Notre Dame spent Week 0 on the sideline, but there was still plenty to watch with the season opener against Wisconsin set for next Sunday. Two future Irish opponents, North Carolina and Stanford, both got their campaigns underway, and they did it in very different ways.
North Carolina and TCU played a grind in Dublin. The game was tied 10-10 after the first quarter, and after that, offense mostly disappeared. Bill Belichick’s team may have won 15-10, but it produced only three points after the opening quarter.
Stanford’s start looked nothing like that. The Cardinal put up plenty of offense against Hawaii in a matchup that was the second between the teams in two years, and this one delivered again. Stanford came away with a 37-27 win on Saturday night, giving new head coach Tavita Pritchard his first victory.
Back in South Bend, Marcus Freeman and company are still sorting out the final details before the opener, and one of the biggest pieces is the leadership group. Notre Dame will go into the Wisconsin game with four captains: Adon Shuler, Drayk Bowen, CJ Carr and Jordan Faison. Shuler and Bowen are both second-time captains, making them the 28th and 29th two-time captains in program history.
There was also more good news on the recruiting front from one of Notre Dame’s quarterback commits. Champ Monds put together a huge Friday night performance for Vero Beach, finishing 21-of-26 for 380 yards and adding six carries for 44 yards.
He threw a 92-yard touchdown pass, added two more scores through the air and also punched in a couple of goal-line runs as Vero Beach moved to 2-0. Performances like that only keep raising his profile.
And then there’s Joey O’Brien, whose status had been a major concern for Irish fans after the Blue and Gold game injury and the hospital picture that followed. Now, though, he’s healthy and back in the mix, and it looks like he could force his way into the rotation early this season.
In Other News...
Notre Dames First Wisconsin Depth Chart Leaves One Big Line Question
Notre Dames first depth chart for the Wisconsin game brought some clarity to the offensive line, and it starts with Ashton Craig back where the Irish want him most. After a season-ending injury derailed his year, Craig is listed at center again, giving the front a familiar anchor as the opener approaches. The chart also showed freshman Charlie Thom moving to tackle, another sign the staff is still sorting out the best combinations up front before the real test begins.
One spot remains unsettled, though, and it is the kind of opening-week question that can matter against a physical opponent like Wisconsin: right guard. Sullivan Absher and Styles Prescod are both in the mix there, leaving Notre Dame with one key decision still hanging as it finalizes the line. The defensive side of the chart offered its own clues, with starters and rotations including transfers and freshmen expected to play roles right away, but the biggest eyes will stay on that right guard battle until the Irish settle it. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Could Have A Dream Week 1 Matchup On Defense
Wisconsin is already signaling that it plans to challenge Leonard Moore when the Badgers open the season against Notre Dame, a notable stance given how quickly the Irish corner has built a reputation as one of the more difficult defensive backs to work around. Moore has piled up pass breakups and interceptions over his first two seasons, and Pro Football Focus has graded his coverage highly, which makes any opposing coach who is willing to test him worth watching closely.
Luke Fickell saying Wisconsin will not steer clear of Moore adds a little extra intrigue to a Week 1 game that already has plenty of it. Notre Dame has seen this kind of approach before, including from a former Wisconsin staff in 2021, when the Badgers kept attacking the Irish top corner and paid for it with interceptions. Whether this version of Wisconsin follows the same path could go a long way toward shaping how much of a defensive showcase the opener becomes. [Read more 🡒]
Al Golden's Bengals Reunion With Two Former Irish Stars Ended Harshly
Al Goldens arrival in Cincinnati had given Howard Cross III and Isaiah Foskey a familiar face in the building, but the Bengals roster trim brought a far less welcome ending. Both former Notre Dame standouts were waived as the team cut down to its 53-man regular-season limit, part of a wider effort to reshape a defense that struggled last season and needed more stability across the board.
For Irish fans, the connection made the situation especially notable. Cross and Foskey both came through Notre Dame with Golden involved in their development, which made the reunion feel like a natural fit heading into camp. Instead, the Bengals moved in a different direction, leaving two ex-Irish defenders looking for their next opportunity just as Cincinnati settled its opening-week roster. [Read more 🡒]