Inside Notre Dame’s Offseason: What ESPN Reveals Could Change Everything for the Fighting Irish

The offseason for Notre Dame football might’ve felt a little like a whisper rather than a shout—quiet, subtle changes rather than headline-grabbing moves. But make no mistake, there’s still a fair bit of head-scratching happening around South Bend as the 2025-26 season looms. ESPN’s top analysts, including Bill Connelly and company, have taken a deep dive into every team nationwide, and they see Notre Dame’s scenario as somewhat unique—laden with questions more than certainties. Key pieces like quarterback Riley Leonard and safety Xavier Watts have moved on, and the coaching shuffle on defense brought Chris Ash back into the fold, filling some pretty big shoes left by Al Golden. Yet, there’s a lingering worry—do the Irish have the receiver depth and quarterback support necessary to vault into the College Football Playoff conversation? As much as talent remains on the roster, the offseason losses and transfer portal moves have sparked debate, especially about whether the team’s offensive weapons can truly click when it counts. Still, with dynamic backs like Jeremiyah Love returning and a fresh crop stepping up, it’s far from a done deal. The journey to December’s playoff spots promises to be a fascinating one for Notre Dame fans and critics alike. LEARN MORE.

AI-assisted summary
• ESPN’s primary concern is whether Notre Dame has adequate support at receiver and quarterback to contend for a College Football Playoff spot.

It’s hard to argue with his overall assessment, as I thought a veteran quarterback would be brought in to help guide the young potential starters which didn’t happen. I’m not nearly as worried about the wide receiver position as he is as they have a pair of potential stars in Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison to go with Fields. Regardless, Notre Dame should once again be in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff come December.The Irish lost multiple key players including quarterback Riley Leonard, safety Xavier Watts and defensive tackle Rylie Mills, but he failed to mention the departure of star cornerback Benjamin Morrison. Part of that could have been due to his injury, but he still had a season left of eligibility.Notre Dame football had a fairly quiet offseason, and while they did have some departures, ESPN still has more than a few questions about the Irish heading into the 2025-26 season.

It gets better, as the Irish return a trio of impressive backs headlined by star Jeremiyah Love, along with addressing “their biggest offensive need at wide receiver with the transfers of Malachi Fields and Will Pauling.”Bill Connelly, Eli Lederman and Adam Rittenberg looked at each team across the country and ranked every conference, but clearly Notre Dame’s situation is different than the majority of those.

Clearly losing quarterback Steve Angeli was another factor that didn’t go well, as was the departure of three offensive lineman with starting experience. The things that Connelly outlined that went right seem like they outweigh the bad, as “Notre Dame retained younger, more talented players who could form one of the nation’s best O-lines for multiple seasons.”The complete take on Notre Dame’s offseason will be if head coach Marcus Freeman “brought in enough at receiver — and will be banking on a young blue-chip player at quarterback,” so it seems like Connelly still has a few questions about the Irish in the fall.

Connelly mentioned that Notre Dame’s biggest coaching move was filling the hole that defensive coordinator Al Golden left, as it was former head coach Chris Ash taking over that side of the ball. He wasn’t enamored by the Irish’s additions on defense via the transfer portal, as Connelly said they “might have been a tad underwhelming, outside of defensive backs DeVonta Smith and Jalen Stroman.”