing out would be dreadful.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were in the national title game just last season, so they opened as the number six team in the nation, firmly in the playoff race. After two games, though, the Irish slipped all the way to 24 and faced an improbable hill to get back into range. As of this weekend, with the latest AP Poll officially out, the Fighting Irish are officially back in that range for now, so they’ve managed to successfully overcome their dreadful start.

More News: Notre Dame lands 4 players in insider’s top 150 rank

Notre Dame fights back into top 12 after 0-2 start

The 0-2 record was not necessarily indicative of how good the Notre Dame Fighting Irish really were. They lost by four combined points to the current number 10 team (Miami, who just lost as the second-ranked team for the first time all year) and the current number 19 team (Texas A&M), who was third at the time. Losing close games to those teams should’ve indicated that the Irish were pretty solid, but moral victories mean nothing to the playoffs.

Now, after reeling off five straight wins, they’re officially back up to number 12. If the season ended today, they’d be the last team added to the playoff field. That’s significant. The Irish do not have a conference. They can’t win a conference title and get an automatic bid, so they’re left to fight with all other at-large teams. It’s a crowded room. Fortunately, for now, the Irish seem to be in a good spot.

More News: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman in demand at high-profile program

However, it’s worth noting that the current 12th ranking is the AP Poll. The College Football Playoff committee has its own ranking, but they haven’t started yet. When they do, it’s highly likely that the top 25 will look very different. If so, Notre Dame could be lower (or higher, theoretically). It depends on how the committee values the wins and the losses, which is often different than the AP.

The Irish might be penalized more for those two losses. They might be cut some slack for losing to elite teams. Other teams might have the same fate. For example, 15th-ranked Florida might be looked on more favorably, thus moving them up. Ninth-ranked LSU might be viewed unfavorably. It’s hard to nail down the committee. For now, though, Notre Dame is in the right spot.

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After dropping two potentially resume-defining games in the opening two weeks, Notre Dame has gotten back on track. The Fighting Irish dipped almost out of the AP Top 25, but they’re back up to 13 now. A win would put them back in the playoff picture in all likelihood. A loss would all but end their chances. Unfortunately, 20th-ranked USC is no cakewalk. However, there are two big reasons the Irish can pull out a season-saving victory this weekend.

Why Notre Dame can win huge USC game

USC is a very good team led by a very good quarterback. Jayden Maiava is the nation’s best signal-caller in terms of Total QBR. He’s been spectacular, but Notre Dame might finally be equipped to handle a top QB. They can seemingly finally put in a decent performance on defense. That was missing in the first two weeks.

“In a rivalry based on long-term momentum swings, Notre Dame has held the advantage for most of the past 15 years, but this one appears relatively even on paper. Since losing its first two games by a combined four points — both to current top-five teams (Miami and Texas A&M) — Notre Dame has won four games by an average of 30,” ESPN analyst Bill Connelly wrote. “The defense had big-play issues early on but has allowed 27 total points in the past three weeks and should keep improving now that corner Leonard Moore is healthy again.”

Defense is only one half of the game. In Notre Dame’s case, it’s often been the bad half this year. The offense has not, and that’s another reason the Irish might come away with a win. “Quarterback CJ Carr has been absolutely dynamite. Despite being a redshirt freshman, and despite substandard performance from the offensive line — which has allowed quite a few negative run plays and merely average pressure numbers — he’s 11th in Total QBR. On third-and-7 or more, Notre Dame ranks second nationally with a 44% conversion rate. Carr’s ceiling is spectacularly high,” Connelly wrote.

Carr has been excellent, and the Marcus Freeman defense is rounding into form. If those two things remain true, then the Irish will come away with a win. It’ll also be a significant boost to their resume. And then, barring a late-season collapse (zero ranked opponents await), they will return to the CFP after a title-game berth last year. The metrics seem to favor an Irish win this weekend despite the opponent being quite good.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are currently trying (and mostly being successful) to overcome a dreadful 0-2 start. They missed their chance to get two huge resume wins over top opponents, but what matters now is turning the season around. They’ve arguably done so, as they’re now ranked number 13 after falling to 24. They’ve been able to do so because of the coaching and talent they have. Speaking of that talent, one insider believes four of the top 150 players in the sport reside in South Bend.

Notre Dame has a few players among the best in the sport

Unsurprisingly, Jeremiyah Love is Notre Dame’s best player. He was off to a cold start, but the Fighting Irish RB, like the team, has since rebounded and looks like the player he was supposed to be. As a result, in CBS Sports insider Blake Brockermeyer’s list of the 150 best players, he ranks 28th. “Love’s production was down early this season, but he is starting to break out in a huge way as the Irish offense begins to click. He has exceptional vision and patience, is a weapon as a receiver, and is the best back in the country,” he wrote.

Up next is cornerback Leonard Moore. The secondary has been pretty rough this year. That’s not Moore’s fault, though. “One of the top returning corners when healthy, Moore has missed a few games but has lived up to the hype after a stellar freshman campaign. He has good feet and elite change of direction and excels in man coverage,” Brockermeyer added. He ranked 87th overall.

Edge rusher Boubacar Traore is also having an excellent year. Brockermeyer ranked him 117th, writing, “Twitchy, skilled rusher who can beat blockers with speed, power, and a long-arm technique. Effective off the edge with a strong spin move, a disruptive presence with a relentless motor.” He’s been a crucial piece to what has been a disappointing defense under Marcus Freeman, but again, it’s not Traore’s fault here.

Finally, another Notre Dame running back made the list. Jadarian Price, at 144 overall, just cracked it. “Explosive change-of-pace back with game-breaking speed who can hurt you as easily on special teams as a returner. Shows excellent feet, lateral agility, and is dangerous as a receiver. Would be the No. 1 running back on most teams if not behind Love,” the insider wrote. If the Irish are going to make it, it’ll be on the backs of these players.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have one of the best coaches in college football in Marcus Freeman. They know that, but other programs know that. Namely, a big program that just fired its coach amid a disastrous losing streak in 2025 also knows how good Freeman is. According to reports, Freeman, who is under contract for six seasons, including this one, could be desirable. He’s locked down, but that may not stop one school.

Penn State expected to go hard for Notre Dame coach

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish extended Marcus Freeman, according to ESPN, for six more seasons in December 2024. That doesn’t always matter in college football. Penn State just fired James Franklin not long into a 10-year extension. Now, that opening is one of the best in college football, and it could be Freeman’s job.

Per reporting from On3’s Pete Nakos, the Nittany Lions are expected to take a stab at bringing Freeman over. “Sources have told On3 that Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and Ohio State’s Ryan Day are not serious candidates, but Kraft plans to take a couple of big swings during the hiring process,” Nakos wrote.”One name that Kraft may make a run at is Notre Dame’s, sources have told On3. The 39-year-old head coach is 37-11 in three seasons in South Bend and took the Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff national title game last season.”

Is this likely to actually happen? No. Freeman is well established in South Bend, and he’s got a really good thing going. Heading over to Penn State wouldn’t even be a move forward, necessarily. It might be a better program, but not by a wide margin. It might be a better school to work at, but not by a wide margin. The coach is in a really good spot. Things would have to go awry from here on out for him to consider leaving.

