Despite a playoff snub, Notre Dame ignites hope with a top recruiting class and a committed coach, setting sights on 2026 dominance.
These last two months have been anything but simple for Notre Dame and their fan base. They ended the regular season on a 10-game winning streak by beating all 10 of those teams by double digits. That's the first time since 1966 they've accomplished that feat. They also set a program record in yards per play and scored the most points in a season since the early 1900's.
Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to warrant a spot in the 2025 College Football Playoffs and the Irish were left out for an Alabama team that lost to a 5-7 Florida State team, lost to Georgia in the SEC Championship by 21 points and would eventually go on to lose to Indiana in the Rose Bowl by 35 points. The playoff snub was a hard pill to swallow, but it was extremely difficult facing the reality that we would never see the 2025 football team on the field again.
Players like Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Malachi Fields and a host of others we were longing to see in the post season never got their chance to leave their final mark on the football program. For me, that hurt worse than the playoff snub itself and that's something I'll never forgive that biased committee for.
They robbed fans of the opportunity to watch this team, who was one of the hottest teams in the country, the chance to compete. Due to the decisions by the playoff committee, Notre Dame elected to sit out of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, a decision I fully supported at the time and still do to this day.
Thankfully, a few days before the playoff snub on December 7, Notre Dame signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country according to On3/Rivals. Initially, they had 27 kids signed to the class out of high school. Later on, they added Jasper Scaife, a punter from Australia. 2027 quarterback commit Teddy Jarrard reclassified and will also be a part of the 2026 recruiting class. The Irish brought in top-level talent at every position on offense and defense; it helped cushion the blow from how the season ended.
From there, the offseason drama continued for Notre Dame. Head coach Marcus Freeman continued to garnish interest from the NFL and it was seemingly reciprocated due to the radio silence Irish fans endured for weeks on the matter. Thankfully, on December 29, he put out a tweet that said '2026...run it back' and we knew the beloved head coach was here to stay for this year. He hammered down on that point in his press conference earlier last week; all of his attention, focus and effort was on this 2026 team.
The transfer portal also got off to a rough start for the Irish. Operationally, things were unorganized and they were missing out on players that wanted to come to South Bend. There was a clear disconnect somewhere behind the scenes, but once they found their footing, there was no looking back. Notre Dame signed an eight-man transfer portal class and brought in some exceptional talent.
They brought in Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham from Ohio State to add to the talent in the wide receiver room. Defensive lineman Keon Keeley, Francis Brewu and Tionne Gray add size, depth, talent and experience to the defensive line room. Cornerback transfer DJ McKinney and Jayden Sanders also add depth and talent to an already-loaded secondary and Purdue transfer Spencer Porath is expected to battle for the No. 1 place kicking spot day one.
On top of that, they return countless impact players on offense and defense from the 2025 team. This is the first time since 2020, and the first time in Freeman's tenure, that they have a returning starting quarterback. CJ Carr is expected to be a Heisman finalist at the end of the 2026 season. They also bring back guys like Jaden Greathouse, Jordan Faison, Anthonie Knapp and Guerby Lambert.
Defensively, they're loaded with guys like Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young, Drayk Bowen, Leonard Moore, Christian Gray, Adon Shuler and Tae Johnson also returning. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is headed into year three and defensive coordinator Chris Ash, who finished the regular season on a high note, heads into year two. From top to bottom, this is a very impressive looking program heading into 2026.
The last two months have been a rollercoaster ride of emotions that I wish to not go on again. With that being said, I would argue that the outlook of this Notre Dame program heading into 2026 is the highest it's been in the last two decades. Fans had the right to be upset with how the season ended and the offseason began. But the response and the finish to the playoff snub and the portal cycle speaks volumes. This is going to be a magical year for the Irish and that's a ride I can't wait to be a part of.
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