For the Notre Dame football program, 2024 proved to be an incredible ride encompassing the lowest of lows and nearly the highest of highs. In early September, fans and national pundits alike questioned whether third-year head coach Marcus Freeman was the man for the job following a shocking home defeat to Northern Illinois. Just three months later, the entire college football community would be crowning him as the coaching profession’s rising star after he orchestrated a wild transformation culminating in a National Championship Game appearance. But the confetti falling that chilly January evening in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium would be scarlet and gray instead of blue and gold.
While it was certainly a successful campaign for the Irish, the rabid, often insatiable fanbase still yearns for its first national championship since 1988. The truth is the only measurable improvement from a year ago would be to capture that elusive national title. So how do you accurately measure success in 2025 for a Notre Dame group with an abundance of fresh faces in key positions?
After Riley Leonard exhausted his eligibility and was selected in the fifth round of April’s NFL Draft, the headlining story all off-season in South Bend centered around the quarterback battle. The first truly open competition for the Irish in nearly a decade began as a three horse race in spring ball, before redshirt sophomore Kenny Minchey and redshirt freshman CJ Carr showcased their abilities in the Blue-Gold Game. Fan favorite veteran Steve Angeli then transferred to Syracuse, where he would be named the starter on Aug. 18, paving the way for a two-man battle throughout the summer and into fall camp.
Speaking on Sunday prior to having announced a decision, Freeman said, “They’ve both been playing really well. We have two guys that have been battling all camp and the thing I love is that both have gotten better. That’s the whole point of having a competition.” Although he would go on to declare that there would be no timetable on the competition, an official social media post just 36 hours later confirmed that Carr had won the battle.
Although he has yet to attempt a pass in a collegiate game, Carr is uniquely equipped for success as he is handed the keys to offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s stacked unit. The 6’3” Michigan native will be protected by one of the deepest offensive lines in the nation. Sophomore left tackle Anthonie Knapp and redshirt junior left guard Billy Schrauth return to protect Carr’s blindside, while Ashton Craig will be back in action at center after an injury sidelined him for the final 13 games of last season. Both Schrauth and redshirt junior right tackle Aamil Wagner were voted team captains on the offensive front, while the unit is rounded out by redshirt sophomore Sullivan Absher who fills in at right guard for the injured Charles Jagusah.
Carr also possesses a reinvigorated stable of weapons on the perimeter. He can flash his arm strength and accuracy while targeting a variety of options. The receiving corps is led by junior Jaden Greathouse, who enjoyed a breakout College Football Playoff performance with 105 yards and a touchdown in the semifinal win over Penn State, as well as two touchdowns in the loss to Ohio State. Classmate and dual-sport star Jordan Faison returns in the slot, where his athleticism should open up a multitude of route combos for a more pro style attack. Transfers Malachi Fields (Virginia) and captain Will Pauling (Wisconsin) have each posted seasons of over 800 yards and five touchdowns and should add a veteran presence and reliability to a pass-catching group that thinned out toward the end of 2024. Senior Eli Raridon will see a majority of the tight end reps early with junior Cooper Flanagan still recovering from an Achilles injury.
With Carr being much more of a pocket passer than the powerful run-first Leonard, Denbrock’s ground attack will be exclusively running back oriented. Luckily, the Irish have a host of talented rushers. It may not be Four Horsemen level depth, but the Irish possess some stallions, spearheaded by the nation’s best in junior Jeremiyah Love. The St. Louis product galloped for over 1,100 yards and 17 touchdowns a year ago, including a school-record 98-yard touchdown run and 13-game touchdown streak. He is joined by the bruiser redshirt junior Jadarian Price, who broke numerous tackles en route to 746 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago. Love and Price are complemented by sophomore Aneyas Williams, a threat out of the backfield as a pass catcher, as well as the agile senior Gi’Bran Payne, who returns after missing all of last season with an injury.