Freeman is currently trying to get his Fighting Irish over an 0-2 start that saw them fall from within the top 10 to ranked 24th. They’re back up to the fringe of the College Football Playoff at number 13. So, unless things go terribly wrong, they will likely get back in the playoffs. That means they’l probably keep Freeman for the foreseeable future.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have another opportunity to continue righting the ship this week against Arkansas. It’s not a bad team that they’re up against, but they’re not ranked, so the Fighting Irish should be able to continue stacking wins to get past their ugly 0-2 start. At least, that’s what two insiders believe is going to happen.

CBS analysts unanimously pick Notre Dame to beat Arkansas

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish probably have to win out to have a shot at the College Football Playoff, but they can only take it one game at a time. Now 1-2, they have a chance to get back to .500 against Arkansas. Two CBS Sports insiders believe they will do just that.

The spread is the Irish by 4.5 points on BetMGM, and the over is 64.5 points according to DraftKings and FanDuel. Chris Hummer wrote, “Take the over. These teams have allowed points in bunches early this season, and I expect that to continue. It’ll be interesting to see how Arkansas responds after back-to-back devastating losses.”

He believes Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is on the hot seat and that a win is crucial to cooling it down, but it might not happen. Can the Razorbacks slow down the Irish backfield? That’s not likely. “The Razorbacks rank 113th nationally in defensive rushing success rate, which is an issue against Jeremiyah Love.”

The Fighting Irish secondary has been bad, though, and might have some trouble this weekend. Still, Hummer picked the Irish to win 38-34. Brad Crawford also believes they’ll win, but 34-27 instead. He wrote, “Are the Razorbacks a sinking ship under Sam Pittman or can this offense with Taylen Green generate enough explosives to make Marcus Freeman and the Irish pull their hair out defensively?”

He admitted that the Irish being ranked still, despite clearly not being an elite team, is because of their brand and the starting point (sixth in preseason AP Poll). The defense has been so porous, but this is a must-win game that should tell everyone a lot about who the Irish are.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a really good defense in 2024 en route to a national title game appearance. In 2025, that defense has arguably been the team’s Achilles heel amid a 1-2 start that has already pushed their 2025 CFP hopes to the brink. Despite that, Marcus Freeman isn’t going to take over playcalling.

Marcus Freeman isn’t going to take over playcalling for Notre Dame defense

Through three games, this Notre Dame defense is clearly not as good as last year’s version. Al Golden, the coordinator, left for the NFL, and in his place, Chris Ash has not been able to replicate the success. Still, Marcus Freeman isn’t taking over playcalling duties on that side of the ball.

“Trust me, I know the definition of insanity and, if that was the case, you’ve got to do what’s best for the program,” Freeman said via ESPN. “That’s not, to me, the issue when I’m evaluating our defensive play. It’s not what we’re calling at this time, or why we’re calling it. It’s why aren’t we executing it?”

He believes that times are certainly tough, but his team has two options: to fight or fly. “Guys that flight blame other people,” he said. He believes it’s foolish to blame the playcall or blame someone else, be it a coach or player, when things go wrong. Deflecting blame helps nothing, but being proactive, fight mode, is accepting a mistake and vowing that it won’t happen again, no matter what.

“We’ve got one of two options, as I told them: ‘We’re going to do this and get our guys better and believe in what we’re doing, or we’ll separate. And if we separate, it’s not going to be good for anybody,'” Freeman went on. “That’s got to trickle down to our players.”

Notre Dame has allowed 97 points in three games. It took them eight weeks to allow that many points last year, so it’s clear where the change has occurred from last year to this year. How much longer Freeman can get by with that sort of performance remains to be seen.

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Last year, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish went to the national championship. This year, they’ve started 1-2 and lost both of their chances to get a resume-defining win. The rest of the schedule is easier, but it doesn’t have a big game on it where a win would catapult them back into the conversation. Nevertheless, Kirk Herbstreit is certain they’ll win out and make it anyway.

Kirk Herbstreit is certain Notre Dame is playoff-bound

If the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lose another game, they can likely kiss a playoff trip goodbye. 9-3 won’t cut it, especially without a conference to win. They would have the chance to get an automatic bid by winning their conference, but as an independent, they have to rely on their resume.

And three losses without any major wins would be enough to leave them out. Fortunately for them, Kirk Herbstreit doesn’t think they’ll lose again. Even if they don’t, it might be hard to get back into the top 12, although Herbstreit disagrees with that idea, too.

Nick Saban admitted that the Fighting Irish have played “the two toughest teams” anyone has had to face, but they’re still 0-2 in those games. With only one ranked opponent left on the schedule, Saban doesn’t see it happening this year.

Herbstreit countered that the visit to Arkansas, as well as the matchup with number 25 USC, will be big wins for their resume. “They’ll finish 10-2, and yes, Notre Dame will be in the playoff at 10-2.” He even said it doesn’t matter what the wins look like, since he believes 10 wins are more than enough to get this team in.

Saban accurately pointed out that the Fighting Irish will need help from other teams. They’ll need some teams who end up on the fringe, ranked in that 10-16 range, to lose games late and fall out of the race to open the door for the Irish.

However, Herbstreit doesn’t even think that is going to play a role here. No matter what, the Irish will be in if they win out. So far, they’re 1-0 in games since this statement, so they’re off to a good start, but they absolutely cannot afford a slip-up. Otherwise, they’ll be sitting at home during the College Football Playoff, and they’ll make a liar out of Kirk Herbstreit.

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In 2024, Notre Dame had a dependable quarterback in Riley Leonard and a solid secondary backing a very stout defense. With Leonard gone, the idea was that any struggles might come from an inexperienced and not as good as Leonard QB. But instead, the quarterback position has been good, and that secondary has not been.

ESPN insider reveals real issue facing 2025 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish temporarily stopped the bleeding this weekend. After suffering a stunning collapse in the national rankings (going from sixth to 24th) with two heartbreaking losses, the Fighting Irish finally got a win.

They dominated Purdue by 26 points, covering the 24.5-point spread as well. But what happened there was still pretty emblematic of what’s happened to the Irish this season. They got good QB play, but the secondary really struggled.

ESPN’s David Hale wrote, “When the season opened, the biggest question looming over Notre Dame was at quarterback. It took until late in fall camp before CJ Carr won the job, and the Irish — fresh off a trip to the national championship game — might’ve reasonably been concerned about putting their fate in the hands of a QB with no starting experience.”

But as it turns out, Carr has been just “fine” so far, and he added 223 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout win Saturday. But the “Achilles’ heel” resurfaced in the form of “the area the Irish might’ve felt best about: the secondary.”

The Boilermakers still threw for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns in the loss, and the defensive backs the Irish ran out really had no answers and couldn’t adapt. “Notre Dame might have its QB1, but the job now is stopping the other team’s quarterback,” Hale wrote in conclusion.

The Irish were expected to have a dominant defense this year, but losing coordinator Al Golden has proven to be a huge loss. Even head coach Marcus Freeman admitted that he plans to get more involved on that side of the ball to help fix things, but even in a win, defensive issues popped up. It seems to all circle back to a porous secondary, something that could hamper the Irish all season.

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had an absolutely brutal start to the season. As the sixth-ranked team in the nation, they lost to two top-10 squads by a combined four points. Can they get back on track this week? One former player believes they absolutely will, and in epic fashion.

Geoff Schwartz picks Notre Dame to win big

The line between Notre Dame and Purdue is a whopping 24.5 points. One might be tempted to consider the Boilermakers to cover since the Fighting Irish are 0-2, but Geoff Schwartz, a former player himself, thinks that won’t come into play.

