Sports Illustrated
The night of Sept. 7 last season was a long one around the Notre Dame program.
In the hours after the Irish suffered one of the most ignominious losses in their illustrious history to Northern Illinois, there was a lot of searching for answers. There was frustration. There was disbelief. Most of all there was pain.
Luckily—yes, luckily—that loss hung with the team. That pain? It never truly went away.
It was probably as big of a motivational factor in the Irish’s run to the national title game as much as their impressive collection of talent was. The loss fuelled Marcus Freeman and his players to pull out close games against Louisville and USC on their way to the College Football Playoff. Then all they did was trounce in-state rival Indiana, run past Georgia in trying circumstances and survive Penn State with luck and hard work before finally losing to a worthy champion in Ohio State.
The Irish start their 2025 campaign in a much different place. The skepticism has quieted down and now the expectations have returned to South Bend with a vengeance. No longer are there a lot of question marks surrounding Freeman, but there is actually a good amount of belief that this is just the start of a few more runs at recapturing triumphant glory.
It’s easy to see why given how much of the foundation from that run returns. The offensive line is a rock and seems just as deep as it was a year ago despite an early injury. Jeremiyah Love is best positioned to take over for Ashton Jeanty as the tailback that most makes your jaw drop with the ball in his hands. At receiver, for so long a black hole, there’s finally a No. 1 option who has emerged in Jaden Greathouse, and he has some veteran running mates along for the ride too. The front seven? Mean, nasty and stacked.
If there is one area of concern under the watchful eye of Touchdown Jesus, it’s at quarterback. CJ Carr is the five-star favorite but he hasn’t fully won the job. Kenny Minchey is going to be a factor even if he doesn’t get the nod full-time.
Aside from that, a return to the CFP title game can’t be ruled out for a program that now counts itself back among the elite teams.
Fast Facts
2024 record: 14–2
Offense: 36.1 ppg (10th in FBS), 6.30 yards per play (27th)
Defense: 15.5 ppg (fourth in FBS), 4.75 yards per play (11th)
On the HeadsetMarcus Freeman, entering Year 4 in South Bend, 33–10 overall record
It wasn’t long ago that the doubts were serious about Freeman being guy at Notre Dame, hastily promoted in the wake of Brian Kelly’s departure to LSU but maybe a bit over his skis as a first-time head coach. There was no shortage of evidence to fuel those doubts between an inauspicious beginning blowing a lead in the Fiesta Bowl to puzzling losses to Marshall, Stanford and, of course, NIU.
But that’s nowhere top of mind nowadays. Freeman pushed all the right buttons after the loss to the Huskies and he’s easily on track to have a third straight season with a top 20 team factoring into the CFP race. It’s also notable how he’s made the Irish a much more likable program compared to the corporate and sometimes villainous outfit rivals once portrayed them as.
Freeman doesn’t even turn 40 until next year so he’s still got a long runway ahead of him to keep making attempts at bringing another national championship to South Bend.
Key Returning StarterRB Jeremiyah Love, Jr.
Former quarterback Riley Leonard played a big role in the Irish ground game in 2024, but Love was the catalyst for just about everything the team did offensively. He is a true home run hitter (see his 98-yard run in the CFP) who might be one of the most dynamic backs in the country. After averaging 6.9 yards per carry last season, don’t be shocked if Love makes a run at a 1,400-yard campaign even if he splits carries with a deep position group.
Key TransferWR Malachi Fields, from Virginia
Fields started 26 games for the ’Hoos and posted at least 800 yards and five touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. Those numbers don’t blow you away, but he’s a veteran presence in a wide receiving corps that is far deeper than it has been recently. His 6' 4" frame complements the speedy Greathouse extremely well. With a large catch radius, Fields should be a huge boost to whoever the new quarterback is as a dependable target on the outside.
Key DepartureS Xavier Watts, third-round NFL draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons
Notre Dame lost three key starters from the spine of its defense to the draft but Watts’s ability to create a turnover out of nowhere will truly be hard to replace. It felt like he was in two places at once to opposing quarterbacks given his speed and instincts. He was a real game-changer with his knack for delivering in big moments. Losing the dependable Jack Kiser at linebacker hurts, too, but there might not be a player in the secondary like Watts for the Irish for some time to come.
Circle the Dates Aug. 31, at MiamiSept. 13, vs. Texas A&MOct. 18, vs. USCNov. 15, at PittBottom Line
The fact that you barely blink at Notre Dame replacing a defensive coordinator or its starting quarterback going into the season tells you a lot about how solid the foundation is for the program under Freeman. The Irish have some of the best units in the trenches and a very manageable schedule that probably sees them favored in every game. Even if they drop an early one, you know this group is capable of rallying and there should be an expectation that a return to the CFP and making another long postseason run is in the cards again.
