5 reasons why Notre Dame football will get back to National Championship next year
by NaijaNews | Jan 24, 2025 | Family |
On Monday night, the Notre Dame football team’s season came to an end as they were defeated by the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship. The Fighting Irish’s incredible playoff run came to an end with a dramatic 34-23 finals matchup, but there’s still plenty to look forward to if you’re a Notre Dame football fan. ND proved all of the doubters wrong throughout this spectacular playoff run, despite having an exceedingly difficult path to the College Football Playoff Finals.
It all began with an in-state rivalry triumph over the Indiana Hoosiers, a tough battle with the SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs, and a stunning comeback victory against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the College Football semifinals. Five reasons why Notre Dame football will return to the National Championship next year The Blue and Gold proved they are national championship contenders, as seen by their performance in the 2025 College Football Playoffs. Marcus Freeman has created an exceptional culture in his locker room that is designed for both the now and the future. Their wonderful combination of youthful talent and veteran players is what has prepared them for this moment, and they will continue to make deep playoff runs for years to come.
5. A new age under Marcus Freeman. Freeman lends fire and attitude to this historic program, which Irish supporters are not accustomed to. The Fighting Irish head coach received the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Year award, which recognizes the coach who exemplifies scholarship, leadership, and ethics while simultaneously demonstrating skill and accomplishment on the field. In only three years as head coach of Notre Dame football, Marcus Freeman has developed a culture and revived the team to its former high status. He has an overall record of 33-10, a 14-6 record against ranked teams, and is currently 5-2 in bowl games. Throughout his career as Ireland’s head coach, Freeman has broken records. He has
the most wins in a single season for Notre Dame with 14 and won two New Year Six Bowl games this postseason run, which gave the Irish their first NY6 bowl win since 1994.
Freeman hit the jackpot in Portal Notre Dame welcomed Malachi Fields, who will join Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison on the outside. Fields had 55 receptions for 808 yards and five touchdowns, which would have topped all Notre Dame wide receivers this season. They also brought in Will Pauling, who had over 40 catches for 400 yards. Notre Dame’s defense will be missing a few key starters, but it has added some vital components in Jared Dawson, Elijah Hughes, and safety DeVonta Smith and Jalen Stroman. Smith is from Alabama and will play alongside Adon Shuler. Dawson will join the Irish front line, having recorded four sacks with Louisville previous season.
Notre Dame football returning secondary. The Irish secondary was battle tested all season and earned valuable experience. Notre Dame was paced on the outside by Leonard Moore and Christian Gray, and they will return safety Adon Shuler and linebacker Drayk Bowen. Fighting Irish defense was crucial all season and was a major reason why they won the championship. They will lose key players Xavier Watts and Benjamin Morrison, but the returning secondary should be devastating in 2025. Moore and Gray both had at least eight pass deflections in the 2024 season, and the secondary allowed only 51% pass completion against them, which leads the country.
In 2024-2025, Notre Dame’s offense averaged 210.8 running yards per game, ranking 14th nationally and seventh in power four conferences. Irish led the power four with 4.2 yards after contact. Notre Dame’s running offense is anchored by Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, and Aneyas Williams, all of whom will return next season. This trio is well-known for their ferocity and ability to run long distances. Love owns the longest run in College Football playoff history, with a 98-yard touchdown run against Indiana. Love averaged 7.1 yards per carry this season, totaling 1,122 running yards on 159 carries and 17 rushing touchdowns. He was limited in the postseason owing to an injury, but he will be a huge piece to this offense next season
Following Love, the Irish are in good hands with Jadarian Price. Price has found the end zone on two rushing plays over 60 yards. Twenty of Price’s 110 carries have gone for 10 or more yards, which is tied for 4th best among running backs. Price had 733 yards on the ground for the Irish and averages 6.3 yards per carry. The Fighting Irish rushing attack ranks 10 in 20 plus yards rushing plays with 28 plays and rank 5 with 17 plays that went for 30 or more yards. The stat doesn’t stop there, as they have 11 rushing plays that went for 40 yards or more that is 4 in FBS, and they have the second most 50 plus rushing yard plays in FBS with 8.
Finally, Aneyas Williams averaged 6.5 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns. He displayed his receiving ability against Penn State in the Orange Bowl and could be an important player next season. 1. Ireland’s two main X-factors for 2025 Notre Dame may have found its new offensive combo in Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison. Grathouse and Faison showed up in critical times throughout postseason. Jordan Faison, Notre Dame’s sophomore wide receiver, led the Irish in receptions and receiving yards, helping them advance to the quarterfinals. The Irish wide receiver from Florida had the greatest game of the season with six grabs for 89 yards, including a 44-yard reception that put the Irish at the two-yard line and led them eventually going up 27-3.
Faison was the Sun Bowl game most valuable player in last year’s victory as he caught five catches for 115 yards and got a touchdown as well. Faison has come up in big games in his tenure with the Irish and is becoming a critical element to this Irish offense. Greathouse became Riley Leonard’s favorite deep ball target in the postseason, with seven catches for 105 yards and a 54-yard game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter against Penn State, followed by six catches for 128 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the championship. Greathouse finished the year with 42 receptions for 592 yards, leading the Irish. This duo on the outside has the potential to cause major issues for opposing team secondaries with CJ Carr or Steve Angeli starting at QB for the Irish.
0 Comments