“Notre Dame is 0-2 and ready to take its anger out on this Purdue team,” he wrote per FOX Sports. That 0-2 record is a little misleading, since they lost by three and one point to two different top-10 future playoff teams.

“The Irish lost by three on the final play against Miami and then lost by one to Texas A&M on the final play of the game last Saturday night,” Schwartz went on. “Both of their losses came to teams ranked in the top 20 in efficiency.”

In that metric, Purdue is ranked 78th. They may have had a decent showing against USC, but they committed too many turnovers, something the Irish will punish them for. “Notre Dame is far better than USC at nearly every position and the Irish should be able to impose their will,” Schwartz wrote.

He believes it’s a “simple handicap” game in which the Irish will “welcome” a chance to play a lesser team and get back on track. After an emotional letdown against USC, Schwartz doesn’t think the Boilermakers will be able to keep up, thereby letting the Irish not only win but cover the 24.5-point line that oddsmakers have set.

The Irish face an uphill battle to even get back into the playoff conversation after making the title game in 2024, but this weekend is a chance for them to get back on track and at least temporarily stop the bleeding and potentially move back up in the AP Top 25.

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Last year, Will Howard won the CFP National Championship with Ohio State, but he was almost a member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The QB recently revealed that he was very close to signing before Riley Leonard became the QB1 in South Bend. Things might have turned out very differently had that transpired.

Will Howard nearly signed with Notre Dame over Ohio State

Will Howard could’ve been the Notre Dame Fighting Irish QB last year. Instead, in a cruel twist of fate, he was on the other sideline when Notre Dame fell in the College Football Playoff championship. Riley Leonard was under center for the Fighting Irish instead. That resulted in a 34-23 loss for Notre Dame in their first chance at a title in several years.

Howard said on The Scarlet and Gray Podcast, “I thought I was going to end up at Notre Dame. A lot of people don’t know this, this was very under wraps. They ended up signing Riley [Leonard] right before I was about to commit. I was about to commit that day, I call my agent and he’s like, ‘Sorry.'”

The move to sign Leonard came as a big surprise to Howard, who admitted that it p****d him off. “People didn’t know that had happened going into the National Championship,” Howard added. “The general manager was standing on the sideline when we were warming up, and I was just staring daggers through him.”

Ohio State also had reported interest in Leonard beforehand, so it’s reasonable to think there could’ve been a reality where last year’s CFP title game was played with the QBs on opposite sides. Howard led the Buckeyes to their first title since 2014, and Leonard came up short.

In that game, Howard was 17/21 with 231 passing yards and two touchdowns. On the other side, Leonard went 22/31 with 255 yards and two touchdowns (and added one on the ground), so it’s not as if either side got an excellent or horrible game from their QB. The difference really came down to the rushing offense, where OSU ran for 214 yards (5.2 yards per clip) to Notre Dame’s 53.

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Notre Dame has not gotten off to the start it imagined. Hailed as a legitimate 2025 CFP contender, the Fighting Irish opened the season ranked sixth in the nation. After two heartbreaking losses, they’re now ranked 24th, well outside the College Football Playoff, which might prompt Marcus Freeman to get more involved on the defensive side of the ball.

Amid rough start, Notre Dame coach aiming for defensive guidance

The Fighting Irish have lost their two games to top-10 opponents by four combined points. In one game, they yielded 41 points to the Texas A&M Aggies, and that might spark a renewed interest in the defensive coaching by Marcus Freeman.

“I spend a lot of time with our defense, that’s obviously where my background is, and I’ll continuously do it,” the coach said via ESPN. “Will I spend more time? Maybe. If that’s what’s necessary, I will, I’ll spend more time there. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure that we improve and we have a performance that we believe is the standard for Notre Dame football.”

Following a national championship berth in 2024, Notre Dame was poised for more in 2025. Unfortunately, they now face an uphill battle just to get into the playoff at all. As an independent, they do not have a conference they can win to guarantee a bid.

The Fighting Irish had one of the nation’s best defenses last year, only allowing 15.5 points per game. This year, that has ballooned to 34 points per game. They’re also allowing 413.5 yards per game. The defense has taken a major hit.

The coach wants to cut down on allowing explosive (20+ yards) plays, admitting that that has been the Achilles heel so far. “We’ve had to figure out why those explosive plays occurred,” Freeman added. “I could get up here and say it’s execution, and it is. But what does a lack of execution come down to? … It falls on us as coaches to make sure our guys can execute.”

Last year, Al Golden coordinated the defense and won the award for the nation’s top assistant. He parlayed that into a role as the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. In came Chris Ash, who for now retains playcalling duties on the defensive side of the ball.

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Notre Dame has named a starting quarterback before their season opener against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on Aug. 31.

The Irish had a tight quarterback battle between redshirt freshman CJ Carr and sophomore Kenny Minchey this summer. The program appeared to be trending toward naming Minchey as the starter last week, as he adds an extra element as a runner for offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock.

Per Nick Schultz of On3, the Irish are naming Carr as the starting quarterback.

After a quarterback competition that went into training camp, Notre Dame has its quarterback. CJ Carr will be the Fighting Irish’s starting QB this year,” Schultz wrote.

“Carr battled against Kenny Minchey during spring ball, and Marcus Freeman said the competition would continue into camp. Ultimately, the redshirt freshman won out and will get the nod under center when Notre Dame takes on Miami in Week 1.”

Notre Dame makes a controversial decision on CJ Carr

The Irish are making a controversial decision to go with the less athletic quarterback before facing two top 25 teams with great defensive lines to begin the season in Miami and Texas A&M. Carr will have to deal with pressure early to keep the team’s hopes alive for a second consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Carr struggled early in training camp, but the Irish believe in his skills as a passer to help the team stay competitive in the CFP race. The Irish have a strong running game with Jeremiyah Love, and they need a threat to push the ball downfield in the passing game.

Still, Denbrock has been successful in recent history with quarterbacks like Jayden Daniels (who won the Heisman Trophy in 2023) and Riley Leonard, who were running threats. Minchey is the best option out of the backfield.

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Notre Dame is down two more players before their season opener against Miami at Hard Stadium on Aug. 31.

Per the Irish, freshman running back Kedren Young and graduate tight end Kevin Bauman suffered season-ending injuries during training camp.

“Kedren Young (right knee, anterior cruciate ligament tear) and Kevin Bauman (left knee, articular cartilage injury) sustained injuries during preseason practice,” The Irish posted on X. “The injuries will subsequently require surgery and force them to miss the remainder of the 2025 season.”

Kedren Young (right knee, anterior cruciate ligament tear) and Kevin Bauman (left knee, articular cartilage injury) sustained injuries during preseason practice. The injuries will subsequently require surgery and force them to miss the remainder of the 2025 season.

— Notre Dame Football PR Team (@NDFootballPR) August 9, 2025

Notre Dame RB out for season

Young, a five-foot-11 running back from Lukin, Texas, rushed 21 times for 116 yards and a touchdown in 2024. He was listed fourth on the depth chart behind Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, and Aneyas Williams.

The Irish have depth issues at running back and tight end amid the injuries. Tight end Cooper Flanagan was dealing with an injury before Bauman’s issue.

Bauman, a senior from Red Bank, New Jersey, caught one pass for eight yards last season. He dealt with injuries in 2022 and 2023. He mostly played on special teams last season, and his loss is a blow to the unit for 2025.

The Irish are down to Eli Raridon, Jack Larson, and Ty Washington at tight end with three weeks to go before the season opener.

