Here are the questions Notre Dame football faces to start 2026

What’s next for the Bears and a wild NFC playoff picture | 1st & North

On this episode of "1st & North," Lou Canellis and other NFC North insiders break down the latest from around the division. The Bears fall in a shootout against San Francisco, raising the question of who they could face in the first round of the playoffs. Plus, there may be a quarterback controversy brewing in Green Bay, the Lions continue to struggle with turnovers, and the Vikings appear to be surging a little too late.

It was an eventful December for Notre Dame.

The Irish finished the year ranked No. 11, yet were one spot out of the College Football Playoff. The Irish also withdrew consideration for a bowl game, watched head coach Marcus Freeman earn consideration for NFL coaching jobs and failed to find common ground with USC to extend one of the classic rivalries in college football.

As 2026 approaches, Notre Dame will play BYU next season instead of USC, but Freeman will be at Notre Dame. What else?

Here are a few questions that Notre Dame football faces as the offseason begins.

Will Marcus Freeman make the jump to the NFL?

No. Not yet at least.

Much like last year, Marcus Freeman’s name has been circulating for open head coaching jobs. First, it was the Chicago Bears in 2025. Next, his name was tossed around for openings at Penn State, Florida and more. Finally, it was the New York Giants who were calling him up.

He put those rumors to bed for at least another year, saying he’s running it back in 2026. It was widely expected that Notre Dame and Freeman would reach another extension that puts him near the top of the coaching ranks.

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevaqcua called Freeman’s contract a living, breathing document. The school knows it’s going to have to fight to keep its head coach, who is now seen as a top-tier college football and NFL coaching target, and they’re showing they’ll do whatever it takes.

That might not be enough to keep Freeman in South Bend if he aspires to coach the NFL one day, although Freeman doesn't seem like the kind of coach to leave unfinished business behind.

But, he’ll be coaching Notre Dame in 2026 as the team has genuine national championship hopes.

Who will be transfer portal targets?

Getting this one out of the way first, Notre Dame would do well to land the best kicker in the portal. That was by far the part of the Irish’s roster the team was most wary of. Noah Burnette was hurt for most of the season, but luckily for Notre Dame, the team never needed to nail a clutch field goal in the second half of the season.

After that, Notre Dame needs to target the defensive line.

This offseason, Donovan Hinish retired and Josh Burnham entered the transfer portal, Jared Dawson and Gabriel Rubio are out of eligibility.

The biggest need is at defensive tackle. Both Dawson and Rubio combined for 496 snaps at defensive tackle, while Hinish was a team captain. Elijah Hughes returns, but getting two players to pair next to Hughes is key.

Swinging for one of the top pass rushers in the portal would be a great addition, too. Bryce Young and five-star freshman Rodney Durham are two talented rushers, but it’s clear how much of a difference a player like David Bailey made for Texas Tech this season.

The Irish could target another wide receiver, much like they did with Will Pauling and Malachi Fields last offseason. Jaden Greathouse is expected to be back, Cam Williams could work his way into the rotation and Jordan Faison will be back as his usual dependable self.

If the Irish are in the mix for a transfer portal receiver, it would make the most sense to target a receiver like Boston College’s Reed Harris or Michigan State’s Nick Marsh, both are big-body receivers that could make vertical catches like Fields.

Can the running back room fill Love and Price’s shoes?

There won’t ever be a running back duo in South Bend like Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price again, maybe ever.

But, don’t sleep on the players filling those shoes.

Rising junior and Hannibal, Missouri, native Aneyas Williams will lead the pack. He got 24 carries in 2025 and recorded 224 rush yards with five touchdowns. In other words, he scored touchdowns on 20 percent of his carries.

Williams also made massive plays as a freshman, catching a key 36-yard pass in the Orange Bowl and following that up with 15-yard run to set up a score against Penn State.

After that, Nolan James Jr. and Kedren Young will be involved. Young figures to be a short-yardage back, weighing in at 242 pounds, which could solve Notre Dame’s short-yardage issues from 2025. That’s a big kid. He’s working his way back from a season-ending knee injury he suffered before the season began.

Meanwhile, James was a fast riser in fall camp who showed his skills in the Blue & Gold Game.

Four-star freshmen signees Javian Osborne and Jonaz Walton could figure into the running back rotation, too. Notre Dame’s running back room won’t have a shortage of talent.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman during a college football game between the Syracuse Orange and Notre Dame Fighting Irish on November 22, 2025 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images / Getty Images)

What do the offensive line departures mean?

This is a massive sting for Notre Dame.

The offensive line starters in 2025 could have all returned in 2026. In fact, that was the expectation at the start of the season when this unit took over.

Instead, starting right tackle Aamil Wagner and starting guard Billy Schrauth both entered the NFL Draft. Both players performed at a high level this year and saw their draft stocks rise. It’s hard to fault them for deciding to move to the next level.

That’s a blow to the Irish offensive line. Schrauth was a captain and could have been a key figure on an offense that found its footing in 2025. Instead, the Irish will most likely turn to their attention to Will Black, a redshirt-freshman who was one of the prized recruits of the 2025 recruiting class, and Charles Jagusah, a highly regarded offensive lineman whose Irish career has been marred by injury.

The Irish also have competition, too. Players like Sullivan Absher, Joe Otting and Matty Augustine could compete for one of the starting jobs.

Barring a surprise, expect the combination of Notre Dame’s offensive line to include these players: Anthonie Knapp, Ashton Craig, Guerby Lambert, Jagusah and Black.

Whatever configuration the Irish coaching staff decides on for a starting lineup out of that collection of players will come to light, preferably sometime in spring practice as opposed to later.

What to make of a 2026 schedule with BYU, but no USC?

Seeing a traditional college football rivalry go on hiatus is not fun. The sport is worse off for it, no matter who’s at fault for it. There’s been plenty of finger-pointing already.

What Notre Dame will miss is a marquee opponent that’s typically ranked in the top 25. What’s been often overlooked is how the Irish had a firm grip on that series, winning seven of the last eight. It was a good move for Notre Dame to add BYU to the schedule as a backup plan quickly.

That adds a ranked opponent – one that’s closer to the CFP than USC has been – and a road game, too, to the Irish’s schedule. That brings Notre Dame’s marquee game count to two: BYU and Miami.

That leads to the same issue as the 2025 schedule, where Notre Dame had two CFP opponents… and not much else after that. Five of the 12 teams Notre Dame played in 2025 were not bowl eligible at season’s end.

There could be a surprise. SMU could be a ranked game if the Mustangs get back to CFP contention like they were in 2024. Other than that, Notre Dame needs to hope one of the following teams has a solid record to improve their strength of schedule: Boston College, Stanford, Michigan State, SMU, Syracuse, North Carolina, Purdue or Wisconsin.

It’s possible one of those teams could be good. But, that’s an if.

Notre Dame has to go 11-1 with this schedule to feel comfortable about making the playoff.

Notre Dame Sports