Why 2026-27 Can Be One of the Greatest Athletic Years in Notre Dame History

Brenden Duffy
Aug 5
6 min read

As we enter August and the start of the 2026-27 academic year, Notre Dame could be on the cusp of a truly special nine-month run.

Football

It is no secret that this season is National Championship or bust as Head Coach Marcus Freeman enters his fifth official year at the helm of Notre Dame. The Irish are in a group of six championship favorites with +1000 or lower odds to raise the trophy on January 25th in Las Vegas.

Talent should not be an issue, an ultimate credit to Freeman and his staff’s roster construction. The Irish enter the 2026 season with the second-highest blue chip ratio in college football at 80%, trailing only Georgia’s 85%. Last season’s Indiana championship team was the first to win with under a 50% ratio, proving how valuable this number can be. Just 12 teams enter 2026 with over the 50% “championship threshold.”

This talent starts with QB CJ Carr. The Notre Dame signal-caller faces lofty expectations heading into ‘26 as a Heisman favorite, with Texas QB Arch Manning in the mix as well. Carr will be the Irish’s first returning starter since Ian Book, a vital reason the Irish are among title favorites. This season, the second-year starter will be asked to carry a much larger load of the offense compared to last, when he had the benefit of two first-round NFL RBs at his disposal in the backfield.

The reason for optimism outside of Carr’s abilities is the receiving talent surrounding him. In addition to returning his top target from a year ago in Jordan Faison, the Irish also expect the return of Jaden Greathouse, the team’s leading receiver in 2024. Ohio State transfers Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter will also play a big role in Notre Dame’s 2026 offense.

Over the last few years, college football has seemed to progress to a ‘trench-driven’ sport. Luckily for the Irish, Coach Freeman and his staff have been ahead of the curve, and one could argue that Notre Dame has the best overall “trenches” in college football. The Irish’s trenches, specifically the offensive line, are set to be this team’s strong suit. I believe Notre Dame does have the best offensive line in the country in terms of both depth and pure talent.

Rounding out this talented group is the best defense that Freeman has compiled in his time at Notre Dame. Featuring nine returning starters, the Irish hold one of the best DB and LB rooms in the country. Personally, I would argue the Irish’s LB core is, indeed, the best in the nation, with an expected rotation featuring Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Drayk Bowen, Jaiden Ausberry, Jaylen Sneed, and Madden Faraimo.

In addition to all of these featured returners, the Irish did an outstanding job filling in gaps via the transfer portal, where they added DL Francis Brewu and Tionne Gray, EDGE Keon Keeley, and CBs DJ McKinney and Jayden Sanders.

Finally, the schedule. The 56th-toughest schedule, according to ESPN, paves the path to not just make the College Football Playoffs, but enter them with some momentum. Realistically, Notre Dame should be 6-0 heading into their first legitimate test of the season, a road date at BYU in mid-October. Just three weeks later, the Irish will host their biggest game of the regular season when the Miami Hurricanes visit South Bend on November 7th.

At the absolute minimum, to prove they belong nationally, Notre Dame must split these contests. Outside of these two, there are no valid excuses to drop a game. We have seen Freeman’s teams lose games they are not supposed to before, and that is something he must resolve to ultimately reach and win the CFP.

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Women’s Basketball

Admittedly, asking for a championship in Women’s Basketball this year will be a much taller task compared to Football. However, this is an improved team coming off Head Coach Niele Ivey’s first Elite Eight appearance following four consecutive seasons of Sweet 16 eliminations. I believe a Final Four appearance is achievable this year for the following reasons.

Hannah Hidalgo. Notre Dame’s superstar enters her senior season coming off a historic junior campaign. Hidalgo’s 25.3 points and 5.6 steals per game broke school records, while she also became the first men’s or women’s basketball player to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals per contest this century. The three-time AP All-American will enter this season on top of Wooden Award watchlists, and will have a legitimate shot at the prestigious honor. We have already seen Hidalgo’s increased leadership over the course of the last year, but expectations will still rise for her team in, potentially, her final season in South Bend.

One of the ways Ivey and the Irish have improved around Hidalgo is through a top-five freshman class that addresses needs. My pick to be the next Notre Dame WBB superstar is Jacy Abii, and she has certainly impressed this summer in limited public action. The five-star and #10 overall recruit, according to ESPN, should make an immediate impact as a versatile 6-2 G/F. Playing alongside Hidalgo and Madison St. Rose should provide ample opportunities for Abii, maybe starting in game one.

The rest of the class is just as intriguing. Top-20 prospect Jenica Lewis has the potential to be one of the team’s most reliable shooters with no limits on the Combo Guard’s range. Ivey rounded out the class with a trio of 6-2, four-star talents with Forwards Amari Byles and Isabella Sangha and Guard Bella Ragone. Additionally, Irish fans will get their first look at 6-2 F Leah Macy this winter after she missed last season recovering from an ACL injury. The former McDonald's All-American will add another needed boost to the Irish frontcourt.

Similar to Freeman’s portal approach, Ivey and her staff seemed to place an emphasis on quality over quantity during transfer season. I do think NDWBB would still have been better off adding at least one more depth piece, but there may have been unknown extenuating circumstances that prevented this. Regardless, the Irish’s two incoming transfers do fill two needs and will likely serve key roles this year.

Princeton Grad-transfer Guard Madison St. Rose will start next to Hidalgo in the backcourt, offering a high-level scoring option for the Irish offense when Hidalgo is inevitably drawing double teams. St. Rose brings experience, leadership, and another ‘dawg mentality’ to South Bend. Then, Louisville transfer Anaya Hardy will be looking for a breakout Junior campaign as she enters an increased role with Notre Dame. The 6-3 Forward from Detroit will provide the type of elite athleticism that was missing from Ivey’s squad a year ago.

The final factor to mention is Niele Ivey. Each year, Notre Dame’s Head Coach seems to be more and more comfortable in her role, despite facing tall roster reconstruction tasks each of the past two offseasons. Ivey is not short on confidence, and her ‘player-first’ style seems to be paying dividends when you look at her recent recruiting successes. Her authenticity and ability to gain players' trust are two major reasons Ivey has been able to find consistent success in her first head coaching job.

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Men’s Lacrosse

Like Freeman and the football team, Notre Dame Lacrosse and Head Coach Kevin Corrigan will enter this season with a ‘national championship or bust’ attitude. One of the reasons the Irish will likely be preseason favorites to raise the trophy on Memorial Day is due to the amount of elite returning talent.

The two most important pieces seeking a revenge title are G Thomas Ricciardelli and D Shawn Lyght. Ricciardelli enters his third season as the Irish’s starter in net, coming off a Senior campaign that featured ACC Goalie of the Year and Second Team USA Lacrosse All-American honors. As for Lyght, he looks to one-up a historic Junior season where he became the first defenseman in men’s lacrosse history to be named the Tewaaraton Award Winner.

Other key returners include Fifth-Year Seniors Will Maheras (Midfield) and Will Gallagher (Defense), Senior Brock Behrman (Attack) and Nate Schwitzenberg (Defense), Juniors Luke Miller (Attack) and Matt Jeffrey (Midfield), and Sophomores Teddy Lally (Attack) and Dylan Faison (Midfield).

Similar to the two coaches mentioned earlier, Corrigan has his culture firmly in place. Entering his 39th season, Corrigan will be seeking a third national title following back-to-back championships in 2023 and ‘24. This, combined with his 370-165 overall record, means the Irish’s leader knows what it takes to make and win on Memorial Day Weekend. Corrigan’s standard of excellence is evident in everything he does.

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