Although the Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship last season, they struggled to keep the game close against the Ohio State Buckeyes before a late final push came up short.
In a sit-down interview on “Next Up with Adam Breneman,” Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman discussed several topics, including his start as the Fighting Irish’s head coach, their early-season loss to Northern Illinois last season and how the college football powerhouse can navigate its way to a national championship.
“This year, we showed that we can be as good as any team in the country,” said Freeman.
“I go back, and I watch the Ohio State game. How can we improve schematically? What mistakes did we make in that game? Those are the things you can control. The other thing is you always want to increase the talent. That’s the important aspect of any organization, it’s talent.
“We have to continue to increase the best players in the country who fit in this place and who value the things we value here. Then you have to continue to develop them; how do we develop you as an individual. … What type of culture do we have? How can we continue to attract team-first guys when the world is me-first? …
“That’s the three areas we have to continue to focus on: enhancing talent, enhancing development and enhancing culture.”
In Steven Lassan’s college football rankings for next season, he slots the Fighting Irish at No. 5 behind Texas, Ohio State, Penn State and Georgia.
According to On3, Notre Dame had the No. 12 recruiting class in 2025 and is ranked No. 11 thus far for the 2026 class.
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