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Marcus Freeman plans to waste no time getting his starting quarterback prepared to lead Notre Dame against Miami at Hard Rock Stadium on Aug. 31. The fourth-year head coach wants to get CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey up to speed in training camp before starting the season against the Hurricanes and Texas A&M.

During an appearance on the “Unsportsmanlike” podcast, Freeman said that he’s planning to change up the format of training camp this summer so his inexperienced quarterbacks can get a game-like feel before the Irish play Miami.

Marcus Freeman is making some changes this summer

“I think every year you have a foundation for how you want to prepare in training camp,” Freeman said on Thursday. “And that foundation hasn’t changed over my four years as a head coach. But each year you modify your practices and what you’re doing based off what your team needs, what this group of talent needs to make sure we’re ready to go for week one.

“We have two guys that are battling for this quarterback position, and neither of them have true game starting experience. And so we have to find unique ways to create, to get them some of that experience in training camp. And so we have to be intentional about some unscripted periods.”

Notre Dame needs their quarterbacks to look experienced quickly

Freeman believes the quarterback competition during training camp will make the team better. He suggested that the defense will be throwing a lot of different things at Carr and Minchey this summer, so they enter the season battle-tested before they play a defense that has College Football Playoff aspirations.

“They have to make decisions,” Freeman said. “They have to see some things they haven’t seen. And they got to kind of understand the pressure that it’s going to happen when game one’s coming. And we got to find ways to do that in practice. And so I’m looking forward to it. I love competition.

“I think, you know, it’s truly going to make the entire team better, especially those two quarterbacks. But we’ll be unique a little bit in our training camp.”

It took Riley Leonard a couple of games to become acclimated to the Irish offense last year. The Irish scored just 37 points in their first two contests with an experienced senior quarterback who transferred from Duke.

This year, Carr or Minchey are trying to continue the success of a program that reached the national championship game by starting out against two talented defenses that can get pressure with their front seven.

Fortunately, the Irish’s defense should be a formidable challenge and teacher in camp.

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Notre Dame hasn’t named a starting quarterback before their season opener at Miami on Aug. 31, but whoever starts for them has big shoes to fill for Riley Leonard, who led the Fighting Irish to a 14-win season and a berth in the national title game in January.

The quarterback battle for August will be between CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. Irish head coach Marcus Freeman may have recently hinted at where the battle is going before training camp.

The X-factor for the Notre Dame 2025 season revealed

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach named the X-factor for the Irish entering the upcoming season. He thinks how Carr handles the pressure this fall will determine if the team plays in the College Football Playoff or a bowl game.

“Carr hasn’t attempted a pass in a game yet at Notre Dame, but the quarterback is facing lofty expectations heading into the 2025 season,” Schlabach wrote. “Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, is still locked in a battle with Kenny Minchey for the starting job. Last year’s backup, Steve Angeli, transferred to Syracuse.

“After redshirting last year because of an elbow injury in his throwing arm, Carr performed well in spring practice. He appears to be the player to beat. The Saline, Michigan, native was ranked the No. 2 pocket passer in the Class of 2024, according to ESPN.

“With running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price returning, along with a good offensive line, the Irish might not need much from Carr. But he’ll have to avoid turnovers and make good decisions while running the offense.”

No margin for error to begin the season

Carr won’t have much margin for error if he begins the season as the starter. The Irish begin the season at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami in Week 1 before playing two weeks later at home against one of the toughest defenses in the nation, the Texas A&M Aggies.

The schedule mellows from there, allowing for Carr or Minchey to catch their breath. But the damage can be done to the Irish’s CFP hopes if the team lays eggs in both contests.

Fortunately, the Irish have plenty of weapons to take some of the pressure off the quarterback. As Schlabach notes, Love and Price will be helpful in the backfield.

Wide receiver should be a plus as well, as Jaden Greenhouse had a phenomenal run in the CFP last season and should be an anchor on offense in 2025.

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The July 4th holiday weekend turned into a nightmare for a Notre Dame starter before his sophomore season.

Offensive lineman Charles Jagusah suffered a torn pec last August, forcing him to miss the entire regular season. He made a return to the field in the Fighting Irish’s win over Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinal and played in the CFP national championship loss to Ohio State.

The Irish were expecting Jagusah to start at right guard in the upcoming season. However, a UTV accident in Wyoming on Saturday could force the team to find another starter in training camp this summer.

Notre Dame OL Charles Jagusah suffered an injury

Per an announcement by the Irish’s PR team, Jagusah had to have surgery to repair a fracture of his left humerus.

“Sophomore OL Charles Jagusah was injured in a UTV accident in Wyoming on July 5th,” the Irish posted on X. “He has undergone surgery to repair a fracture of his left humerus. The initial prognosis is favorable, and he will return to campus early this week for further evaluation and continued care.”

Sophomore OL Charles Jagusah was injured in a UTV accident in Wyoming on July 5th. He has undergone surgery to repair a fracture of his left humerus. The initial prognosis is favorable, and he will return to campus early this week for further evaluation and continued care.

— Notre Dame Football PR Team (@NDFootballPR) July 6, 2025

Fortunately, the prognosis is favorable, but it appears unlikely that he will recover in time for the team’s biggest tests of the season against Miami on Aug. 31 and Texas A&M on Sept. 13.

Per OurLads, six-foot-six, 330-pound sophomore Chris Terek is listed as the No. 2 right guard behind Jagusah.

The Irish were already dealing with significant preseason injury issues. Pass rusher Jordan Botelho suffered a pectoral injury during a workout off campus in June.

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Injuries to the Notre Dame defensive line showed up in the national championship. The Fighting Irish could have used defensive end Boubacar Traore and defensive tackle Rylie Mills to stop an elite Ohio State offense in January.

Mills and Howard Cross III are no longer with the program, and the Irish need players on the defensive line to step up for the upcoming season. In June, the Irish received bad news that defensive end Jordan Botelho will miss the beginning of the season due to a pectoral injury he suffered off campus.

Bryce Young named a “sleeper” for 2025

In an article by ESPN on what “sleeper” players could have breakout seasons in 2025, Mark Schlabach named defensive end Bryce Young as a pass rusher who could make an impact for the Irish like his father, Bryant Young, did from 1989-1993.

“With Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III leaving for the NFL, the Fighting Irish are looking for another player who can rush the quarterback,” Schlabach wrote. “The answer might be sophomore Bryce Young, who certainly looks the part at 6 feet, 7 inches and 273 pounds. Last season, he played in all 16 games and had 23 tackles with a team-high three blocked kicks.

“Young has the right potential too. His father, Bryant Young, was an All-American at Notre Dame and a Pro Football Hall of Famer after a standout career with the 49ers. His mother, Kristin, ran track and field for the Fighting Irish.”

Notre Dame needs someone to step up on the DL in 2025

Young recorded 1.5 sacks in 2024, including one in the College Football Playoff first round against Indiana. He recorded four tackles in the Irish’s 27-24 win over Penn State in the CFP semifinal.

Per Ourlads, Young is listed as the No. 2 left defensive end behind junior DL Joshua Burnham, who finished 2024 with two sacks and 16 total tackles. Young vs. Burnham could be an intriguing battle to watch in training camp this summer.

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A former Notre Dame defensive tackle who went on to play in the NFL for nine seasons died.

Per a post on Facebook by his family, Oliver Gibson died. The cause of death was not revealed. He was 53.

