Notre Dame is about to turn the page from offseason work to fall camp, and Marcus Freeman isn’t pretending there’s any easing into it. With the Irish just 33 days from opening against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, the head coach said the program is entering camp with a higher baseline than a year ago - but also with plenty still unresolved.
Freeman said the long offseason has put Notre Dame in a better spot physically and schematically, especially with all three coordinators back. Even so, he made clear the next few weeks have to be productive.
“As you look at the numbers, they're physically ahead of where they were at last year,” Freeman explained. “I think, schematically, with returning all three coordinators, a starting coordinator and so much experience and production returning, you're farther ahead schematically.
That gives you a chance. We have to continue to have that sense or urgency to get farther and get as close as we can to that level of full potential.
The foundation is higher, I've said that before. We have a tremendous amount of work and not a lot of time to get that foundation to where we need it for September 6.”
That urgency is going to shape camp, because Freeman said the Irish still need answers in several spots before the opener. Backup quarterback remains unsettled.
So does the offensive line, where Notre Dame still has to determine the five starters. The receiver rotation is another major piece, with the staff trying to sort out its top six to seven options.
On defense, Freeman pointed to the next defensive end and the depth-heavy defensive back room as areas that still need clarity.
“There is no finish line,” Freeman stated. “We have to continue to enhance in all aspects.
We've talked about some position battles that we'll have. We have to figure out a back up quarterback.
We have to figure out who the five guys on the offensive line are. We have to figure out the top six to seven wide outs that we count on.
Defensively, who's going to be the next defensive end? How do we figure out this defensive back room with how much depth we have?
“We also have to be a team that practices extremely hard but smart,” Freeman continued. “That's going to be my message to the team tomorrow.
The standard of the way we practice can't be lowered. We have to practice really, really hard.
The effort has to be intentional but how do we practice hard and smart? It's my job to show them examples of what I mean.
We're going to need everybody; we have to keep each other safe.”
Freeman also spent time on the wide receiver group, where he singled out the mix of proven production and players still carving out roles. Jordan Faison was the easy name to start with, while Jaden Greathouse was described as productive when healthy. Freeman also noted the need for Greathouse to stay intentional about remaining available.
“We all know what Jordan Faison can do,” Freeman shared. “He's as consistent of a football player as anybody.
Jaden Greathouse is a guy that's been very productive for us when he's been in there. We have to be intentional, and he has to be intentional, about staying healthy.
Some other guys that maybe are inexperienced, or like Mylan Graham who transferred in, how do we continue to find their role?
“How many different ways can we get them on the field at different positions?” Freeman continued.
“At boundary receiver, Micah Gilbert has had as good of an offseason as anyone. Quincy Porter is still working his way into being full time, but Gilbert has done a tremendous job.
Then you have guys like Elijah Burress and Cam Williams who will rotate in to figure out who's the top six to seven and how do we use them at different positions to get them all on the field.”
In Other News...
Joel Klatt Just Put Notre Dame's Title Hopes On C.J. Carr
Joel Klatts latest quarterback ranking gave Notre Dame an encouraging sign for the road ahead, with C.J. Carr slotting in as the broadcasters top college quarterback for 2026. Klatt put Carr ahead of several of the sports most familiar names, including Arch Manning, Dante Moore and Julian Sayin, while pointing to a Fighting Irish offense that is becoming more centered around the quarterback position.
For Notre Dame, the timing matters because the roster around Carr is changing, and not in an easy way. His 2025 numbers lagged behind some of the other headline passers in that ranking, and the Irish have also had to account for the departure of several key skill players from 2025 to 2026, which leaves Carr carrying more of the load than ever. If Notre Dame is going to stay in the title picture, the conversation may start with whether Carr can turn that promise into a full-season breakthrough. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Faces Notre Dames Biggest Test Yet
Marcus Freemans path at Notre Dame has always been defined by the biggest stages, and this season looks no different. The Irish are facing the kind of gauntlet that can shape a coachs reputation, with Miami and Ohio State looming as early measuring sticks and the broader postseason picture already starting to take form around programs like Alabama and Oregon.
For Freeman, the challenge is as much about proving Notre Dame can get through elite opponents as it is about simply reaching the playoff discussion. His previous losses to Ohio State only sharpen the spotlight on that matchup, because a championship run for the Irish will be judged by whether they can finally beat the teams that have separated themselves from the pack. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Finally Gets A Defining Rivalry Back On The Schedule
After plenty of uncertainty, one of college footballs signature pairings is back on the board. Notre Dame and USC have agreed to a four-year deal that will restart their football series in Week 1 of the 2030 season, preserving a matchup that has long carried real weight for both programs and for the sport as a whole. It will open Aug. 31, 2030, in Los Angeles before shifting to South Bend the following year, giving the Irish a marquee nonconference anchor again after years of questions about the future of the rivalry.
The path to getting it done was helped along by a different schedule change, with Indiana canceling its home-and-home series against Notre Dame and freeing up the flexibility needed to make the USC agreement work. For Notre Dame, the timing matters almost as much as the opponent, because this keeps a defining tradition alive at a moment when college football scheduling keeps changing around it. The bigger picture is clear enough: a rivalry with national pull is staying intact, even if the next chapter is still a few seasons away. [Read more 🡒]