Kirk Herbstreit is sticking with Notre Dame.
The ESPN voice made headlines earlier this offseason when he picked the Fighting Irish to win the 2026 national championship, and he hasn’t backed off that stance. On a recent appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Herbstreit said the race should be competitive, but he still landed on Notre Dame when asked to make a preseason call.
“I just think that there's so many good players returning," Herbstreit said. "I think Miami, I think that Indiana, I know that both of those teams had great years last year...
It's really gonna come down to, with both of those teams, the quarterback play there. But I love Notre Dame.
If I had to pick a team, you know, preseason we always have to make a pick, I would probably pick Notre Dame."
Notre Dame’s case, at least on paper, is easy to understand. Marcus Freeman has built a roster with high-end talent across the board, giving the Irish a level of depth and balance they haven’t always had in recent years. The program is also bringing back more production than anyone else in the country, and redshirt sophomore CJ Carr enters the season as the odds-on Heisman favorite at quarterback.
Still, preseason belief only gets you so far. Notre Dame has carried plenty of hype into seasons before and failed to turn it into a title run. Until this group proves otherwise, the buzz remains just that.
Even so, Herbstreit has enough reasons to keep the Irish at the top of his list. If Notre Dame is ever going to end its nearly 40-year national title drought, 2026 looks like the year with the best setup.
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Matt Jeffery has spent much of his Notre Dame career standing out in two different arenas, earning recognition for his work in lacrosse while also developing as a third-year football player. Even with limited production on the football side so far, his name is becoming harder to ignore as the Irish work through a receiver battle that still has several moving parts heading into the season.
Jefferys appeal is obvious for a team looking for dependable options at receiver: he is an experienced athlete who has already shown he can handle the demands of competing at a high level in more than one sport. With other players also pushing for playing time, his potential rise adds another layer of intrigue to a position group that will be watched closely as Notre Dame sorts out who can carve out a real role. [Read more 🡒]
CJ Carr Is Giving Notre Dame Fans Real Reason To Dream
CJ Carr is heading into Notre Dames 2026 fall camp with a different kind of weight on his shoulders now. The Saline, Michigan native is no longer just the promising young quarterback in the room. After a strong 2025 season, hes taking on more leadership responsibilities, and the confidence he gained last fall seems to be carrying into this next stretch for the Irish.
Carr has pointed to the chemistry built across the roster and the experience the team picked up a year ago as key reasons he feels good about where the offense is headed. He also likes the talent around him and the hunger to clean up what fell short last season, which makes this a meaningful camp for Notre Dame even before the pads come on. Theres a sense that the Irish are expecting more, and Carr is right in the middle of why. [Read more 🡒]