Gibson was a standout high school player at Romeoville High School in Illinois. He earned USA Today’s Defensive Player of the Year honor in 1989 before going to play for the Fighting Irish.

Following his career in South Bend, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Gibson in the fourth round of the 1995 draft. He had stops with the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his nine-year NFL career.

Gibson played in 133 games and started in 57 games. He made 243 tackles, 17.5 sacks, one interception, and three fumble recoveries during his time in the league.

Fans remember former Notre Dame DT Oliver Gibson

People around the NFL and Fighting Irish community remembered Gibson following the news of his death.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Oliver Gibson. We send our condolences to his family and friends,” posted the Fighting Irish football team.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Oliver Gibson. We send our condolences to his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/Saz7l8Xwnq

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) June 30, 2025

“Losing our brother Oliver Gibson is (heartbreaking). OG exemplified, “Teammates are forever!” He always stayed in touched, made sure guys were alright & consistently scheduled reunions. Our thoughts & prayers are with the Gibson family. OG will never be forgotten, he impacted so many of us,” posted Holtz’s Heroes Foundation.

Losing our brother Oliver Gibson is . OG exemplified, “Teammates are forever!” He always stayed in touched, made sure guys were alright & consistently scheduled reunions. Our thoughts & prayers are with the Gibson family. OG will never be forgotten, he impacted so many of us. pic.twitter.com/4ECpbxlp9b

— Holtz's Heroes Foundation (@HoltzHeroes) June 29, 2025

“RIP to my brother OliverGibson You will be greatly missed bro . RIP,” posted Irv Smith.

“So sad to hear this. Thoughts are with Oliver’s family and friends,” posted another.

“wow, i went to romeo with him. just awesome guy and we loved the irish,” wrote a fan.

“Devastated to hear of the passing of one of my favorite Chicago area players Oliver Gibson. 1989 USA today DPOY. Romeoville HS, IL, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals. Wonderful young man, team leader with a great personality. Oliver is on the left. RIP,” posted Tom Lemming.

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During the pregame conference before the Orange Bowl, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman didn’t appear too pleased as Penn State head coach James Franklin took a needless shot at his College Football Playoff semifinal opponent, arguing that all teams in the sport needed to join a conference.

Complaints about the Irish not being a conference were a theme throughout the CFP.

Marcus Freeman is open to joining a conference

Months later, Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman acknowledged that the program might eventually have to join a conference, and he believes athletic director Pete Bevacqua would do what it takes to keep the Irish relevant in football.

“I think that’s what I talked about earlier, is that it’s what this football program was built from,” Freeman said Monday on The Joe Klatt Show of the school’s independence. “And as long as we can, we will, right? And I have a lot of confidence in our administration and Pete Bavacqua, our AD, that he’ll always keep us in a position to be successful.

“So as long as we can keep that independence, we will. But if there ever comes a time that we are at a disadvantage because we’re not in a conference, I’m sure he’ll make the decision along with our president to say, all right, we’re going to join one of these conferences and position ourselves to not be negatively impacted by being independent.”

The Irish have joined a conference out of necessity before, playing with the ACC during the COVID-19 pandemic, the only season UND has not been independent in football.

Notre Dame could be forced to join a conference

Freeman thinks it’s possible conferences would eventually freeze the Irish out of the CFP if they remain independent.

“Because (if) the Big Ten or the SEC are saying, we’re going to play nine games, and we’ll play a crossover game, and who cares about Notre Dame? Well, then I think there’s going to be a point where we may be forced to join a conference,” Freeman said.

“But until that point happens, which it doesn’t look likely, we’re going to stay independent as long as we can.”

Freeman thinks college football may transition to a super league, where all teams become independent. That would be preferable to playing a small league where the conference championship becomes more important than the national championship, as we’ve heard from SEC coaches in recent years.

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Notre Dame was one of the big winners in the transfer portal last season. The addition of quarterback Riley Leonard, wide receiver Beaux Collins, and kicker Mitch Jeter helped power the Irish to an appearance in the national championship.

Transfer portal abuse, such as leaving a program multiple times in a college career and going to the highest bidder for an NIL paycheck has come under fire from multiple coaching icons such as Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney.

During an appearance on The Joe Klatt Show on Monday, Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman answered a question as to what college football needed to do to keep its best head coaches from running to the NFL for stability. In recent history, we saw Jeff Hafley leave the head coaching position at Boston College for a defensive coordinator job with the Green Bay Packers.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman dealt with adversity

Freeman thinks the current system is running assistants and head coaches ragged. He believes the college needs to change the transfer system so that players have to learn to overcome obstacles instead of fleeing for greener pastures each year, something he had to deal with during his time at Ohio State.

“But I think, how do we continue to have a college football structure that helps young people continuously become self-sufficient? I think back to my time at Ohio State,” Freeman said. “I was a pretty big recruit. And there was a thought in my head, ‘I’m gonna walk in here and start.’ Well, you got three linebackers. Two of them were first-round picks: AJ Hawk, Bobby Carpenter. Another one was a third-round pick, Anthony Schlegel.

“I wasn’t good enough to start, and I had to learn for two years to embrace my role, and to continue to work, even though I wasn’t playing as much as I wanted. How do I, as an individual, just take advantage of my opportunities to get better? That’s how you become self-sufficient. You overcome challenges.”

Freeman believes in overcoming obstacles

Freeman hinted that he believes it should be harder for players to transfer as freely and often as they do under the current system, and rules should be put in place to enforce that type of structure.

“There was no thought for me to get up and go somewhere else, and that’s the greatest thing that I had to learn to do. Stay there, overcome some adversity, take advantage of the opportunities that I got, graduate, get a degree.

“I just don’t want a structure that’s created, when things get hard, it’s just so easy to pick up and go somewhere else. I think it’s important that we create rules and some type of structure that continues to promote self-sufficiency for young people and overcome obstacles.”

Freeman joined the Buckeyes in 2004 but didn’t become a starter until 2006. His hard work and patience at OSU paid off when the Chicago Bears selected him in the fifth round of the 2009 draft.

Of course, there are other examples of players who needed to transfer to further their career, like when Troy Aikman transferred from Oklahoma to UCLA before becoming the No. 1 pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 1989.

The answer isn’t to do away with the transfer portal completely, but like the NIL, there needs to be regulation that can benefit student athletes in a complex era of college sports.

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The Notre Dame football team suffered a couple of key preseason injuries in 2024 and throughout the season.

While the Irish fought through significant injuries to the offensive line, defensive line, and secondary, the losses of Boubacar Traore, Charles Jaguar, Benjamin Morrison, and Rylie Mills were felt during the loss in the national championship to Ohio State.

On Friday, the Irish had frustrating preseason news to offer in 2025.

Notre Dame loses a DE to a pectoral injury

Per Matt Freeman of Irish Sports Daily, defensive end Jordan Botelho suffered a pectoral injury during a workoff that occurred off campus. Botelho, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Purdue last September, was cleared for summer workouts.

“However, his (Botelho’s) return will now be delayed after suffering a pectoral injury during offseason training away from campus,” Freeman wrote. “Botelho underwent surgery last week, and according to a source, his recovery is expected to take approximately four months.

“The 6-foot-3, 261-pounder recorded 12 tackles and a sack in just 2.5 games last season and appeared to be on a path toward the NFL before the injury.”

Boubacar Traore has a big opportunity with Jordan Botelho out

The timeline means Botelho is expected to miss key games against Miami on Aug. 31 and Texas A&M on Sept. 13.

