Notre Dame Fighting Irish
FBS Independents
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #5
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 24.4 (#5)
- SP+ Offense
- 40.0
- SP+ Defense
- 16.3
- SRS
- 24.1
- FPI
- 25.3
- Elo
- 2243
- Talent
- 912
- Recruiting
- —
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
11.0p10 10.0 — p90 12.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 0.0% | |
| Make CFP | 96.5% | |
| Quarterfinal | 88.8% | |
| Semifinal | 47.2% | |
| Natl. final | 21.9% | |
| Natl. champ | 8.5% |
Schedule
proj record 10.9–1.1
Schedule
59th
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
82nd
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
46th
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NWisconsin | -4.4 | 34-13 | +20.8 | 93% | — |
| 2 | vsRice | -14.8 | 49-11 | +37.8 | 100% | — |
| 3 | vsMichigan State | -3.4 | 39-18 | +21.1 | 93% | — |
| 4 | @Purdue | -6.1 | 36-10 | +25.7 | 96% | — |
| 5 | @North Carolina | -6.6 | 36-7 | +29.8 | 98% | — |
| 6 | vsStanford | -11.8 | 46-12 | +33.6 | 99% | — |
| 7 | @BYU | +15.9 | 28-24 | +3.9 | 61% | — |
| 9 | NNavy | +6.2 | 42-15 | +26.2 | 97% | — |
| 10 | vsMiami | +20.7 | 30-22 | +7.3 | 69% | — |
| 11 | vsBoston College | -8.5 | 43-12 | +31.7 | 99% | — |
| 12 | vsSMU | +13.4 | 35-20 | +14.9 | 85% | — |
| 13 | @Syracuse | -13.1 | 35-6 | +29.2 | 98% | — |
Quarterbacks · 1
2026 · 65
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | CJ Carr | FR | 6'3" | 210 | ★★★★ |
Running Backs · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Aneyas Williams | SO | 5'10" | 200 | ★★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | Nolan James Jr. | FR | 5'10" | 214 | ★★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 13
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Jordan Faison | JR | 5'10" | 183 | — |
| WR | 2nd | Will Pauling | SR | 5'10" | 190 | — |
| WR | 3rd | Micah Gilbert | FR | 6'2" | 201 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 4th | Mylan Graham← Ohio State | SO | 6'1" | 195 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 5th | Jaden Greathouse | JR | 6'1" | 212 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Quincy Porter← Ohio State | FR | 6'4" | 210 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 7th | Matt Jeffery | SO | 5'11" | 197 | — |
| WR | 8th | Elijah Burress | FR | 6'0" | 184 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 9th | Leo Scheidler | SR | 6'1" | 194 | — |
| WR | 10th | Cam Williams | FR | 6'2" | 198 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 11th | Jerome Bettis Jr. | FR | 6'1" | 208 | — |
| WR | 12th | Tyler Buchner | SR | 6'1" | 215 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 13th | Logan Saldate | FR | 6'0" | 189 | ★★★★ |
Tight Ends · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Ty Washington | JR | 6'4" | 247 | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Jack Larsen | FR | 6'3" | 250 | ★★★ |
Offensive Line · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Matty Augustine | FR | 6'7" | 295 | ★★★★ |
| OL | — | Joe Otting | SO | 6'4" | 312 | ★★★★ |
| OL | — | Sullivan Absher | SO | 6'8" | 328 | ★★★★ |
Defensive Line · 18
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Boubacar Traore | SO | 6'4" | 247 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | Francis Brewu← Pittsburgh | SO | 6'2" | 280 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 3rd | Jason Onye | SR | 6'5" | 302 | — |
| DL | 4th | Bryce Young | SO | 6'7" | 273 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 5th | Elijah Hughes | JR | 6'3" | 297 | ★★★ |
| DL | 6th | Jordan Botelho | SR | 6'3" | 260 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 7th | Jared Dawson | SR | 6'1" | 288 | — |
| DL | 8th | Tionne Gray← Oregon | FR | 6'6" | 336 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 9th | Donovan Hinish | JR | 6'2" | 277 | ★★★ |
