Honestly, following Notre Dame football is like being on a permanent emotional rollercoaster that you never quite agreed to board. One minute you're celebrating a blowout win, and the next, you're staring at the TV wondering how a team with that much talent just laid an egg against a massive underdog. But as we look at this notre dame football preview, something feels... different. Maybe it's the fact that Marcus Freeman finally has his own fingerprints all over every single facet of the program. Or maybe it's just the sheer unpredictability of a roster that lost its veteran leader at quarterback but somehow looks deeper than it has in a decade.
The 2025 season was a wild ride. Finishing 10-2 is nothing to sneeze at, especially when you consider the Irish actually made it to the National Championship game the year before in 2024. But that 2025 campaign left a bit of a sour taste for some. Losing those first two games against Miami and Texas A&M was a gut punch. It felt like the season was over before it even started. Then, the Irish ripped off ten straight wins, looking like world-beaters, only to be snubbed by the CFP committee. It was messy. It was loud. It was quintessentially Notre Dame.
The Quarterback Conundrum and the CJ Carr Era
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: the quarterback. Riley Leonard is gone, off to the Indianapolis Colts after being a sixth-round pick. He was the bridge—the veteran presence who stabilized the room. Now? We're looking at a room that is basically a blank slate.
CJ Carr is the name everyone is whispering about. Or shouting about, depending on which message board you frequent. He’s got the pedigree, the arm, and that "it" factor people love to talk about but can't quite define. But he’s young. Like, "barely old enough to rent a car" young. Pitting a redshirt freshman like Carr against a sophomore like Kenny Minchey is a bold move by Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock.
Denbrock is the secret sauce here. Remember what he did with Jayden Daniels at LSU? He knows how to mold a quarterback's mobility into a weapon without sacrificing the vertical passing game. If Carr can just be efficient—not even spectacular, just efficient—this offense is going to be a nightmare to defend.
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- The Running Game: Jeremiyah Love is a certified star. 1,125 yards last year? That was him just warming up. With Ja'Juan Seider coming over from Penn State to coach the backs, expect Love to be used more like a Swiss Army knife.
- The Targets: Getting Malachi Fields from Virginia was huge. He’s 6'4", 220 pounds, and catches basically everything in his zip code. Pair him with Jaden Greathouse and the explosive potential of someone like Jordan Faison, and you've got a unit that finally has some size to go with the speed.
- The Line: Losing Aamil Wagner and Billy Schrauth to the NFL Draft hurts, but that’s the "O-Line U" life. Ashton Craig is the anchor now.
Why the Defense Might Be Even Better (Somehow)
It’s weird to say a defense might improve after losing a guy like Al Golden to the NFL, but Chris Ash isn't exactly a rookie. The transition from Golden’s NFL-style complexity to Ash’s aggressive, blue-collar approach has been fascinating.
The biggest win of the offseason wasn't a recruit or a transfer. It was Boubacar Traore deciding to come back for 2026. This kid is a legitimate freak of nature. He had 7.5 sacks last year despite being banged up. If he stays healthy, he’s a double-digit sack guy, easy. He’s the type of player who makes the linebackers' jobs so much easier because offensive coordinators have to lose sleep trying to figure out how to block him.
Then you have the secondary. Benjamin Morrison is gone, which is a massive hole, but Christian Gray and Adon Shuler are the real deal. Gray recorded eight pass breakups last year and played with a swagger that reminded me of a young Sauce Gardner. This unit finished 11th in the country in scoring defense last year for a reason. They don't just stop people; they take the ball away.
The Schedule: No "Gimme" Games
Looking at this year's slate, there isn't a single Saturday where you can just pencil in a "W" and go take a nap. That’s the catch-22 of being an Independent. You don't have the "cupcake" weeks that some SEC or Big Ten teams get in mid-November.
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The road trips are what keep me up at night. Going into Hard Rock Stadium or Kyle Field is a different kind of animal. Last year, those environments rattled the Irish early. If they want to be a CFP lock, they have to prove they can handle the noise without turning the ball over three times in the first half.
What Most People Get Wrong About Marcus Freeman
There’s this narrative that Freeman is just a "recruiter" who happened to get a big job. It's lazy. You don't lead a team to a 14-2 record and a National Championship appearance in year three by just being a "nice guy who can talk to parents."
Freeman has shown an incredible ability to pivot. When the offense stalled in early 2025, he didn't just stay the course. He got aggressive. He’s built a culture where the "transfer portal era" doesn't feel like a revolving door, but rather a surgical tool. Bringing in guys like Malachi Fields or the defensive additions shows he knows exactly where the holes are. He isn't just collecting talent; he's building a roster.
Honestly, the "scorched-earth" campaign the school launched after the playoff snub last year tells you everything you need to know about the current state of South Bend. They're tired of being the "feel-good story" that gets left out of the party. There’s a chip on this program's shoulder right now that feels dangerous.
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Actionable Insights for the Season
If you're looking for how this actually plays out on the field, keep an eye on these three specific areas:
- Red Zone Efficiency: Last year, the Irish moved the ball at will but occasionally got "alligator arms" inside the 20. With a young QB, Denbrock needs to lean on the tight ends—expect a huge year from Cooper Flanagan and James Flanigan.
- The Turnover Margin: Notre Dame won ten straight games last year largely because they stopped beating themselves. If CJ Carr can limit the "freshman mistakes," the defense is good enough to win games 24-10.
- Third-Down Defense: Chris Ash loves to blitz. Watch how often he sends Jaiden Ausberry or Drayk Bowen on third-and-long. If they get home, the Irish are elite. If they don't, the young secondary will be tested.
The bottom line for this notre dame football preview is simple: the floor is high, but the ceiling depends entirely on a kid from Saline, Michigan, with a legendary last name. If Carr is the truth, the Irish aren't just a playoff team; they're a title contender. If he's just "okay," it’ll be another year of "what ifs" and 10-win seasons that feel like they should have been more.
To stay ahead of the curve this season, focus your attention on the development of the offensive line's right side during the first three weeks. That’s where the protection broke down in the big losses last year. Also, track Boubacar Traore's snap count early on; if he's playing 40+ snaps by October, he's fully healthy and ready to wreck the back half of the schedule. Keep an eye on the Friday injury reports, as Freeman has been more transparent lately about "game-time decisions," which often signals a shift in the defensive rotation.