USA Today reporter challenges redshirt freshman to help Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman win first title | Sporting News

Notre Dame seemingly came close, but as weve learned, they werent all that close to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

The Fighting Irish lost 34-23 and Marcus Freemans team became an afterthought to a playoff the public grew not to care for.

Freemans program wont be down for long.

Notre Dame is a commonly projected 2025/2026 CFP team and the three top-12 classes in the last three cycles.

The April transfer portal cycle could bring more talent into the Fighting Irishs fold.

USA Todays Blake Toppmeyer sees Freeman as capable of winning a title, but he sounded hesitant to crown redshirt freshman QB CJ Carr ready to lead the offense and do his part.

Carr had an elbow injury that was never operated on in 2024.

Notre Dames got good bones.

Good culture.

Its independent scheduling positions the Irish to perennially win 10 or more games, making them playoff regulars.

Consider Notre Dames 2025 schedule.

Tell me the game in which the Irish will be the underdog.

I dont see one, Toppmeyer wrote.

Winning a national championship in this era, though, comes a lot easier with a standout quarterback and star wide receiver or two.

Those two positions became the obvious difference in Notre Dames national championship loss to Ohio State.

For Freeman to be the next coach to win it all, hell need a quarterback to emerge.

Redshirt freshman CJ Carr, lets see what you got in that mended elbow.

As Toppmeyer notes, Notre Dame is likely to be the favorite in every game on their 2025 schedule.

Even with Miami and Texas A&M, not to mention an improved Syracuse program under Fran Brown.

The Fighting Irish have their highly-touted talent of the past few years stepping into bigger roles.

Carr is among them.

He overcomes injury and lives up to his blue-chip pedigree , and Notre Dame is a live threat this fall..

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