Marcus Freeman sees the new 5-for-5 eligibility rule as more than a tweak to college football’s rulebook. For Notre Dame, he believes it changes the way coaches can use their best young players right away.
The rule, which takes effect this season, gives student-athletes five total seasons to play in college. With a few exceptions for military or religious missions, it wipes away the old redshirt maze and should keep players from stretching into a seventh or eighth year of eligibility.
At first glance, that kind of change might seem more important for Group of Five programs than for a place like Notre Dame. Most elite programs, after all, are not planning around players sticking around for five years. But Freeman’s comments made clear why the Irish see real value in this shift, especially on the front end.
"I think it's beneficial for both players and coaches," Freeman explained. "Coaches don't have to decide what four games we're going to play a guy.
They don't have to have that conversation where your team needs you to play in game five, even though your agent might be telling you not to. You need to be able to play freshman at certain times, no matter if they play four games or not.
I think it's just beneficial for so many people that this five for five went through."
That matters for a Notre Dame 2026 class that Rivals/On3 ranked No. 1 in the country. The group is loaded with players who can help on offense, defense and special teams, and under the old setup, some of those true freshmen would have faced the usual redshirt balancing act.
Notre Dame already lived through that kind of decision last fall with tight end James Flanigan. He played only in the final four games of the regular season, preserving his redshirt and leaving him with four years of eligibility heading into 2026. The staff had a need for him earlier, but the choice came down to whether to use him or protect that extra season.
There were also moments when the offense could have used a different body type, especially in the red zone. Notre Dame leaned on undersized slot receivers bunched to the formation to help set the edge in the run game, but Flanigan’s skill set would have been the preferred option. The staff still chose to keep his redshirt intact.
That kind of dilemma is now gone for players such as tight end Ian Premer, wide receiver Bubba Frazier, defensive ends Rodney Dunham and Ebenezer Ewetade, safety Joey O'Brien and cornerback Khary Adams. Freeman said the rule removes a burden from everyone involved.
"You have players talking to their agent or parents that don't want them to play in game five," Freeman shared. "That's tough on a young person.
It's tough on coaches. Now, that young person doesn't have to worry about his parents saying 'you can only play in three games or four games.'
I think it's really an added benefit for all parties and I think it's going to be something good moving forward."
With Notre Dame’s schedule and the talent in that 2026 class, the wait to see it all unfold won’t be long.
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