| DL | 10th | Junior Tuihalamaka | SR | 6'2" | 260 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 11th | Keon Keeley← Alabama | SO | 6'5" | 282 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 12th | Cole Mullins | FR | 6'5" | 273 | ★★★ |
| DL | 13th | Armel Mukam | SO | 6'3" | 304 | ★★★ |
| DL | 14th | Loghan Thomas | SO | 6'4" | 218 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 15th | Kobi Onyiuke | JR | 6'4" | 261 | — |
| DL | 16th | Christopher Burgess Jr. | FR | 6'4" | 270 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 17th | Sean Sevillano Jr. | FR | 6'2" | 343 | ★★★ |
| DL | 18th | Gordy Sulfsted | FR | 6'5" | 260 | — |
Linebackers · 8
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Drayk Bowen | JR | 6'2" | 235 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Jaiden Ausberry | SO | 6'2" | 228 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa | SO | 6'3" | 230 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Jaylen Sneed | JR | 6'2" | 228 | ★★★★★ |
| LB | 5th | Madden Faraimo | FR | 6'2" | 235 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 6th | Kahanu Kia | SO | 6'2" | 229 | ★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Teddy Rezac | FR | 6'3" | 222 | — |
| LB | 8th | Ko'o Kia | FR | 6'2" | 215 | — |
Defensive Backs · 13
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | DJ McKinney← Colorado | JR | 6'2" | 180 | ★★★★ |
| CB | 2nd | Leonard Moore | SO | 6'2" | 195 | ★★★★ |
| CB | 3rd | Dallas Golden | FR | 6'0" | 185 | ★★★★ |
| CB | 4th | Jayden Sanders← Michigan | FR | 6'1" | 193 | ★★★★ |
| CB | 5th | DeVonta Smith | SR | 5'11" | 196 | ★★★★ |
| CB | 6th | Christian Gray | JR | 6'0" | 188 | ★★★★ |
| CB | 7th | Mark Zackery IV | FR | 5'11" | 170 | ★★★★ |
| CB | 8th | Isaiah Dunn | SR | 5'11" | 176 | — |
| S | 1st | Adon Shuler | SO | 6'0" | 207 | ★★★★ |
| S | 2nd | Tae Johnson | FR | 6'2" | 193 | ★★★★ |
| S | 3rd | Jalen Stroman | SR | 6'1" | 199 | — |
| S | 4th | Luke Talich | JR | 6'4" | 209 | — |
| S | 5th | Ethan Long | FR | 6'3" | 211 | ★★★ |
Special Teams · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | Joseph Vinci | FR | 6'4" | 233 | — |
| P | 1st | James Rendell | SR | 6'6" | 223 | — |
| PK | 1st | Noah Burnette | SR | 5'10" | 179 | — |
| PK | 2nd | Erik Schmidt | FR | 6'2" | 210 | ★★★ |
| PK | — | Marcello Diomede | JR | 6'1" | 195 | — |
Season History · last 12
5 AP top-10 · 10 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10-2 | 0-0 | #5 | #6 | — |
| 2024 | 11-1 | 0-0 | #8 | #2 | 3-1 |
| 2023 | 9-3 | 0-0 | #8 | #9 | 1-0 |
| 2022 | 8-4 | 1-0 | #35 | #5 | 1-0 |
| 2021 | 11-1 | 5-0 | #11 | #5 | 0-1 |
| 2020 | 10-1 | 9-1 | #5 | — | 0-1 |
| 2019 | 10-2 | 0-0 | #19 | — | 1-0 |
| 2018 | 12-0 | 0-0 | #13 | — | 0-1 |
| 2017 | 9-3 | 0-0 | #12 | — | 1-0 |
| 2016 | 4-8 | 0-0 | #18 | — | — |
| 2015 | 10-2 | 0-0 | #8 | — | 0-1 |
| 2014 | 7-5 | 0-0 | #34 | — | 1-0 |
Recruiting Classes
avg #12 · 169 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★235 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12 | 270 | 1 | 14 | 6 |
| 2024 | #9 | 276 | 0 | 15 | 7 |
| 2023 | #12 | 273 | 0 | 19 | 4 |
| 2022 | #7 | 275 | 1 | 17 | 4 |
| 2021 | #9 | 269 | 0 | 14 | 10 |
| 2020 | #17 | 251 | 1 | 9 | 2 |
| 2019 | #16 | 259 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| 2018 | #10 | 269 | 0 | 14 | 13 |
| 2017 | #10 | 251 | 0 | 10 | 6 |
| 2016 | #15 | 249 | 1 | 9 | 8 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 7net -8Out 15
Portal avg stars (in / out)4.0 / 3.2
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Francis Brewu | DL | 4★ | ← Pittsburgh |
| ▲ | Quincy Porter | WR | 4★ | ← Ohio State |
| ▲ | Tionne Gray | DL | 4★ | ← Oregon |
| ▲ | Keon Keeley | DL | 4★ | ← Alabama |
| ▼ | Kenny Minchey | QB | 4★ | → Kentucky |
| ▼ | Armel Mukam | DL | 4★ | → — |
| ▼ | Ben Minich | S | 4★ | → Miami (OH) |
| ▼ | Joshua Burnham | EDGE | 3★ | → Indiana |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
20 items
- Three things I like about Notre Dame DB Adon ShulerWho are the best 20 players on Notre Dame’s football team this season, and what is there to like about them?
