Notre Dame will open the 2027 season at home for the first time in the Marcus Freeman era, with Kent State coming to Notre Dame Stadium in Week 0 on Aug. 28, according to a contract amendment obtained by FBSchedules.com.
That setup is a notable break from the recent pattern. The Irish have not started a season in South Bend since the 2020 COVID-19 season, when they opened at home in the House that Knute Rockne Built. Since 2021, Notre Dame’s first games have come away from home or at a neutral site: at FSU in 2021, at Ohio State in 2022, against Navy in Dublin in 2023, at Texas A&M in 2024 and at Miami in 2025.
The Kent State game had previously been set for Oct. 2.
It was added in May, and it came with a couple of familiar ties for Notre Dame. The Golden Flashes are the alma mater of the late Lou Holtz, the legendary Fighting Irish coach who died in March.
Freeman also has a link to Kent State from his own coaching past, having worked there as linebackers coach from 2011-12.
The matchup also adds another name to Notre Dame’s already wide-ranging schedule history. By playing Kent State in 2027, the Irish will have faced their 90th program among the current 138 FBS teams, which is fourth all-time behind Georgia, Ohio State and Michigan.
FBSchedules.com reported that under the original game contract, Notre Dame would pay Kent State a $1.3 million guarantee for the game.
Notre Dame’s 2027 schedule currently includes: Aug. 28 vs.
Kent State
Sept. 4 vs.
Purdue
Sept. 18 at Michigan State
Sept. 25 vs. Auburn
Oct. 9 vs. Wake Forest*
Oct. 30 at Clemson
Nov. 6 vs.
Virginia Tech
Nov. 20 vs.
Navy
Nov. 27 at Stanford
TBA at Virginia
TBA vs.
BYU
TBA at Duke
*Denotes a neutral site matchup in Charlotte for the Duke's Mayo Classic.
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