ulukinatme
Carr for QB 2026!
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I don't think Golson was the same after the missed year, and honestly he had a very strange personality for a QB. He seemed quite introverted, which makes sense in hindsight as he's disappeared off the grid as former teammates have mentioned. Maybe he hit his peak that freshman year, I don't know. He was so hot or cold at times, a bit like Buchner maybe. My biggest what if is still Zaire. We saw glimpses of the potential and then he wasn't the same after the missed year either.
FightingIrishLover7
All troll, no substance
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While I agree
At least ev had chcuk martin. Probably the best of the Kelly Co not named denbrock
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Article on ESPN.com on ND & IU FB. I've pasted the portion on ND if you don't want to read the entire thing
www.espn.com
WHILE CIGNETTI HAS challenged his players to quickly move on from the greatest season in school history, Notre Dame's Freeman wants to make sure his players are "keeping the pain" from 2025.
They've had some extra time to think about it.
Because Notre Dame missed the playoff and opted out of a bowl game, the team had eight full weeks of winter conditioning. In a team meeting this offseason, he showed his players the video of their reactions on Selection Day so they would remember that emotion.
"I think if you asked anybody in the building they would say that was a shocking experience," quarterback CJ Carr said. "You go back and you watch the emotion, and the draining feeling that you know you felt in those seats with your teammates, and you're expecting great news -- expecting to go and do some damage in the playoffs. I thought we were playing our best football at that time, and it doesn't go the way you want. So the only thing you can do is respond.
"You can sulk and you can point the finger, or you can say, 'Alright, we got punched in the face. We got to get back up. We got to go back to work. We've got a new team coming in. We're gonna be really good. We've got draft picks all over the field. We've got a chance to be really special.'"
Carr, who completed 67% of his passes last year for 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, is returning for his second season as full-time starter under offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. Former Ohio State receiver Quincy Porter, who was the No. 9 receiver in the 2025 high school class, could emerge as a dependable target for Carr. The defense returns nine of its top 10 tacklers from a year ago in their second season under defensive coordinator Chris Ash. The staff took seven total players from the transfer portal, and three of them were defensive linemen. They succeeded in beefing up with both size and experience. The continuity on both sides, plus the integration of a top-20 transfer portal class, gives Notre Dame the talent and experience it needs to make another run at the 12-team field.
"I'm confident in the people in this program," Freeman said. "I'm confident in the coaches, I'm confident in the staff that we've put together here, but ... we've got to focus on reaching our full potential, because if we don't, then we don't even need to think about the playoffs or the national championship."
There are only nine seniors on Notre Dame's roster, but there are 23 juniors and a total of 71 returning players. No team in the country returns more production than Notre Dame, according to ESPN's Bill Connelly. The Irish return 72% overall and are No. 2 in the country in defensive returning production (77%).
"The linebackers, all four of us came back," said senior team captain Drayk Bowen, who led the Irish with 67 tackles last year. "All the DBs came back. What we did last year, with our rush yards per game and how many picks we had, I think we could just keep building on that. ... It's just a bunch of guys in Year 2 of a defense we really understand, we know how to communicate with each other because we've done it for four years. We're experienced, so I think we could really be the head of this team and be the spark every game that this team will need."
This season, a new six-year contract begins between the CFP and ESPN, and a rule agreed upon by the FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua protects Notre Dame with a guaranteed playoff bid -- as long as the Irish finish in the selection committee's top 12 on Selection Day. The independent Irish don't have a conference championship game, so their 12-game résumé will continue to make or break their playoff hopes. The rivalry series with USC has ended (at least until further notice), so Notre Dame's best opportunities to impress the committee will be Oct. 17 at BYU and at home on Nov. 7 against Miami.
"We can't lose two games," junior cornerback Leonard Moore said. "We can't. We can't leave that doubt, and we can't leave it up to the judges. We can't leave it up to the committee. We've got to pretty much put ourselves in."
Moore, a native of Austin, Texas, whose father is a history professor at UT, grew up in a state that is "all football."
Indiana is no Texas -- you can still find a hoop in nearly every driveway -- but now you can also find the CFP National Championship and Heisman trophies in Bloomington.
"Previously you had just Notre Dame in the mix, and Indiana and Purdue off to the side, but now that Indiana is sitting at the top -- which is just crazy to think about, something you would never expect -- it's just bringing a lot of juice and that much more energy to the state," Moore said. "That's good. Just bring it. Hopefully we see them again in the playoffs."
What we learned at Notre Dame and Indiana this spring
The traditionally basketball-crazed Hoosier state has turned its focus to football.
WHILE CIGNETTI HAS challenged his players to quickly move on from the greatest season in school history, Notre Dame's Freeman wants to make sure his players are "keeping the pain" from 2025.
They've had some extra time to think about it.
Because Notre Dame missed the playoff and opted out of a bowl game, the team had eight full weeks of winter conditioning. In a team meeting this offseason, he showed his players the video of their reactions on Selection Day so they would remember that emotion.
"I think if you asked anybody in the building they would say that was a shocking experience," quarterback CJ Carr said. "You go back and you watch the emotion, and the draining feeling that you know you felt in those seats with your teammates, and you're expecting great news -- expecting to go and do some damage in the playoffs. I thought we were playing our best football at that time, and it doesn't go the way you want. So the only thing you can do is respond.
"You can sulk and you can point the finger, or you can say, 'Alright, we got punched in the face. We got to get back up. We got to go back to work. We've got a new team coming in. We're gonna be really good. We've got draft picks all over the field. We've got a chance to be really special.'"
