We look ahead to Notre Dame's 2026 season by providing you with way too early opponent previews and predictions.

With the 2025 College Football season officially under wraps, we look ahead to Notre Dame's 2026 season with an early look at six of the Irish's opponents.

Although Marcus Freeman and his staff got off to a bit of a slow start, they have been able to put together quite an exciting and talented portal class that is undoubtedly one of the best in the country. Good things come to those who wait, and that adage proved truthful for the Fighting Irish. Photo by Notre Dame Athletics Quincy Porter, Ohio State Wide Receiver: A One of the two Ohio State wide receivers making their way to South Bend, Porter is exactly what Notre Dame hoped

Notre Dame entered the portal needing to secure at least two DTs, and landing the #3 and #7 transfer DL certainly addresses that issue. Tionne Gray is young and still has some development ahead of him with great potential. He could compete for a starting spot, but regardless, he should be heavily featured in a solid-looking interior DL group consisting of Francis Brewu, Armel Mukam, Elijah Hughes, Christopher Burgess, and Cole Mullins.

Former Ohio State WR Mylan Graham has announced his decision to transfer to Notre Dame. The 6-1, 195-pound wideout is rated as the #35 WR and #128 overall transfer, according to 247 Sports. Graham joins the Fighting Irish following his January 7-8th visit to South Bend.

Keon Keeley entered the transfer portal on January 4th, rated as the #8 edge and #46 overall prospect (247 Sports). Following a January 7th visit to South Bend, the 6-5 and 282-pounder transferred to Notre Dame with two years of eligibility.

At 11:46 a.m. EST on Thursday, former New Mexico State DL Ezra Christensen announced on X that he had received an offer from Notre Dame. Christensen is ranked as the No. 25 defensive lineman in the Transfer Portal by 247Sports and checks in at No. 338 overall.

After a bit of a slow start in the transfer portal, Notre Dame is still in the running for some top portal targets, but they will still need to find a boundary wide receiver after the commitments of Nick Marsh and Ian Strong.

With the transfer portal officially open, and with the droves of student-athletes that had already announced their intent to enter, the portal should be as chaotic as ever. With holes still left in the upcoming Notre Dame roster, who are some potential targets for Marcus Freeman and his staff? Photo by Michigan State Athletics Nick Marsh - Michigan State Wide Receiver Nick Marsh would be a huge addition and an impactful player for a team looking to compete for a National Cham

Notre Dame’s trio of Hannah Hidalgo, Iyana Moore, and Cassandre Prosper outscored Pitt by themselves with a combined 71 points. Hidalgo led the way offensively with another 30-point outing when her three-point shot was not falling. Prosper forced eight Pitt turnovers as she clamped the Panthers on the perimeter and down low, all while contributing 18 points on an efficient shooting night.

Over the course of the last month or so, there had been a myriad of rumors surrounding Marcus Freeman and potential NFL head coaching jobs. Today, Freeman announced emphatically on X that he would be remaining at Notre Dame in a few simple words: "2026... run it back. Go Irish" It wouldn't be a Notre Dame offseason without heaps of drama, and before the dust had even settled, there had been multiple reports of Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman gaining interest from a few N

Coming into this season, everybody and their brother inside the Notre Dame Football world knew that Notre Dame had to at worst split between the Miami and Texas A&M games in order to secure a playoff spot come December. They instead lost both games, which created a massive hole for the Irish to try to climb out of. Blame it on coaching, inexperience, scheme, whatever you want, but the fact remains, Notre Dame didn't get the job done against either of their two toughest oppone

The USC Trojans have been and continue to be one of the biggest perpetrators of this new era. After effectively destroying the Pac-12 and leaving Washington State and Oregon State out to dry, the Trojans have now successfully put a halt to the iconic Notre Dame-USC rivalry.

In an article released on Monday, December 22, Ross Dellenger reported that USC and Notre Dame officials failed to reach an agreement to extend their historic rivalry. The 2026 matchup would have been the 97th meeting in the series, one that has spanned nearly a century. The only times the two programs did not play were during a three-year hiatus in World War II and in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo via USC Athletics Everyone’s Biggest Question: Why? When USC decide

Following Notre Dame’s decision to opt out of a bowl game after being snubbed from the CFP, the Irish’s offseason has begun a bit earlier than everyone would have hoped. Ideally, Marcus Freeman and staff are using this extra free time to scour the ever-growing transfer portal.

Jeremiyah Love has officially declared for the NFL draft following his third place finish in the Heisman race. With Love's Notre Dame career now over, here is a look back at Love's legendary three years in South Bend. Photo by Notre Dame Athletics Love arrived at Notre Dame as a four-star prospect after dominating his competition in the state of Missouri, winning the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year. As a freshman, Love saw the field in all 13 games but was a backup to Au

Notre Dame's hot start in the class of 2027 continues, as Elite 4-Star Cornerback Xavier "Zay" Hasan announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish today. Hasan is a 6’0", 180lbs Cornerback out of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. 247Sports Composite ranks him as the No. 38 overall recruit nationally, and the No. 4 overall Cornerback in the country. Art by The Irish Tribune Before committing to the Irish today, Hasan had 37 Division 1 offers from notabl

No. 19 Notre Dame (8-2) hit the road this weekend for a Sunday afternoon contest with the James Madison Dukes (8-3). The Irish, led by Cassandre Prosper’s 24 points and 15 team steals, were able to secure a 78-65 win over the feisty Dukes.

Coach Micah Shrewsberry and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish seem to be locked in, even following the recent loss of Markus Burton, with ACC play right around the corner. The Irish extended their winning streak to four games this Saturday with a fairly dominant 82-58 win at home against the Evansville Purple Aces.

From the moment the College Football Playoff committee announced at roughly 12:30 PM EST on Sunday, December 7th, that Notre Dame would not be included in the 12-team playoff field, the national conversation shifted—and it didn't shift away. It shifted entirely toward Notre Dame.