Notre Dame Football: 2025 Fighting Irish Season Preview and Prediction

Notre Dame Football: 2025 Fighting Irish Season Preview and Prediction originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Head coach Marcus Freeman emerged as one of the nation’s top coaches after leading Notre Dame to the national title game in his third season. If the Fighting Irish maintain their high level of play on defense, a return to the College Football Playoff is likely. How far they go once they get there will be largely determined by how much improvement coordinator Mike Denbrock can make with the offense.

[Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 College Football Preview print magazine. Order your copy today online, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]

Notre Dame 2025 Season Preview and Prediction

Previewing Notre Dame’s Offense for 2025

Notre Dame will likely turn to redshirt freshman CJ Carr at quarterback after his strong spring performance. Carr has elite arm talent and an advanced grasp of the offense, and as he gains more experience, he should help revitalize the Fighting Irish’s struggling passing attack.

Having arguably the best backfield in the nation helps take some of the pressure off of Carr. Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price combined for 1,871 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground last season. Love was a breakout star and enters this season as one of the top players in the country.

Wide receiver Jaden Greathouse broke out in the College Football Playoff, hauling in a combined 13 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns against Penn State and Ohio State. Notre Dame is hoping that was the beginning of things to come for Greathouse. Adding Virginia transfer Malachi Fields gives the Irish a chance to have an impact 1-2 punch at receiver. Eli Raridon has a chance to be Notre Dame’s next star at tight end if he can remain healthy.

Related: Ranking All 136 College Football Teams for 2025

Previewing Notre Dame’s Defense for 2025

First-year defensive coordinator Chris Ash has huge shoes to fill with Al Golden off to the NFL. The good news for Ash is that he inherits a deep and talented defense. Despite the loss of All-American Xavier Watts, the Irish secondary remains loaded. Sophomore Leonard Moore is a rising star and will pair with Christian Gray to form one of the nation’s best corner duos. Safety Adon Shuler is also poised for a breakout season after learning alongside Watts last season. Notre Dame returns a talented linebacker group led by Drayk Bowen and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.

Notre Dame also has a deep edge rotation, with veterans Joshua Burnham and Junior Tuihalamaka teaming up with athletic young ends Bryce Young, Boubacar Traore and Loghan Thomas to give the Irish a chance to have its best pass-rushing line in several seasons.

Previewing Notre Dame’s Specialists for 2025

Notre Dame’s kicking game struggled last season, as the Irish tied for 127th nationally with a 55.6% field-goal success rate. Former North Carolina kicker Noah Burnette hopes to rectify that. The spring didn’t provide much clarity regarding who will handle return duties.

National Ranking: 6

Related: College Football Rankings: Projecting the Top 25 Teams for 2025

Related: Athlon Sports 2025 College Football Preview Magazine Available Now

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.