Switching sides, despite losing All-Americans Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills, Freeman is confident in the group of fresh starters in the box. “They’re deep. We have a lot of guys that we are confident in. Some that have played and some that haven’t,” he noted. Veterans Gabe Rubio and Jason Onye will hold down the interior, with redshirt juniors Junior Tuihalamaka and Joshua Burnam rushing off the edge. Captain Donovan Hinish and Sugar Bowl standout Bryce Young will also contribute as Boubacar Traore returns from injury.
Captain Drayk Bowen anchors the linebackers, with Jaylen Sneed and Jaiden Ausberry also expected to take leaps. In the secondary, new defensive coordinator Chris Ash will have to replace the production of cornerback Benjamin Morrison and safety Xavier Watts, both of whom rallied Notre Dame’s aggressive, man-centered coverage over the prior two campaigns. Ash has the personnel, namely cornerback Leonard Moore and safety and captain Adon Shuler, to continue to prioritize back-end pressure and takeaways in his first year in South Bend.
Junior Christian Gray also returns to the secondary, with highly touted Alabama transfer DeVonta Smith expected to slide in at nickel. Replacing Watts will be junior Luke Talich, after the Wyoming native turned in a strong spring game and fall camp.
Special teams also continues to be prioritized in Freeman’s regime, with standout Mitch Jeter relaying the placekicking duties to North Carolina transfer Noah Burnette. Aussie James Rendell will continue to punt, but freshman Erik Schmidt will also be an option, as he was rated the consensus number one punter and kicker in the class of 2025.
Turning to the schedule, the Irish will open the season away from home against a quality opponent for a fourth consecutive year under Freeman. Week one marks the revival of the storied “Catholics vs. Convicts” rivalry from the 1980s against Miami. Both sides are ranked in the preseason top-10 ahead of a Sunday night clash in Hard Rock Stadium that will finally pit Hurricanes signal-caller Carson Beck against the Irish after he missed last year’s Sugar Bowl while a member of the Georgia Bulldogs.
A week two bye follows before Texas A&M travels to Notre Dame Stadium for a primetime home opener, with the Irish looking to sweep the series following last season’s impressive 23-10 week one win at Kyle Field. The Aggies enter year two of Mike Elko’s reign ranked 19th after returning the most offensive production of any SEC squad, including running back Le’Veon Moss and quarterback Marcel Reed.
After clearing arguably the two toughest hurdles on the slate, the Irish will welcome Purdue up I-31 for another edition of Northern Indiana’s greatest rivalry. Week five presents another road test as Freeman’s crew will enter hostile territory in Fayetteville for a Noon battle with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
October begins with a three-game homestand, initiated by a clash with the third and final ranked Irish opponent, Boise State. The Broncos are the lone 2024 CFP participant on Notre Dame’s schedule, but star running back and Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty has since departed to the NFL. A formidable NC State side is sandwiched between Boise State and Notre Dame’s greatest rival, USC. The continuation of college football’s longest tenured intersectional rivalry has garnered much debate and discussion this offseason, as Trojan boss Lincoln Riley considered ending the annual meeting due to the Big Ten’s nine-game league slate. Regardless of the future, the Irish and Trojans will meet for their usual mid-October showdown in South Bend with Notre Dame aiming to capture the Jewelled Shillelagh for the third consecutive season.
After a week idle, the team travels to Chestnut Hill looking to extend its winning streak in the Holy War to ten. Notre Dame and Boston College are the only two Catholic universities still competing at the top tier of intercollegiate football, and both were also coached by Hall of Famer Frank Leahy. The Notre Dame-Navy rivalry returns to South Bend the next week, with a trip to Pittsburgh to follow. The home portion of the schedule concludes with Angeli and Syracuse in town for Senior Day, before a trip to Palo Alto for Stanford closes the season.
When the Irish get things underway in South Beach next weekend, they will be betting favorites in all 12 regular season contests and expected to win comfortably in all but their first two games. Notre Dame may go 12-0, Jeremiah Love could very well claim the Heisman Trophy in December, but for a program who didn’t participate in bowl games from 1926 to 1968, success will be determined by performance in the postseason. While the expectations and noise surrounding Notre Dame football will always persist, regardless of the roster and no matter the coach, Freeman insists that motivation comes from within: “We better be self-motivated. The target [on our backs] doesn’t mean much.”
