Notre Dame enters this season with more than a few records within reach, and the Fighting Irish may have a real shot at rewriting multiple corners of the program’s history.
The biggest number hanging out there is the all-time win streak. Notre Dame’s standard is 23 straight victories, a mark set across the 1988 and 1989 seasons. The Irish are already on a 10-game run from last year, and with the schedule in front of them and the talent spread across the roster, that streak is at least part of the conversation now.
There’s also the team’s scoring record. Notre Dame set the program mark with 72 touchdowns in 2024, and that total is suddenly vulnerable.
Last fall, the Irish scored 70 touchdowns in the regular season alone, just two shy of that record, even though they played four fewer games than they did two years ago. That means the record could fall before the postseason even begins, but if it doesn’t, the playoff run would give them more chances to get there.
The pass rush could be in line for a run at history too. Notre Dame’s single-season sack record is 41.0, established in 2021 when Marcus Freeman was the team’s defensive coordinator.
Even with injuries up front last season, the Irish still got to 34.0 sacks. New defensive line coach Charlie Partridge was brought in to push that unit further, and with Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young back, this is another mark that feels very much in play.
On the individual side, CJ Carr is the name to watch. For the first time since 2020, Notre Dame brings back its starting quarterback from the previous season, and Carr has a chance to chase more than one passing record.
He finished last fall with a 66.6% completion percentage, while Ian Book’s program standard sits at 68.2%. Carr could also go after Brady Quinn’s record of 37 passing touchdowns, set in 2006.
Aneyas Williams has a shot at making his own place in the record book as well. The current Notre Dame mark for receiving touchdowns by a running back in a single season is five, held by Joe Heap since 1953. As the projected No. 1 back, Williams has already shown he can be a factor as a receiver, and if Notre Dame gets into 15 or 16 games in 2026, six receiving scores is well within reach.
The defense has a possible record on the horizon too. Notre Dame could break the single-season mark for interceptions returned for touchdowns.
That record is currently shared by Jack Kiser and Julian Love, each with two. Kiser had his against Wisconsin and Georgia Tech in 2021, while Love did it against Michigan State and NC State in 2017.
With Leonard Moore, Brauntae Johnson, Christian Gray and Adon Shuler all back, another run at that record would not be a surprise.
And those are only the headline numbers. There are other marks that could fall too, including most first-half points, sacks in a game and touchdown passes in a game.
The bigger point is that this isn’t just a hopeful exercise. With Freeman’s roster and what Notre Dame has returning, several program records really are on the table this season.
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 🡒]