Botelho, a senior from Honolulu, Hawaii, has appeared in 50 games for the Irish since 2020. He has recorded 77 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and 15 tackles for loss during his five seasons.

Per Our Lads, Boubacar Traore was listed behind Botelho on the depth chart. The sophomore from Boston has recorded 10 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles, and one Interception during his first two years in South Bend.

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In May, a report via Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde claimed that the annual rivalry between Notre Dame and USC was in peril. The only contest currently scheduled between the two schools will happen on Oct. 18.

While the Irish want the rivalry on the books every year, the Trojans are worried that the game will make it harder for their program to reach the College Football Playoff, especially since the school joined the Big Ten before 2024.

The Trojans went 7-6 last season and went 4-5 in conference play.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley is scared to play Notre Dame

USC head coach Lincoln Riley hasn’t had the success he envisioned when he signed a 10-year, $110 million deal in 2023. He’s gone 26-10 with the Trojans and is 1-2 against the Irish.

In his mailbag this week for The Athletic, Pete Sampson slammed Riley for being too scared to face the Irish yearly. While not playing a blue-blood program in the greatest intersectional rivalry in the sport might improve USC’s chances of making the CFP, it hurts Riley’s credibility as an elite coach.

“The Trojans need a win over the Irish to validate Riley’s project, which feels tenuous at best,” Sampson wrote. “Too many cautious programs and coaches worry about the schedule being too hard. They should spend more time on the upside of winning signature games.

“Marcus Freeman has already proved himself that way, not just by beating USC but by making the CFP run. Riley is much less defined, but a potential win over Notre Dame may change the perceptions around USC. He just needs to have the constitution to take on that challenge. It’s not clear that he does.”

USC sold its soul to hire Riley and then join the Big Ten. Now the Trojans and Riley are willing to throw away tradition because they know Riley is incapable of having the type of success Pete Carroll enjoyed at the Irish’s and college football’s expense.

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Following the national championship loss to Ohio State in January, Notre Dame appeared to have a quarterback battle brewing between CJ Carr and Steve Angeli. Angeli is no longer in the mix after junior transferred to Syracuse this spring.

The race is now between freshman CJ Carr and sophomore Kenny Minchey, and it appears one name is at the top of head coach Marcus Freeman’s brain before training camp begins.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman drops QB1 clue

Pete Sampson of The Athletic detailed Freeman’s path this offseason. He’s been busy meeting with consultants. The fourth-year head coach of Notre Dame met with Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni to learn how the Eagles were able to win a Super Bowl in February after a heartbreaking loss two years prior.

Freman also met with “a group of sports analytics experts” to find out how the Irish can call a game more efficiently in 2025. The goal for Notre Dame’s offense is to make attempts on fourth down easier to achieve. Freeman is admittedly thinking about designing the offense for Minchey, which will have to be called differently than when Riley Leonard was under center.

“I wanted to be like, ‘I like your book and all those things, and thanks for the compliments, but the reason we went for it on fourth down was because of the confidence we had in getting that first down.’ ” Freeman said via The Athletic.

“And so, I sat with the offense and said, “OK, Kenny Minchey isn’t the running quarterback that Riley Leonard was — how do we create that confidence in the head coach that we can sequence things on third down, knowing that we’re going to go for it on fourth down?”

Kenny Minchey has to prove it in training camp

While Freeman stopped short of naming Minchey the starter, the six-foot-two, 219-pound quarterback was the name that came to mind as the starter during the fourth-down conversion scenario. And it’s who the analysts were thinking about designing an efficient offense for.

Minchey was a four-star prospect (14th QB overall) in the class of 2023, per 247 Sports. The native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, has completed three passes on three attempts for 16 yards in his first two seasons with Notre Dame. He’s added two carries for 12 yards and a touchdown during that span.

Carr, a redshirt freshman in 2024, has no stats.

While Minchey needs to prove he’s the best quarterback in training camp, it seems the job might be his to lose before the Irish kickoff the regular season on the road against Miami on Aug. 31 at 6:30 p.m. CST on ABC.

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Notre Dame football has seen a couple of key names enter the transfer portal this week after spring ball concluded. The biggest news came when quarterback Steve Angeli chose to enter the transfer portal after a quarterback battle this spring.

Angeli helped the Irish on their run in the College Football Playoff, leading the team to a much-needed field goal in the CFP semifinals when Riley Leonard suffered an injury. The junior appeared to be beaten out by CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey during the three-way QB battle this spring.

Notre Dame football loses a legacy name

One big-time NFL legacy name entered the transfer portal.

Safety Kennedy Urlacher, the son of Chicago Bears legend Brian Urlacher, is choosing to leave the program after one year with the Irish. The five-foot-11, 196-pound defensive back appeared in eight games in 2024.

Kennedy recorded 12 tackles, one fumble recovery, and one pass defensed in his freshman year.

Per Hayes Fawcett of On3, Urlacher committed to USC.

“BREAKING: Notre Dame transfer Safety Kennedy Urlacher has Committed to USC, he tells  @on3sports,” Fawcett wrote. “The 5’11 200 S will have 3 years of eligibility remaining. He’s the Son of NFL Hall of Fame LB Brian Urlacher.”

BREAKING: Notre Dame transfer Safety Kennedy Urlacher has Committed to USC, he tells @on3sports

The 5’11 200 S will have 3 years of eligibility remaining

He’s the Son of NFL Hall of Fame LB Brian Urlacherhttps://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/AmHes99hGk

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 19, 2025

Per 24/7 Sports, Kennedy was a three-star recruit out of Chandler High School in Arizona.

The Irish have strong depth in the secondary, and Urlacher’s decision to transfer is probably best for both parties. But going to USC is a choice.

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Notre Dame football entered spring ball looking to narrow down its three-way quarterback race. The Irish had a difficult task in trying to find a replacement for Riley Leonard, who is headed to the NFL after leading Notre Dame to an appearance in the College Football Playoff national championship.

Earlier this spring, ESPN’s David Hale suggested the quarterback battle between CJ Carr and Steve Angeli would be among the most-watched battles in college football this spring.

“Marcus Freeman likes what he has to work with at the position,” Hale wrote. “But after two straight years with veteran QBs, Notre Dame will turn to someone without much playing time under his belt in 2025. Who? Well, that’s the big question. Steve Angeli has a leg up based on experience — even though he doesn’t have much of it — but redshirt freshman CJ Carr has a chance to be special.

“The battle to see who leads the offense will be among the most watched in all of college football, and finding the right answer might be the biggest obstacle between now and another playoff bid for Notre Dame.”

Notre Dame Football is set to lose a QB

One name Hale forgot to mention was sophomore Kenny Minchey. It appears Minchey and Carr beat out Angeli.

Per Pete Nakos with On3, Anegli is set to hit the transfer portal and could be an option for Tennessee.

“Notre Dame quarterback Steve Angeli is entering the transfer portal, a source told On3 on Thursday afternoon,” Nakos wrote. “With one season of eligibility remaining, the grad transfer will be one of the top available quarterbacks in the spring portal market.

“Angeli’s portal entry comes as Tennessee evaluates the quarterback market following their public divorce with Nico Iamaleava. Sources told On3 that the Volunteers will evaluate Angeli, but Tennessee continues to wait to see how the quarterback market develops.”

Is Steve Angeli the right fit for Tennessee?

