Is Notre Dame Primed to be at the Top of the Sport for Years to Come?
- Noah Wehby
- 10 hours ago
- 4 min read
Recently, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg ranked Notre Dame No. 1 in a two-year power ranking. With national attention now recognizing what Marcus Freeman is building in South Bend, what makes Notre Dame so special?
In Rittenberg's article, he lays out the criteria for his rankings, listing the QB position, offensive/defensive line, roster management, star power, and coaching staff as his main points of conversation. Again, this is a two-year outlook, so it is important to forecast what the team will look like not only during this upcoming season, but also the year after.
When it comes to the QB position, Rittenberg first points out the diamond Notre Dame has found in CJ Carr. For years, Notre Dame was stuck in a "rental" situation at QB, constantly bouncing around from transfer QB to transfer QB. Now, they have Carr returning for his second season, where he has real expectations of becoming one of the top players in the country at his position. Looking beyond him, they also have intriguing options with Blake Hebert and Noah Grubbs as depth pieces or potential starters. Teddy Jarrard also joins the room and brings what looks to be real star-power in the future.
Next, Rittenberg breaks down what appears to be the strength for Notre Dame in 2026 and has been ever since Freeman became head coach, which is the offensive and defensive line. Notre Dame has always prided itself on being a team that wants to dominate the line of scrimmage. In 2024, it was largely this that led them to the National Championship game. Rittenberg accurately points out that in 2026, there is a lot to like on both sides of the Irish line of scrimmage. On the offensive line, they have a lot of returning production with Anthonie Knapp, Ashton Craig, Sullivan Absher, and Guerby Lambert. They combine this with the extremely talented Will Black to make up what looks to be one of the best lines in college football. Rittenberg points out that the defensive line looks to be just as formidable with Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young, and Jason Onye, along with the portal additions of Tionne Gray, Keon Keeley, and Francis Brewu. This defensive line has size, speed, and athleticism at levels that Notre Dame has not seen in years. They look to be a strong part of a defense that, on paper, looks as talented as any in college football.
Next on Rittenberg's criteria, he looks at the roster management of Notre Dame's football team. This may be where Notre Dame fans have seen the most change throughout Freeman's tenure. During his time, Freeman has been able to accumulate and retain talent at a rate that seemed impossible just a few years ago. Rittenberg goes into the high-level recruiting Freeman achieves, landing one of the best 2026 classes in the country, and is looking to do it again in the 2027 class. This, combined with Freeman's ability to retain the talent on his team, gives Notre Dame an excellent ability to reload and rebuild talented rosters year in and year out. Rittenberg also notes that Freeman does this, all while never relying too much on the portal to build his rosters, even landing high-profile wide receivers from Ohio State with plenty of years of eligibility.
The fourth on his list is star power, where Notre Dame has plenty of that, too. Notre Dame goes into the 2026 season with some of the best players at their respective positions. Leonard Moore seems to be the undisputed best cornerback in the country, and he may be the best defensive player overall. There is also CJ Carr, who is primed for a huge year that puts him into consideration as one of the best QB's in the nation and even a Heisman contender. Besides those two, Rittenberg also points out all the other star players Notre Dame has on its roster, including Traore, Brewu, and Craig. To add to that, Notre Dame has plenty of other candidates that could step into a star role in 2026, such as Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Drayk Bowen, Mylan Graham, and many others.
Lastly, Rittenberg mentions Notre Dame's coaching staff as a huge plus for Notre Dame. Obviously, he first points out the star that is Marcus Freeman. Regarded as one of the best coaches in the sport, Freeman has elevated the Notre Dame program, which has garnered a lot of attention from the NFL. Along with this, Rittenberg notes that he was also able to retain both his coordinators, bringing some continuity to a team with a lot of returning players.
Overall, Notre Dame is set to be in a position to continue competing for National Championships for the foreseeable future. They have the players, the infrastructure, the recruiting, and the coaches to succeed at the highest level. This was not the case just a few years ago, but that change is due to the impressive work that Freeman, his staff, and Notre Dame have put in to make sure this program is competitive in this new era of college football.
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