Notre Dame heads into the 2026 season with the kind of roster profile that gets attention fast: a returning starting quarterback, veteran coaches, and production back in all the places that usually matter most when the games get biggest.
That’s why Marcus Freeman’s team is being talked about as one of the top national title contenders. Freeman enters year five with all three coordinators back, two defensive captains returning, and CJ Carr back under center as the first returning starting quarterback for the Irish since 2020.
Notre Dame also brings back the most production in the country according to ESPN, and multiple outlets have ranked several of its position groups in the top five. ESPN and FanDuel have both kept the Irish among the favorites for the 2026 title.
The reason the buzz has gotten so loud is simple: Notre Dame checks the boxes that championship teams usually check. The Irish look strong at quarterback, on both lines, and in the secondary. That combination has shown up again and again on title teams, and Notre Dame is positioned to have all four areas working at a high level this fall.
Carr is the headliner. As a redshirt freshman, he threw for 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns and added three rushing scores while setting the program record in passer efficiency rating.
He also led a season in which Notre Dame set program marks in points per game at 42.0 and yards per play at 7.3. Now he returns with bigger expectations and a talented offensive line in front of him.
Joe Rudolph’s group has a chance to be one of the best in the country. Anthonie Knapp, Guerby Lambert and Ashton Craig are back, and redshirt freshman Will Black is stepping into the starting lineup.
Notre Dame could even chase its first Joe Moore Award since 2017, but the bigger point is what great offensive line play can do for a championship run. Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan and Georgia all won titles without taking home that award, but they were playing at that level up front.
The defensive front may be even more intriguing. Charlie Partridge has a deep, complete group to work with, and the Irish believe this can become an elite unit.
Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young and Jason Onye are back, while Keon Keeley, Francis Brewu, Tionne Gray and true freshman Rodney Dunham add to the mix. In Freeman’s time, Notre Dame has not had a defensive line outlook this strong.
The secondary has already been delivering at a championship level. After a slow start in 2025, Notre Dame finished as a top pass defense in the country.
The Irish were the No. 1 pass defense in 2024 and led the nation in opponent passer rating and completion percentage allowed. Over the last two seasons, Notre Dame finished top five nationally in interceptions with 40 combined picks, more than any other title contender heading into 2026 among Ohio State, Texas, Oregon, Georgia, Miami and Indiana.
That’s the case for Notre Dame right now: good in all the right spots, and built in a way that looks a lot like recent champions. The rest comes down to Freeman, his staff and the players turning that profile into a season that ends the Irish’s national championship drought, which dates back to 1988.
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Styles Prescod Faces Real Pressure In Notre Dame's Tackle Battle
Styles Prescod spent the 2025 season getting a real taste of Notre Dames offensive line rotation, logging meaningful reps in seven games and finishing with 89 snaps as a redshirt sophomore. That experience has put him in the conversation as the No. 2 left tackle heading into 2026 fall camp, a useful place to be for a player trying to turn depth-chart momentum into something more permanent.
Prescods next challenge is the kind that can define a camp for an offensive lineman: holding off a wave of highly rated freshmen who are already pressing for the same spot. Grayson McKeogh is the headliner in that group, with Owen Strebig also in the mix, and the battle at left tackle is expected to stretch beyond August as Notre Dame sorts out its best option while Prescod continues to carry a steady special teams role. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Is Emerging In A Familiar Fight For Elite Talent
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Pitts has said the Irish have stood out to him since he was a kid, a connection that gives Notre Dame a real opening as the chase for top talent keeps heating up. He has not put a deadline on his decision, which leaves plenty of time for the usual heavy hitters to keep pushing, and plenty of time for Notre Dame to keep selling the part of its pitch that has already resonated. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Commit Isaiah Rogers Looks Ready For A Bigger Leap
Isaiah Rogers has already built the kind of rsum that makes Notre Dame fans pay attention, and the next step in his development came far from a Friday night field. The Irish running back commit and top 2027 prospect spent time at Nikes The Opening Finals, where elite high school talent mixed with some of the biggest names in football, giving Rogers a chance to measure himself against the best while picking up ideas he can carry into his senior year.
For a player coming off a strong junior season, the value there goes beyond the competition itself. Rogers said the event gave him a chance to learn how top performers approach the game and how he can sharpen his own, and that kind of exposure can matter for a back who already looks like hes on an upward track. Notre Dame will be watching closely to see how much of that experience shows up when the season starts. [Read more 🡒]