- Notre Dame football could have the upper hand for a fast-rising defensive lineman based on a recent recruiting trendNotre Dame football just extended a very interesting 2028 scholarship offer. A recent recruiting trend could be very helpful.ND14h
- Notre Dame football's three most important defensive position battles to watch heading into 2026 fall campNotre Dame football heads into the 2026 season with a potentially elite defense. It will depend on a couple of key position battles.ND14h
- Notre Dame football's 15 biggest recruiting wins under HC Marcus Freeman, ranked after latest 5-star commitmentNotre Dame landed a massive commitment from 5-star Albert Simien. Where does he rank amongst Marcus Freeman's biggest recruiting wins?ND15h
- Notre Dame football's three most important offensive position battles to watch heading into the 2026 fall campJust how good is the Notre Dame offense going to be heading into the 2026 CFB season? Three position battles could determine it.ND16h
- Three things I like about Notre Dame DB Tae JohnsonWho are the best 20 players on Notre Dame’s football team this season, and what is there to like about them?
- Notre Dame Should Accept Their Role As The Villain Of College FootballStop chasing approval and embrace the hate. With a powerhouse roster and a bullseye on their back, the Irish must trade self-righteousness for a ruthless new era.ND18h
- Notre Dame is one massive update away from landing a historic 2027 recruiting class – An important date remainsNotre Dame is putting together a historic 2027 class. There are only a couple of important targets to know, especially for a complete group.ND19h
- Notre Dame football still has one remaining obstacle to get past to complete a potentially historic 2027 defensive line classNotre Dame football is on the cusp of history. There is one remaining priority target to keep a close eye on for HC Marcus Freeman.ND20h
- Former elite Notre Dame recruiting target is predicted to land with an SEC power ahead of his commitment dateNotre Dame landed a commitment from 2028 quarterback Trey Tagliaferri last week. Another talented signal caller is set to come off the board.ND21h
- Everything to know about Notre Dame's elite 2027 recruiting class, with only a couple of key targets remainingWhere do things stand with the 2027 Notre Dame recruiting class? Only a couple of priority targets and key questions remain.ND22h
- 10 College Football Playoff guarantees for 2026: Notre Dame embraces villain role, 2 ACC teams get inThe College Football Playoff is infamously hard to predict, CBS Sports bowl expert Brad Crawford is standing by these 10 guarantees for the fallND23h
- Notre Dame not chosen by 2028 4-star who opts to stay in FloridaNotre Dame football missed out on 2028 Florida 4-star wide receiver who chose to stay home and play in-state.ND1d
- Notre Dame's Top Five Best Single Season Defensive Performances 2000-2025From Manti Te’o’s historic Heisman run to Justin Tuck’s relentless pass rushing, rediscover the legendary playmakers and record-breaking seasons that defined two decades of dominant Irish defense.ND2d
- Notre Dame 2026 Player Profile: Wide Receiver Dylan FaisonThe dynamic dual-sport athlete arrives in South Bend with elite quickness. Discover how this freshman standout plans to master the playbook and carve his own legacy on offense.ND2d
- Three things I like about Notre Dame LB Drayk BowenWho are the best 20 players on Notre Dame’s football team this season, and what is there to like about them?
- 2027 standout guard Albert Simien picks Notre DameSimien figures to be a huge part of what the Fighting Irish will do up front in 2027.ND2d
- Nebraska misses out on five-star recruit Albert Simien to Notre DameFive-star interior offensive lineman Albert Simien committed to Notre Dame over Nebraska on Friday afternoon after a cooperative commitment.ND3d
- Predicting the next five Notre Dame commitments following the Fighting Irish landing elite OL Albert SimienNotre Dame landed a massive commitment from elite 2027 OL Albert Simien. Who are the next potential commitments for the Fighting Irish?ND3d
- Notre Dame football didn't just land another elite 5-star player – They made a recruiting statement to the rest of CFBNotre Dame just made a massive recruiting statement to the rest of CFB. HC Marcus Freeman and the Irish continue to up their game.ND3d