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2025 Wish List: Three Must-Haves For the Fighting Irish

For Notre Dame to have a successful 2025 season, there are many things that need to go in the Irish's favor. Here are three simple must-haves for Notre Dame in the 2025 season.

Art by The Irish Tribune


As the calendar shifts to July and the college football season grows nearer and nearer, expectations and excitement are at an all-time high.


For Notre Dame, a run to the championship and a surge in high school recruiting have tided over the appetite of the fanbase, yet leave more to be desired. Lofty expectations for the 2025 season and the expectancy of greatness are on the minds of the Fighting Irish faithful.


In order for the Fighting Irish to have a successful season, there are facets that need to go in favor of the Blue and Gold.

Split the First Two Games at Minimum

The 2025 schedule is a gauntlet compared to last year's regular season tests for the Fighting Irish.


Notre Dame will start out with arguably two of its toughest games of the season right off the bat, traveling to Miami Gardens to open the year up against Miami and then returning home to face Texas A&M two weeks later.


Even with the departure of No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, Miami's offense still should remain explosive with the transfer portal acquisition of Carson Beck. Beck, who was projected to be a first-round draft pick at the beginning of the 2024 season, is still recovering from a UCL injury he suffered in the SEC championship game. While Beck's 2024 season may have appeared lackluster and filled with turnover woes, he is still an extremely talented passer who is looking to rewrite the direction of his career in a Miami system that turned Ward into a Heisman finalist last season.


After a tough opening game in a raucous environment, the Irish return home to South Bend, where their record under Marcus Freeman in home openers is 1-2, with a win over Tennessee State and two losses against Marshall and Northern Illinois. Luckily for the Irish, Texas A&M is a foe that cannot be overlooked.


The Aggies come into South Bend under second-year head coach Mike Elko, and Marcel Reed returns as the starting quarterback. Reed and offensive coordinator Collin Klein have appeared to figure out how to operate the Aggie offense. Loaded with transfer portal acquisitions, Elko's Aggies should be a tough test, especially defensively, for a quarterback making his second career college football start.


To go at least 1-1 through the first two games would be an enormous win for Freeman and the Fighting Irish and would certainly keep them in the race for the playoff picture.

Staying Healthy

First off, health will be something to monitor throughout the season. Loren Landow enters his second year as Notre Dame's Director of Football Performance. Landow came to Notre Dame as a prestigious, world-renowned strength and conditioning specialist, but, in his first year at Notre Dame, the Irish saw many critical injuries throughout the season. If it weren't for the depth and young talent of the Fighting Irish, these injuries could've been seen more vividly and in turn, apply more scrutiny to the job being done.


However, in Landow's defense, this past season was the longest college football season ever. Playing 16 games instead of 14 at most is something that the entire sport needs to adjust to. Load management is still being discussed and the transition into the longer season will be a gradual adjustment. Yet, in year two in South Bend, Landow's impact will be monitored more closely.


1,000-Yard Receiver

In the grand scheme of things, this stat doesn't really matter the most, yet looking at how Notre Dame's offense will be designed to operate in 2025, having a 1,000-yard receiver would certainly be a good sign for the Fighting Irish.


While Notre Dame and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will lean on the running game of Heisman candidate Jeremiyah Love and big-play producer Jadarian Price, having a more accurate quarterback run the offense will certainly lead to downfield success for Notre Dame.


If teams begin to load the box in an effort to stop Love, Price, or any other running back in Ja'Juan Seider's running back room, either CJ Carr or Kenny Minchey will have success finding one-on-one matchups for their wide receivers.


This year, the wide receiving room is as talented as can be in recent memory. Juniors Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison have continued to develop throughout their time in South Bend. By adding proven commodities as well in the transfer portal, in Malachi Fields and Will Pauling, the top half of the wide receiver room is as talented as Notre Dame's seen in the last ten years. This is by far the best top four wide receivers the Irish have had on a roster, and there will certainly be many 1-on-1 opportunities for Carr or Minchey to explore and take advantage of.


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