Intel: https://t.co/PosQpMWrUI https://t.co/Pe8WXbMePT pic.twitter.com/2mU4LYLAmR

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) April 17, 2025

Steve Angeli played a crucial role in the CFP run

Angeli started in Notre Dame’s win in the Sun Bowl against Oregon State in 2023. He played a crucial role in leading the Irish down the field to score a field goal at the end of the first half of their 27-24 win over Penn State in the CFP Semifinal when Leonard was out with an injury.

Angeli threw for 504 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception in 2023. He added 268 passing yards and three touchdowns in 2024.

The junior from Westfield, New Jersey, should be a hot name in the transfer market this spring.

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Notre Dame football came up eight points short of Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national championship. The Irish overcame plenty of injury obstacles from training camp through the CFP to make it to the title game.

Senior quarterback Riley Leonard struggled in the early part of the season, but his heroics after Northern Illinois upset Notre Dame 16-14 in Week 2 propelled the Irish to a 14-2 record. With Leonard headed to the 2025 NFL Draft, the Irish have a big decision to make at quarterback for the upcoming season.

Notre Dame football’s biggest obstacle in 2025

Per David Hale of ESPN, Notre Dame’s QB1 choice between CJ Carr and Steve Angeli will be among the most-watched battles in college football this summer. Hale listed quarterback as a weakness for Notre Dame. QB1 is the Irish’s top obstacle keeping them from making another run to the CFP.

“Marcus Freeman likes what he has to work with at the position,” Hale wrote. “But after two straight years with veteran QBs, Notre Dame will turn to someone without much playing time under his belt in 2025. Who? Well, that’s the big question. Steve Angeli has a leg up based on experience — even though he doesn’t have much of it — but redshirt freshman CJ Carr has a chance to be special.

“The battle to see who leads the offense will be among the most watched in all of college football, and finding the right answer might be the biggest obstacle between now and another playoff bid for Notre Dame.”

The Irish need the secondary to remain elite

Despite the Irish losing Xavier Watts and Benjamin Morrison to the NFL in 2025, Hale thinks the secondary will be Notre Dame’s strength in the upcoming season.

“Losing Xavier Watts and Benjamin Morrison might be a huge red flag at a lot of schools,” Hale wrote. “Not at Notre Dame, where the defensive backfield remains elite. Start with sophomore corner Leonard Moore, who established himself as one of the top young prospects in the country last season, allowing less than 40% completions and racking up 11 pass breakups and two picks.

“Christian Gray was a solid performer on the other side, while Adon Shuler blossomed at safety. Notre Dame added a solid option at safety in Virginia Tech transfer Jalen Stroman. The back end of the defense should be the strength of this unit, just as it was a year ago.”

Notre Dame’s defense did just enough to lead the team to the CFP national championship game but was unable to stop Ohio State early enough in the game to give the Irish their first national title since 1988. The Irish defense should be good enough to get the program to the CFP in 2025.

However, it’ll take a special quarterback to score enough points to win a national championship.

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The Chicago Bears added two pieces to their offense this week before free agency is even set to begin on March 12. The Bears’ trades cannot be finalized until the league new year begins on March 12, but they agreed to trade for offensive guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney.

The Bears still need help at center, an upgrade at left tackle, running back, a TE2, and a WR3 on the offensive side of the ball.

There are plenty of options for tight ends in the draft (or on the trade market), but the Bears want to add to the position in free agency.

The Chicago Bears are “targeting” a TE well known to Cole Kmet

Per ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler, the Bears are targeting Durham Smythe, a tight end who is familiar with new head coach Ben Johnson and tight end Cole Kmet.

“The Bears are indeed targeting free agent TE Durham Smythe, per sources,” Fowler wrote. “Seven-year Dolphin overlapped with Ben Johnson in 2018.”

The #Bears are indeed targeting free agent TE Durham Smythe, per sources. Seven-year Dolphin overlapped with Ben Johnson in 2018. https://t.co/whDj7KwV1i

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 6, 2025

Smythe played for the Notre Dame from 2013-2017, overlapping with Kmet in 2017. The Dolphins selected Smythe in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

The six-foot-six, 246-pound tight end has appeared in 112 games and started 74. He’s caught 132 passes for 1,228 yards, and three touchdowns. Unsurprisingly, Smythe isn’t best known for being a receiving tight end. He was used as a blocker for Miami.

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Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was asked about the Chicago Bears‘ request to interview him once his season is over during the College Football Playoff national championship media day press conference on Saturday.

No. 7 seed Notre Dame is set to take on No. 8 Ohio State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday night. Freeman’s focus should be on trying to earn the Irish the program’s first title since 1988.

The Chicago Bears are “enamored” with Marcus Freeman

Freeman and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden have received interest from the NFL during their CFP run. Golden is expected to be a finalist for the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator job.

CEO Kevin Warren is reportedly “enamored” with Freeman despite the third-year head coach having signed a contract extension with Notre Dame in December that will pay the 39-year-old approximately $9 million per year.

Freeman is “humbled” by the Bears’ request

In an answer to a reporter’s question on Saturday, Freeman did not rule out speaking with the Bears after the national championship, saying he was humbled by Chicago’s interest. However, he said the NFL was not his focus before Monday night.

“The reality is, with team success comes individual recognition,” Freeman said, per video by Marcus Hartman of Dayton Daily News. “To hear that the Bears have interest, it’s humbling. It’s the NFL. It’s also a reminder that with team success comes individual success. I have put zero thought into coaching in the NFL. All my attention has just been getting this team prepared.”

Marcus Freeman on getting interest from NFL teams pic.twitter.com/RRdTTConVz

— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) January 18, 2025

That’s certainly not a “no” answer.

Notre Dame Football DC Al Golden gave a similar answer

Freeman’s answer appears to have come directly from the PR department. His answer mirrored Golden’s.

“It’s humbling that your name is mentioned because of team success,” Golden said via Jeremy Rauch of Fox 19. “But, not the time or place.”

One would expect Golden to take an interview with the Bengals next week. Based on Freeman’s response, Chicago should add another interview check mark to their board after the CFP national championship.

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The post Chicago Bears receive hopeful message from Marcus Freeman appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Notre Dame football team is preparing for its first national title appearance since the 2012 season. The Irish have not won a championship since 1988, which was a few seasons after the Chicago Bears last won a Super Bowl.

No. 7 seed Notre Dame will take on No. 8 Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Jan. 20.  The shorthanded Irish need to focus in preparation this week before they take on a $20 million roster in Atlanta.

The Chicago Bears want to interview Marcus Freeman

The Fighting Irish were served a major distraction on Sunday morning. Per the NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero, the Bears want to interview the 39-year-old coach.

“I am told the team wants to interview Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman for the job,” Pelissero said. “Freeman is in the midst of a magical run with the Fighting Irish to the national championship game. Obviously unlikely that he would entertain NFL overtures prior to that game a week from tomorrow against Ohio State, but the Bears have done extensive research for months on Marcus Freeman. He’s only 39 years old. Would not be a shock if at some point he at least considers going to the NFL.”

The Bears are looking to interview Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman for their HC opening, per @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/fjujUFyVKW

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 12, 2025

Freeman would not be a cheap hire for the Bears. Per an Irish Illustrated report, Notre Dame recently agreed to a contract extension to pay Freeman $9 million per year.

Via Irish Illustrated:

“Sources tell FootballScoop’s John Brice, also of Irish Illustrated, that Freeman’s annual salary is expected to jump from $7 million to an average of more than $9 million for the term of the deal. Additionally, the incentive structure of his deal, which includes bonuses for making the College Football Playoffs, is also being tweaked.”

