Notre Dame enters this season carrying the kind of noise that can swallow a program whole. The Irish are being talked about like a national title team before the games even start, and fifth-year head coach Marcus Freeman isn’t pretending otherwise. He knows exactly what the outside world is saying, but his message this offseason has been about keeping the focus inward.
That matters more than ever because the expectations around South Bend are sky-high. ESPN’s Bill Connelly picked Notre Dame to win the national championship in ESPN’s preseason magazine. FanDuel has the Irish among the favorites to take the title, and CBS Sports writer Brad Crawford has them meeting Oregon in his latest CFP prediction.
There’s a reason the hype has built this fast. Freeman is bringing back starting quarterback CJ Carr, who is one of the consensus favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.
He also has all three coordinators back, along with two defensive captains, for the first time in his tenure. That kind of continuity is rare, and it has pushed the standard for the program into a different stratosphere.
Freeman, though, is steering the conversation in a different direction.
"Certain people are reward-oriented," Freeman shared. "They play college football to make it to the NFL.
I'm making money; I coach college football so I can win a national title and show everybody we won a national championship. But the ones, to me, that succeed the most are the ones that are intrinsically motivated.
They want to master what they're doing. I want to be a better head coach and leader today than I was yesterday or last year.
I think if we can get out team and the majority of our program to understand and think like that we can succeed."
The results under Freeman help explain why the belief is so loud. Over the last two seasons, he has gone 24-4 and coached Notre Dame to a national title game appearance in 2024.
That same season, the Irish snapped a 30-year drought without a major bowl win. Even without making the playoffs, they still put together 10 straight double-digit wins for the first time since 1966 and set program marks in points per game, yards per play and passer efficiency rating.
Still, Freeman isn’t interested in living in the future. He keeps coming back to the same idea: handle what’s in front of you, and the bigger picture will take care of itself.
"I can't just sit here and day dream about being the next head coach to win a title," Freeman explained. "Master what you have right here and then, if you do that long enough, you'll look up and be able to say 'look at where I'm at'.
If you would have asked me every day until the day that Brian Kelly left what was next for me, I wouldn't have been able to give you an answer. I was worried about stopping Toledo.
"But then you work and work and then the next thing you know, you're the head coach of Notre Dame," Freeman continued. "But if I'm sitting there daydreaming about being the next head coach of Notre Dame, that opportunity wouldn't happen.
I think we have to master what we have and take advantage of the moment right in front of us. That's how we'll handle the expectations we have this season."
Notre Dame is about a month away from opening its 2026 campaign against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. The Irish have called it a revenge tour, but if they’re going to turn the preseason buzz into the program’s 12th national championship, Freeman’s message suggests the path is simple and demanding: stay locked in every week.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Lands More Momentum As New Injury Scare Changes Mood
Notre Dame picked up another recruiting jolt when Darien Prescott committed to the 2028 class, a notable win for a program that has made a habit of selling early belief and a clear connection with Marcus Freeman. Prescotts decision over Oregon and Texas A&M adds to the sense that the Irish are building traction well beyond the current roster, and it comes at a time when the programs profile keeps rising off the field as much as on it.
The timing only sharpened the mood around the team. Notre Dame also unveiled a jersey patch partnership with SoFi that is reportedly worth $20 million annually, a deal that underscores how aggressively the Irish continue to position themselves in the modern college sports economy. Even with Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti floating major playoff and scheduling changes at media days, Notre Dames latest news cycle had enough momentum to feel like another step forward before the day took a harder turn. [Read more 🡒]
New NCAA Rule Changes Everything For Notre Dame's Loaded 2026 Class
The NCAAs new 5 for 5 eligibility rule is already changing the way Notre Dame can think about its next wave of talent. With five total seasons now available to play, the old redshirt math is gone, and Marcus Freeman sees that as a win for everyone involved because freshmen can get on the field right away without sacrificing their long-term runway.
For a class that has been billed as one of the nations best, that matters. Notre Dame should be able to bring several 2026 recruits along faster than before, and Freemans staff no longer has to treat early-season snaps like something to be rationed carefully, the way it had to with players such as tight end James Flanigan last season. The bigger question now is how quickly those newcomers can turn that freedom into real roles. [Read more 🡒]
Ian Book Faces A Career Crossroads Notre Dame Fans Will Feel
Ian Books football life has not stopped just because the calendar has moved on from his Notre Dame days and his brief NFL run. The former Irish quarterback is still staying in shape, still around the game through youth coaching, and still showing up where younger players can learn from him, including a recent youth skills camp. Away from the field, he has also begun building a professional life in South Bend, where he works as director of investor relations at Golden Legacy Partners.
Books next chapter is starting to look bigger than any one comeback attempt, even if he has left the door open to playing again. He is balancing that uncertainty with fatherhood and other career opportunities, a familiar crossroads for players whose bodies and timing do not always line up with the leagues next call. For Notre Dame fans who watched him lead the Irish, the appeal is easy to understand: he is still connected to the game, but the shape of his future may be changing in real time. [Read more 🡒]