Marcus Freeman may have one more roster wrinkle to sort through, and it sits in the gray area created by the recent Colorado court ruling. The decision, which essentially opened the door for any player from the class of 2022 to get one more season, raises a simple question for Notre Dame: is there anyone the Irish might suddenly be able to bring back for 2026?
The most realistic name is defensive tackle Junior Tuihalamaka.
In theory, he fits the ruling. Tuihalamaka played four seasons and did not redshirt, which puts him in the group that could potentially return to South Bend for another year.
But the NCAA has already pushed back hard against the decision and is fighting it, including by arguing that the court went too far by extending relief beyond the players who were actually part of the lawsuit. For now, players like Tuihalamaka are stuck in limbo.
That uncertainty creates a second problem for Notre Dame. Even if the option exists, would the program want to deal with the mess that could come from acting as if the ruling is settled when the NCAA is still challenging it? Marcus Freeman and Pete Bevacqua may not be intimidated by the NCAA, but adding Tuihalamaka to the roster, practicing him, and potentially using him only to have him ruled ineligible later would be a headache Notre Dame may not need.
From a roster standpoint, the Irish do have room to maneuver. Notre Dame lists 113 players on its official 2026-27 roster, though several are grandfathered in and do not count toward the 105-man limit. Insiders believe there could be one opening available if everything breaks the right way.
And if it does, Tuihalamaka would make sense on football merit alone. He’s not a starter-level candidate for 2026, but he could still be a useful depth piece for Chris Ash’s defensive line.
In 2025, his playing time was limited, but he still finished with 12 tackles and a sack. The year before, he put up 32 tackles, three sacks, and even grabbed an interception.
The real question is whether he would want that role. Coming back for a fifth season as more of a part-time player is one thing, especially after already having plans beyond South Bend.
Still, many players would be tempted to take the extra year for revenue sharing and NIL money alone. Notre Dame, though, already has its budget set for the 2026-27 academic year, and Tuihalamaka was not part of it.
If he isn’t getting revenue-sharing dollars, then the NIL pitch has to do a lot of heavy lifting. How much would a backup defensive lineman, arriving just as fall camp is getting underway, really command?
Enough to make him challenge the NCAA’s stance? That answer is still coming into focus.
What seems clear is that time matters here. Notre Dame’s official prep for the 2026 season is about to begin, and the longer this drags on, the less likely it becomes that Junior Tuihalamaka is part of it.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Just Changed How Indiana's Future Schedule Will Be Judged
Indianas future nonconference slate took another hit when its planned home-and-home series with Notre Dame for 2030-31 was canceled, removing one of the more recognizable games from the Hoosiers schedule. The change comes as Notre Dame moved to renew its rivalry with USC in a four-game series, keeping one of college footballs marquee matchups on the calendar and leaving Indiana to keep reshaping its own future dates.
For Indiana, the timing only sharpens the conversation around how its schedules will be judged going forward. The Hoosiers currently do not have any Power Four non-conference opponents lined up, a detail that has already drawn criticism about the strength of their future slates. Losing Notre Dame adds another layer to that scrutiny, especially with so much attention now on how programs position themselves for selection committees and public perception alike. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Just Added Real Heat To Notre Dame-USC Again
Lincoln Riley has put fresh attention back on one of college footballs most stubborn rivalries by revisiting the Notre Dame-USC scheduling issue. The USC coach pointed to the reality of the Trojans conference calendar as part of the reason the matchup has landed where it has, while also taking aim at Notre Dames choices along the way. It is the kind of public back-and-forth that keeps a long-running series from going stale, even when the games themselves are still years away.
For Notre Dame, the timing matters because the rivalry is officially set to restart in 2030, with the games scheduled early in the season. That only raises the stakes around every comment and countercomment between the two sides, especially when the conversation shifts from tradition to logistics. Rileys latest remarks do not change the calendar, but they do remind both fan bases that the tension around this series is already back in full view. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Is Still Waiting On The Indiana Matchup Fans Wanted
Indiana footballs future non-conference slate has been drawing attention, and not in the way Notre Dame fans had hoped. Under Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers have mapped out a schedule through 2029 that stays away from any Power Four opponent outside the Big Ten, a sharp turn from the kind of game that can make an autumn calendar feel a little bigger.
Indiana had previously had games with Virginia and Louisville on the books before moving on to lighter opponents, and Cignetti has described the approach as SEC-style in its emphasis on conference play. For Notre Dame, though, the matchup people keep circling is still a ways off, with the first series between the programs now slated for 2030-31. [Read more 🡒]