5 reasons that you should fully buy into the Notre Dame national championship hype heading into the 2026 CFB season
Notre Dame football fans should absolutely buy into the national championship hype going into the 2026 CFB season.
The offseason just began, but there is already a ton of hype for Notre Dame football heading into the 2026 college football season. Depending on which media outlet you frequent, most early Top-25 polls have head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish ranked somewhere between No. 2 and No. 5. That includes the Crain and Company poll over at On3, which has the Fighting Irish on the high end in that range. That is quite the testament to the team that Freeman and Co. have built on paper.
There is also a lot of hype so far for quarterback CJ Carr, which makes sense. Coming off a strong redshirt freshman season, there is a lot to be excited about in South Bend. Most sports books have Carr ranked as a top-two candidate for the Heisman Trophy race next season. While it is nice for Notre Dame to be getting that level of hype, this is still a “prove it” moment for this fan base. They are starved for a national championship, their first since 1988, so preseason rankings and honors don’t do much to quench that thirst. Games aren’t won on paper.
While there is going to be some hesitancy for some to fully buy into this championship hype, everyone should. There are five key reasons why the 2026 season could end up being a historic one for the Notre Dame program. That campaign has a chance to silence the doubters, prove the haters wrong, and finally put the Fighting Irish back on top.
1. Limited coaching turnover for Notre Dame
There is still an NFL coaching hiring cycle happening, so things aren’t fully solidified, but as of today, it appears that Notre Dame had very little coaching staff turnover this offseason. They did lose linebacker coach Max Bullough to Michigan State, which was a tough blow, but that allowed Al Washington to shift over to take Bullough’s place and welcome one of the best defensive line coaches in the country in Charlie Partridge. Along with Marcus Freeman coming back for his fifth season as the head coach, the Fighting Irish are also bringing back all three coordinators with Mike Denbrock, Chris Ash, and Marty Biagi. That type of stability is very important.
2. CJ Carr heading into year two as a starter
As a redshirt freshman, CJ Carr was one of the more efficient quarterbacks in all of college football. He managed to throw for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns in 12 games. As Carr gains even more confidence this offseason, he has the chance to become one of the very best signal callers in the country. If Carr does take that leap, this offense has a chance to be fantastic. It has been a while since you had trust in a quarterback to win a big game with his arm, exactly what the 6-3, 210-pound signal caller potentially brings to the table.
3. Notre Dame should excel in the trenches
I am still a purist in my beliefs about what wins football games. The best teams are still built from the inside out, meaning that if you win in the trenches, you have a chance to win football games.
On the offensive side of the football, this line should be tremendous in 2026. Even with Billy Schrauth and Aamil Wagner heading to the NFL, there is a crazy amount of talent and depth up front. If offensive line coach Joe Rudolph maximizes his talent, there is no reason that the group shouldn’t be in the running for the Joe Moore Award. Left tackle Anthonie Knapp is back next season, as is Guerby Lambert, Sullivan Absher, and Joe Otting, all of whom got a ton of playing time in 2025. Add in Charles Jagusah returning, as well as youngsters like Will Black and Matty Augustine waiting in the wings, and you have a very talented group on paper.
You could make an argument that this could be the most promising group on the defensive line that Notre Dame has had in a very long time. With the transfer portal acquisitions of Tionne Gray (Oregon) and Francis Brewu (Pitt), as well as returning both Jason Onye and Armel Mukam, this has the potential to be the deepest defensive tackle group in several years in South Bend. Lost in all the portal chaos was that star pass rusher Boubacar Traore is coming back for 2026, as well. With Bryce Young and Alabama transfer Keon Keeley, this defensive line is deep and extremely talented.
4. Elite defense heading into 2026
There is a lot of debate about what is most important to win big games in the modern era of college football. For me, defense still travels, even in the biggest moment. As previously mentioned, this defensive line should be quite good. Even if it is, however, there is still a strong possibility that it is the worst defensive unit for the Notre Dame defense next season, which is saying a lot. With All-American cornerback Leonard Moore returning, as well as Adon Shuler, Tae Johnson, Christian Gray, Luke Talich, Dallas Golden, Mark Zackery, and the portal acquisition of DJ McKinney (Colorado), this group could end up being the best in college football in 2026. The linebacker group isn’t far behind.
5. No major holes on the Notre Dame roster
As is the case for every team in college football, there are going to be some positions that lack experience and bring questions. From a pure talent and potential perspective, however, where are the glaring holes on this Notre Dame team?
It’s okay, I can’t think of anything either. Freeman and Co. have done a masterful job building this roster up, retaining key talent, and adding potential impact talent via the portal. They seem to have an incredibly well-balanced team on paper and should be dangerous heading into the fall.
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