Coming off of a storybook 2024-2025 season that took the team all the way to the National Championship in Atlanta, the preseason No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish are preparing for another successful season ahead of the Blue and Gold game this Saturday.
Aug. 31: at University of Miami
The preseason No. 14 University of Miami will be first up for the Irish and will be the first time the two teams faced since 2017. Going 10-3 last year, the Hurricanes suffered losses to Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Iowa State in the Pop Tart Bowl. They finished their season averaging 43.92 points per game with a total of 4,527 passing yards and 2,456 rushing yards.
Following their early spring practices, fourth-year head coach Mario Cristobal described the state of a new-look offense that sees the departure of Heisman finalist quarterback Cam Ward to the draft, setting up Georgia transfer Carson Beck to replace him.
“The offense is doing a really good job running the ball and then throwing the football, a little bit inconsistent today,” Cristobal said in a recent press conference. “I give credit to the defense in two areas: the way they affected the pocket and affected the passer was really effective and then coverages they were on point, really snug, really just locked up and very competitive. Every ball seemed to be contested at some point in time. A little bit of success in the red zone, but overall, I think the defense had a better day than the offense today.”
Sept. 13: Texas A&M
In their first home game of the season, the Irish will face off against preseason No. 12 Texas A&M in a rematch of last season's opener, where the Irish took a 23-13 win in College Station. The Aggies went 8-5 on the season and 5-3 in the SEC, with their losses being to Notre Dame, South Carolina, Auburn, Texas and USC.
The Aggies will turn to sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed, who emerged as the replacement for week one starter Connor Weigman in 2024-25. As a redshirt freshman, Reed did not get much action on the field until later in the season, when he competed in 11 eleven straight games, which included a three-game winstreak. He finished his freshman season with a total of 1,864 yards passing and 31 yards rushing.
Speaking about his new starter, head coach Mike Elko said, “I think it's a good opportunity for him to start to step forward as QB1. And I think obviously this year was challenging for the quarterback spot. There was a lot of up and down in terms of how it played itself out. Marcel is a young kid and we have a tremendous amount of confidence in what he'll be in the future and certainly what he'll be next year.”
Sept. 20: Purdue
Purdue will be the second home game for the Irish. Last year, the Boilermakers fell 66-7 against Notre Dame and finished their season 1-11 overall, going 0-9 in the Big Ten conference.
After spending two seasons at the University of Central Florida (UCF), Darin Hinshaw has made his way to West Lafayette where he'll serve as the quarterbacks coach. Commenting on the Purdue offense in spring practice, Hinshaw stated, “We are learning these guys as we go, but we have a vision of what we want to get accomplished and to be one of the top offenses in the country.”
Sept. 27: at Arkansas
This game will be the first meeting between the Razorbacks and the Irish since 2020. Arkansas finished their season 7-6 overall and 3-5 in the SEC conference.
When asked in an interview about the pre-season practices and player standings for the starting lineup, head coach Sam Pittman commented, “I think the answer for that would be, I think we’ll know fairly quickly who our top 10 offensive linemen are or where they play per say. It might take a little while.”
Oct. 4: Boise State
This will be the first time that the Irish and the Broncos have met on the football field. Last season, Boise State went 12-2 on the season and 7-0 in conference play, finishing their season with a 31-14 loss against Penn State in the College Football Playoff (CFP) Quarterfinal.
The loss of superstar running back and Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty is obviously a monumental one and it will leave new offensive coordinator Nate Potter with big questions to answer. The Broncos have made two key transfer additions, kicker Colton Boomer and cornerback Jaden Mickey. Boomer (UCF) played four games during the 2024-25 season, converting three field goals and 19 extra points. Mickey comes in from Notre Dame, where he played four games over the stretch of his junior campaign. Mickey recorded two solo tackles in the first game against Texas A&M.
Oct. 11: North Carolina State
The last time these two teams played each other was on Sept. 9, 2023 where Notre Dame took the 45-24 win after a lengthy first-half weather delay. Last year the Wolfpack went 6-7 on the season and 3-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
This season, they welcome new co-defensive coordinator Charlton Warren. Commenting on his role as the newest member of the staff, Warren said, “I don’t want them to follow me and do what I say just because I am the co-defensive coordinator or secondary coach. No, I want them to believe in me and see the work I put in for them.”
Oct. 18: USC
The rivalry matchup of USC and Notre Dame will take place in South Bend this year. Overall, Notre Dame leads the all-time series with USC 52-37-5, with the most recent matchup being last year. The 2024 edition of the storied rivalry was an offensive duel, with Notre Dame coming out on top with a 49-35 win thanks to then-sophomore cornerback Christian Gray's 99-yard pick-six followed immediately on the next series by an 100-yard interception return by Xavier Watts for the game-sealing touchdown.
Nov. 1: at Boston College
The last time that these two teams matched up was on Nov. 19, 2022 where Notre Dame took the overwhelming 44-0 win in a full-on snow game. Last year, the Golden Eagles rounded out their season going 7-6 overall and 4-4 in ACC games.
Commenting on what he has seen in spring practices, new head coach Bill O’Brien commented, “You need to have some quarterbacks who can spin the ball so that you can evaluate the wide receivers and the DB's. I think both groups have worked very, very hard and have had their moments. It's great to see.”
Nov. 8: Navy
This matchup last year went in favor of Notre Dame in a 51-14 rout. Navy finished 10-3 overall and 6-2 in the American Athletic Conference with losses to Notre Dame, Rice and Tulane.
One of the perks for the team this year is having an upperclassman heavy team. Head coach Brian Newberry commented, “It’s time for those guys to kinda separate themselves, kinda stand-up and lead this football team. We got, you know, a really good senior class so I’m excited.”
Nov. 15: at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh and Notre Dame have faced each other 70 times historically, with their most recent matchup coming on Oct. 28, 2023, where Notre Dame took the resounding 58-7 win. The Panthers finished their 2024-25 campaign going 7-6 overall and 3-5 in the ACC, starting the year 7-0 before dropping their last six contests.
Now preparing for spring play, head coach Pat Narduzzi commented on the progress of the squad and importance of constant improvement, “We need improvement on the O-line the D-line, linebackers, running backs, receivers, quarterbacks, you know everybody ... it’s tough love in those means, we’re never satisfied.”
Nov. 22: Syracuse
Last season the Syracuse Orange finished 10-3 overall and 5-3 in the ACC, losing to Stanford, Pittsburgh and Boston College.
The Orange welcome a new offensive specialist Josh Gattis. Gattis is a former Broyles Award recipient at Michigan, an award handed out to the best assistant in college football. Additionally, he contributed on the offensive staffs of four different conference title-winning teams and has led two teams to the College Football Playoff. He will join offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon as the team looks to revamp the offense after the departure of quarterback Kyle McCord to the NFL Draft. Speaking on his new role, Gattis commented, “I'm privileged to be part of a staff with some great coaches and learn a new offensive system, that's really taking over college football in terms of excitement under Coach Nixon.”
Nov. 29: at Stanford
Stanford and Notre Dame faced each other last year in Notre Dame Stadium, where the Irish took a dominant 49-7 win. Last season, the Cardinal went 3-9 and 2-6 in their first season in the ACC. Interim head coach Frank Reich commented on the importance of small details in practice, saying, “We talk about dominating the details and that takes a real consistency from the players and a commitment by the players to take good coaching, to coach themselves and to coach each other. You could really see the progress day by day.”