Notre Dame football has been better under Freeman

Freeman was a two-time All-Big Ten linebacker for the Ohio State . The Bears drafted Freeman in the fifth round of the 2009 draft. Chicago waived him in September of the 2009 season. Freeman retired in May 2010 due to a heart condition.

Freeman got his first start in coaching as a graduate assistant for Ohio State in 2010. He had coaching stops with Kent State and Purdue before taking the defensive coordinator position at Cincinnati in 2017. Following four seasons with the Bearcats, Freeman took the Notre Dame DC job in 2021.

When Brian Kelly left the Fighting Irish for LSU, Freeman was promoted to head coach. He’s gone 30-9 as Notre Dame’s head coach.

During his three-year tenure at Notre Dame, Freeman has 14 wins over Top 25 opponents. He also has head-scratching losses to Marshall and Northern Illinois at Notre Dame Stadium.

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Notre Dame has had a familiar face in the men’s basketball program in coach Mike Brey for the last 23 years in South Bend. That will be changing very quickly with the the Irish reportedly hiring the now former men’s basketball coach at Penn State in Micah Shrewsberry to be its new head coach of the program.

The Irish had a disappointing season in 2022-2023 finishing the year at 11-21. This came just one year after Brey and the rest of the staff got Notre Dame back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. They had wins over Rutgers in the First Four matchup, and then an upset win over the 6th seed Alabama in the first round in 2022.

The Nittany Lions are coming off a very successful year in Happy Valley with a record of 23-14. With Shrewsberry at the helm, they made the NCAA Tournament this season drawing a 10 seed. Penn State had a good showing finishing in second place in the Big Ten Tournament as well. It was a pretty impressive  showing for Penn State since they came into the Big Ten Tournament as the 10th seed.

In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Penn State beat the 7th seed in Texas A&M by a score of 76-59. Then in the second round, they took the Texas Longhorns down to the wire before coming up short in the round of 32.

It is being reported that Penn State did make their pitch and a lucrative offer for Micah Shrewsberry to stay, but turns out it was too good of an opportunity to return back to his home state of Indiana and coach at the University of Notre Dame.

The 46 year old in Micah Shrewsberry has a lot of coaching experience in state of Indiana under his belt at the moment. He started off his coaching career as a grad assistant at the University of of Indianapolis for one season in 1999-2000. He then went on to be an assistant coach at Wabash, and two following seasons at DePauw which are at the Division III level.

Shrewsberry then went out on his own to be the head coach at Indiana University-South Bend at the NAIA level in 2005. After a few seasons as the head coach of the Titans at IU-South Bend he went back to being an assistant coach under Brad Stevens at Butler. He was an assistant coach on those key Butler Bulldog teams that shocked the college basketball world with their deep runs in March Madness.

After his stop at Butler, Shrewsberry went to another school in Indiana to work under Matt Painter at Purdue in 2011. He only ended up staying at Purdue for the next two seasons before being recruited to come join Stevens coaching staff again. This time though it was not at Butler, but at the NBA level with the Boston Celtics.

He spent 6 seasons with the Celtics under Stevens as as assistant coach before returning back to the college level at Purdue where he was named the associate head coach on Painter’s staff for two seasons. After those two years at Purdue for his second stint there he was introduced at Penn State where again he only stayed for two seasons before coming back to the state of Indiana to now coach at Notre Dame.

The media is saying that it will be a seven year deal for Shrewsberry at Notre Dame with the amount he will be paid unknown at this time.

Micah Shrewsberry will have his hands full to start his coaching career at Notre Dame

The new Irish head coach in Shrewsberry is walking into a Notre Dame job with the cupboard being pretty empty with players at the moment. The Irish six top scorers from this past season are all most likely gone and will not return next season. I say most likely because guard Cormac Ryan still has one year of eligibility left if he wanted to return, but probably will not overall.

At the moment the Irish only have 4 scholarship players returning in 2023-2024. Freshman Ven-Allen Lubin, South Bend native in sophomore J.R. Konieczny, and juniors Tony Sanders Jr. and Matt Zona. Notre Dame does have one current commit in the 2023 class in guard Markus Burton who played his high school ball right down the road from Notre Dame at Penn High School. Whether it be the transfer portal, or other 2023 recruits Shrewsberry will have to put together his staff and hit the recruiting trail soon to fill out the roster.

Notre Dame is down to only 4 scholarship players due to freshman phenom in JJ Starling entering the transfer portal last week alongside fellow freshman Dom Campbell, and graduate student Robby Carmody. Starling has already announced he will be transferring to Syracuse University to play next year. While Campbell and Carmody have not announced their next moves just yet.

Transfer portal has been successful for Micah Shrewsberry

The transfer portal has become a major addition in college basketball these last couple years. To be successful nowadays you have to be able to manage it and really make sure you are diving in there to grab players that you feel would be successful in your system. It should be noted that Shrewsberry has had success when going into the transfer portal on his end multiple times.

He was able to convince Jalen Pickett to come to Penn State to play for him these last two years. Pickett ended up being the leading scorer under Shrewsberry and the Nittany Lions. Plus was a major factor to Penn State getting back to the NCAA Tournament. He was also able to get key players in Camryn Wynter and sharpshooter Andrew Funk out of the portal too.

Brey was able to add a few players in the transfer portal like Ryan from Stanford who was mentioned earlier, former Yale standout in Paul Atkinson, and Trey Wertz from Santa Clara. Something tells me Shrewsberry will be more active in it overall compared to Brey the last few years.

It may be a little bit of a struggle at the start of his tenure at Notre Dame, but give Shrewsberry time to adjust and bring in some of his own players that fit his system and tempo he is going to want to run on the court. Notre Dame had a good one in Brey for the last 23 years. Now they have another good one in Shrewsberry moving forward for hopefully a very long coaching tenure. The future is very bright for Notre Dame basketball with Micah Shrewsberry as the head coach. Credit to Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick for targeting his guy he wanted in Shrewsberry and bringing him to South Bend.

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Wake Forest and the ACC’s all-time passing touchdowns leader has entered the transfer portal and Notre Dame may be the landing spot.

Hartman who is now 24 will be entering the transfer portal later than most players have already done. The one and only explanation is that Hartman waited until after the bowl game so he could keep the attention on the game and not himself. That is the type of guy and player Sam Hartman is.

Sources: Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Notre Dame is the expected landing spot for Hartman.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 27, 2022

Wake Forest won the Gasparilla Bowl against Missouri on December 23rd finishing 8-5. A down year after getting to the ACC championship last year but anyone would be hard pressed to blame that on Sam as he missed the beginning of the season due to a blood clot and fought his way back to play this year.

Wake’s defense was genuinely miserable this year and it almost felt like every possession Hartman had to score to keep up or else Wake had no shot in the game. Notre Dame’s strong point was their defense last year and it was very obvious they had a horrible time at QB. If you have seen Buchner once you’ve seen him a thousand times before. He is not the answer for Notre Dame. Drew Pyne transferred to Arizona State who also was not the answer.

For Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame it is now or never to get a QB that can match the quality of the defense they produce every year. Hartman is finally the answer for Notre Dame. It is up to Tommy Rees to run a Notre Dame offense, for basically the first time ever, through the QB. Hartman can put up monster numbers and can make Notre Dame a contender if he doesn’t have to run pro style and hand it off 35 times a game. Notre Dame fans will have to wait until it is official but for now things look hopeful.

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