Carr, who completed 67% of his passes last year for 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, is returning for his second season as full-time starter under offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. Former Ohio State receiver Quincy Porter, who was the No. 9 receiver in the 2025 high school class, could emerge as a dependable target for Carr. The defense returns nine of its top 10 tacklers from a year ago in their second season under defensive coordinator Chris Ash. The staff took seven total players from the transfer portal, and three of them were defensive linemen. They succeeded in beefing up with both size and experience. The continuity on both sides, plus the integration of a top-20 transfer portal class, gives Notre Dame the talent and experience it needs to make another run at the 12-team field.
"I'm confident in the people in this program," Freeman said. "I'm confident in the coaches, I'm confident in the staff that we've put together here, but ... we've got to focus on reaching our full potential, because if we don't, then we don't even need to think about the playoffs or the national championship."
There are only nine seniors on Notre Dame's roster, but there are 23 juniors and a total of 71 returning players. No team in the country returns more production than Notre Dame, according to ESPN's Bill Connelly. The Irish return 72% overall and are No. 2 in the country in defensive returning production (77%).
"The linebackers, all four of us came back," said senior team captain Drayk Bowen, who led the Irish with 67 tackles last year. "All the DBs came back. What we did last year, with our rush yards per game and how many picks we had, I think we could just keep building on that. ... It's just a bunch of guys in Year 2 of a defense we really understand, we know how to communicate with each other because we've done it for four years. We're experienced, so I think we could really be the head of this team and be the spark every game that this team will need."
This season, a new six-year contract begins between the CFP and ESPN, and a rule agreed upon by the FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua protects Notre Dame with a guaranteed playoff bid -- as long as the Irish finish in the selection committee's top 12 on Selection Day. The independent Irish don't have a conference championship game, so their 12-game résumé will continue to make or break their playoff hopes. The rivalry series with USC has ended (at least until further notice), so Notre Dame's best opportunities to impress the committee will be Oct. 17 at BYU and at home on Nov. 7 against Miami.
"We can't lose two games," junior cornerback Leonard Moore said. "We can't. We can't leave that doubt, and we can't leave it up to the judges. We can't leave it up to the committee. We've got to pretty much put ourselves in."
Moore, a native of Austin, Texas, whose father is a history professor at UT, grew up in a state that is "all football."
Indiana is no Texas -- you can still find a hoop in nearly every driveway -- but now you can also find the CFP National Championship and Heisman trophies in Bloomington.
"Previously you had just Notre Dame in the mix, and Indiana and Purdue off to the side, but now that Indiana is sitting at the top -- which is just crazy to think about, something you would never expect -- it's just bringing a lot of juice and that much more energy to the state," Moore said. "That's good. Just bring it. Hopefully we see them again in the playoffs."
burmafrd1944
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There are no excuses this year. We should be minimum in the top 5 by the end of the season.
The only thing that could derail us is critical injuries and that can be said about any team.
Freeman needs to make sure we do NOT start out slow like we have been; no excuse there either.
The only thing that could derail us is critical injuries and that can be said about any team.
Freeman needs to make sure we do NOT start out slow like we have been; no excuse there either.
jerseyborn1971
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71 returning players.
That's a stat that matters these days.
That's a stat that matters these days.
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I knew we had a lot returning, but didn't know it was 71. A lot of experience in the depth charts.
allenm5333
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and some solid experience added from other schools
dublinirish
Everestt Gholstonson
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Old Man Mike
Fast as Lightning!
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why we will remain OLine U
Huntr
24 Karat Shamrock
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The NFL is free to make its own developmental league.
Otherwise, it can continue to benefit from whatever development is done in college for free and stfu.
SDIrishFan
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Makes you wonder, does the NFL start devaluing these prospects that go to 3 or 4 schools?
And, then, does that make kids think twice about jumping into the portal right away?
burmafrd1944
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I think it might make them look harder at the players that did it more than once. Why did they transfer. Look harder at their character
NIL is already having the unintended consequence of making players stay longer in college. This years draft really shows that and it will continue to happen. Players are going to take the sure NIL money as long as they think that is their best option. The biggest effect will be those players who are not sure of going in the first rd. Which are still very high quality players in college and will get significant NIL money.
bpob55
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That also helps preserve the culture and puts it in a position to grow to new heights in 2026.
allenm5333
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I think many will ask why all the transfers happened. Also, super old players will drop
greyhammer90
the drunk piano player
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Ophiocordyceps
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Can we change it to “A Shirt?”
MeanGreenBeans
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I think they all kinda suck but this one is particularly bad. I didn't go to ND so I guess I just don't "get it" or something.
calvegas04
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I don't know how they continue to do it, but they save me $30 bucks every year.
DONTH8
Definitely not Coach BD
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I like the design on the back. The 11 stars, the Golden Dome at night, blue gray sky, etc. etc.
But the front could have been better, imo.
I know people will cry about the color, but since it's only worn for one game a year, I really dont care about it as much as others.
But I have never purchased the shirt before, and wont this year. So my opinion doesn't matter haha
But the front could have been better, imo.
I know people will cry about the color, but since it's only worn for one game a year, I really dont care about it as much as others.
But I have never purchased the shirt before, and wont this year. So my opinion doesn't matter haha
MacIrish75
The New Logo is a Jinx
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“OK GUYS. SHIRT ‘26 DESIGNS. GO.”
“First and foremost: let’s basically make it the DARKEST shade of blue possible.”
*Everyone else*
“…”
“It’s okay, guys. We’ve got Shirt ‘26 at home.”
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stlnd01
Was away. Now returned.
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It totally should be green every year but I assume they don’t do that because if they did, they wouldn’t sell very many.
burmafrd1944
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how about....
KILL EM ALL LET GOD SORT THEM OUT
and show a ND player with a meat clever and the head of the Selection committee in his other hand