We’re under three weeks from Week 0, and we have just FOUR teams left to preview for the 2025 season!
As we kick off “Indy-Pac” week, we’re joined by Tyler Nohe of Always Talkin’ Ball to preview the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Marcus Freeman has found success on and off the field, but can he take the Irish all the way to a national championship this year?
Looking for our other previews? Find them below!
ACC Part I | ACC Part II | ACC Part III | Big XII Part I | Big XII Part II | Big XII Part III | SEC Part I | SEC Part II | SEC Part III | B1G Part I | B1G Part II | B1G Part III | AAC Part I | AAC Part II | Sun Belt East | Sun Belt West | MWC Part I | MWC Part II | MAC Part I | MAC Part II | CUSA Part I | CUSA Part II
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
2024 in Review
The first two weeks of last season could not have been more different. After earning a hard-fought, signature win at Texas A&M, Marcus Freeman and the Irish returned home to face Northern Illinois, and lost 16-14. While the loss was embarrassing, the bigger issue was the fact that Notre Dame had lost any room for error two weeks into the season and would need to win out to make the playoff. But Freeman’s squad rose to the occasion, winning their final ten regular season games by an average of 30.7 points. They entered the playoff as the seven seed, and beat Indiana, Georgia, and Penn State en-route to the National Championship Game.
Key Storylines
Send in the Carr. After waiting his turn last year, it appears that it is CJ Carr’s turn to run the show on offense. While Kenny Minchey is still in the running after a strong spring and early fall, it has long been the opinion of most that the job is Carr’s to lose. Leaning on an inexperienced signal-caller is never without risk, but Carr has the recruiting notoriety (consensus four-star and top five QB in his class) and lineage (son of former Michigan QB Jason Carr and grandson of legendary coach Lloyd Carr) to back up the optimism.
This offense might be the best Notre Dame has had since…Brady Quinn? The offense, statistically, was fine last year from a results standpoint as they finished top-ten in scoring. The process of getting there could look a lot more explosive this year. The RB corps is headlined by Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, and the deeper options could be just as talented. The receiving options took a bit of a hit in losing Beaux Collins and TE Mitchell Evans, but Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison return and Malachi Fields arrives from Virginia. The OL suffered a rash of injuries last year, but that means they are deeper and experienced this year.
Four defensive starters were drafted and Al Golden moved on to the NFL as well, but new DC Chris Ash will have plenty to work with. The defensive line is deep and experienced with seven of the top eight having at least two years of college experience. Behind them, Jaylen Sneed and Drayk Bowen will lead a LB unit that could end up the best in the country. And while the secondary is losing all-American Xavier Watts, Christian Gray and Leonard Moore are back to man the corner spots and Alabama transfer DeVonta Smith is an exciting addition at nickel.
The Schedule at a Glance
The Irish will open 2025 on the road once again, this time facing Miami in a stand-alone Sunday night affair. After a bye, Notre Dame will return home to face Texas A&M in a rematch of last year’s opener. The A&M game is also the first of five home games in six weeks, with a trip to Fayetteville being the only interruption in the home stand. The home stretch has tricky road trips to Boston College and Pitt, but overall this is a manageable, front-loaded slate with the two toughest games likely being the first.
Over/Under Projection: 10.5
It is very possible that we will know if Notre Dame will hit this number two games (and three weeks) into the season. If the Irish knock off the Canes and Aggies, I don/t see two other teams beating them this season. If they split against two talented-but-flawed teams, 10-2 feels like the ceiling. I am high on this roster and don’t think the QB will need to be all that dynamic, so I’m predicting at least 11-1.
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