Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman opted to remain in South Bend despite being strongly linked with a move to the NFL at the tail end of last year. Freeman presided over a 10-2 season for the Fighting Irish that ended in chaos after they were controversially snubbed from a place in the College Football Playoff in favor of the Miami Hurricanes.
The Fighting Irish have been tabbed as dark horses for next season’s national championship after retaining key players like quarterback CJ Carr and safety Adon Shuler, along with an impressive transfer portal haul.
Notre Dame Named As CFB’s Big Spenders
Notre Dame insider Ryan Fravel revealed in a post on X that Freeman’s Fighting Irish were among the biggest NIL spenders in college football during the January transfer portal window, behind only a few elite programs in the country.
“TRENDING: According to On3, Notre Dame was named by multiple anonymous CFB GM’s & Staffers as one of the 7 highest spenders of NIL in this year’s Transfer Portal! Notre Dame was 5th behind only Indiana, Texas Tech, Texas, & Ohio State. LSU & Miami were also on this list. Notre Dame is a very serious player in the NIL landscape,” Fravel tweeted.
After bringing in a modest seven players via the transfer portal, the Fighting Irish were ranked No. 9 in On3’s transfer portal rankings, which is headlined by the Indiana Hoosiers and the LSU Tigers.
Fighting Irish Earn Preseason Honor From Analyst
A few weeks ago, Freeman’s Fighting Irish received the highest preseason ranking from ESPN analyst Greg McElroy during a segment of the “Always College Football” show due to the return of the talented Carr.
“Why is 2026 going to be different? Well, because it feels like for the first time in eternity, Notre Dame isn’t starting a new quarterback,” McElroy said. “I mean, we’ve seen the Sam Hartmans, we’ve seen the Riley Leonard’s, we’ve seen talented guys. But in many ways, they’re kind of mercenaries, one-year rentals. Well, CJ Carr is the program.
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“A lot of people have them in the top three in their early projections. I think I’m gonna go into the season having them at No. 1. With the new rules, an 11-1, 12-0 Notre Dame is a lock for a first-round bye. Marcus Freeman has his team, he has his quarterback, now he just needs his ring. And it could be 2026 as the year that delivers it.”
Carr, who has a PFSN College QB Impact score of 85.9, tallied 2,741 passing yards, resulting in 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, while adding 33 rushing yards and three touchdowns for the Fighting Irish last season.
