SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame spent last winter still basking in the afterglow of a run that carried all the way to Jan. 20. This time, the mood around the program has been far different: a playoff snub, then a decision to skip a bowl game, and suddenly a season that ended after 10 straight double-digit wins felt like it stopped cold.
That disappointment has slowly turned into something else. The finger-pointing that followed the Irish’s exclusion from the College Football Playoff has given way to a hard look in the mirror, and several of the program’s key voices are saying the same thing now: Notre Dame put itself in that position.
“We didn’t earn the opportunity,” coach Marcus Freeman said. “We didn’t earn the right to play more than 12 games last year.”
“We left it to the judges,” said safety Adon Shuler. “That’s on us.”
Linebacker Drayk Bowen had his own reminder of what was missed when he watched Indiana win the title - with Notre Dame still being the last team to beat the Hoosiers, back in December 2024.
“It’s disappointing when you don’t see yourself there,” he said. “It’s a tough thing to watch.
At the end of the day, like Coach Freeman said, we didn’t put ourselves in a position to earn that. And so while it’s tough, you kind of can’t blame anybody else besides yourself.”
That frustration has become fuel. Bowen said the message inside the program is simple: “We have the motto of leave no doubt,” Bowen said.
“We want our future to end up a certain way, and you can’t leave your future in the hands of others. You have to take control of it.”
Notre Dame enters 2026 with the kind of roster that makes that idea feel realistic. The Irish return 12 of their top 13 tacklers from a defense that finished ninth nationally in yards allowed per play at 4.62 and 10th in points allowed per game at 17.6. Shuler didn’t exactly leave much room for nuance when he described the unit.
“That’s kind of the goal for the defenses-no matter where you go, there ain’t no weak points,” Shuler said. “We’re going to attack you.”
The offense brings back a major piece too: CJ Carr, now Notre Dame’s first two-year starting quarterback since 2019-20. Last season, Carr set the school single-season pass efficiency record at 168.1, which ranked sixth nationally. He’ll work behind an experienced offensive line and with top receiver Jordan Faison back in the mix.
There is one obvious departure to account for. The Irish lost two first-round NFL draft picks at running back. But junior Aneyas Williams gave them a strong preview in backup duty, averaging 8.6 yards per play from scrimmage while spelling Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
Freeman’s staff also remains intact, with offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, defensive coordinator Chris Ash and special teams coordinator Marty Biagi all back.
“The foundation is higher,” Freeman said. “With returning all three coordinators, with returning the starting quarterback, with so much experience in production returning, you’re farther ahead schematically.
So that gives you a chance. We have to continue to have that sense of urgency to get farther, right?”
That urgency matters because Notre Dame’s biggest issue under Freeman has been the same one over and over: the opening stretch. In his first four seasons, Freeman is 13-6 in August and September, compared with 30-6 after that. The early messes have included losses to Marshall and Northern Illinois, plus last year’s 0-2 start.
And that 2025 opening month is the one the Irish keep coming back to. Miami beat Notre Dame by four points, Texas A&M won by one, and those games ended up drawing the line between playoff teams and the team left out.
The Hurricanes and Aggies got in. Notre Dame didn’t.
“I think it was at the forefront of our mind [in the offseason]-not necessarily the 10-2 part, but starting out 0-2,” Bowen said. “That’s not a great taste in anybody’s mouth and really it shouldn’t be. And so we were using that to drive us to spring and summer to get to where we want to go.”
The Miami game was especially costly in the details. Notre Dame did not force a turnover, one of only two games last season without a takeaway, and the Irish gave up too many big plays.
The Texas A&M loss hurt in a different way: a botched extra-point hold with 2:53 left, then a fourth-down touchdown pass by the Aggies with 13 seconds remaining to finish a 74-yard drive. That sequence echoed all the way to CFP Selection Sunday in December.
Those kinds of moments are why Notre Dame’s 2026 path feels so clear. The Irish don’t need to chase some grand theory about the playoff. They need to clean up the little things from the opening whistle on.
That starts with a sixth straight season opening away from home. Notre Dame’s first game comes against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, with the Badgers bringing the game into their backyard.
After that, September looks manageable. The Irish’s schedule includes just two teams in the AFCA Top 25 - Miami and BYU - and does not include USC.
But that only raises the stakes for the opener. Another stumble in September would put Notre Dame right back where it has spent too much time under Freeman: scrambling.
This group has the talent and the experience to avoid that. If the Irish are going to turn a painful offseason into something useful, they know the formula.
Start fast. Leave nothing to chance.
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