Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman believes his team can take valuable lessons from the 2024 run to the College Football Playoff national championship game, in particular what it takes to make it through a 16-game season.

But he also frequently reminded the Irish this offseason that “2024 has nothing to do with this 2025 team.”

“Yes, let’s utilize the lessons,” Freeman said when Notre Dame opened training camp last month. “Let’s utilize some of those good and bad things that we learned from last year, but you do that no matter what the previous experience was. They understand that we try to stop talking about that ’24 year. This is about the 2025 team and our journey to reach our full potential.”

The Irish return 11 starters from the team that lost 34-23 to Ohio State in the national title game. But they’re rebooting under a new quarterback — redshirt freshman CJ Carr — who hasn’t thrown a pass in a college game.

Still, they enter Sunday night’s opener at No. 10 Miami ranked No. 6 and harboring expectations to stay in the hunt for their first national championship since 1988.

As their opener approaches, here are five questions for the Irish.

1. How will CJ Carr handle the challenge?

Freeman said the training camp competition between Carr and Kenny Minchey was as statistically close as any quarterback battle he has been a part of. Ultimately, he had to trust his gut to pick the player he believes can handle the Week 1 test against Miami.

Freeman called Carr “as intelligent of a football player as you’ll be around” and complimented his preparation and study of the game.

“He’s a guy that’s very confident,” Freeman said. “At some point, maybe a little bit overconfident, but you want that in your quarterback. You want the quarterback to say, ‘I want the ball in my hands every play when the game is on the line and I believe that I’m going to make the right decision.’”

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr throws a pass during the Blue-Gold spring game April 12, 2025, in South Bend, Ind. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Carr will need that confidence as he sets out to replace Riley Leonard, the Duke transfer who threw for 2,861 yards and 21 touchdowns with eight interceptions and rushed for 906 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. Leonard is now with the Indianapolis Colts, and Carr takes the reins of an offense driven by running back Jeremiyah Love and bolstered in the offseason by transfer wide receivers Malachi Fields (Virginia) and Will Pauling (Wisconsin).

Carr told reporters in South Bend, Ind., on Wednesday that he believes the competition with Minchey pushed him to be better. After he found out he won, the Michigan native received a text from his grandfather: former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr.

“He said football runs in the Carr family blood,” Carr said, “and that: ‘This is your moment. You’re ready for this. So go out against Miami, attack and don’t look back.’”

2. How will Notre Dame fare in early tests?

Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock expressed an understanding that Carr will experience growing pains and said they will do as much as they can to ease him into the job.

Carr faces a tough introduction with two ranked opponents: Sunday at Miami and, after a week off, Sept. 13 at home against No. 19 Texas A&M.

“We can’t expect CJ to be perfect,” Freeman said. “We know there are some ups and downs that come with that position, that come with being a first-time starter. We have to protect him in the pass game in terms of our O-line but also protect him in the decisions we have him make.

“We can’t put too much on his plate because he’s got to be able to handle the environment. He has to be able to handle the crowd noise. He has to be able to handle it being his first game versus a big-time opponent.”

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman walks between drills during practice July 31, 2025, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Freeman said his team looked at the history of the Miami rivalry, including past struggles in South Florida. Notre Dame is 0-6 in the last six trips to play the Hurricanes, including a 41-8 loss in 2017, the teams’ most recent meeting.

This year the Irish defense must stop quarterback Carson Beck, who transferred to Miami after throwing for 7,912 yards and 58 touchdowns over four seasons at Georgia. Freeman said Beck’s experience and quick, sound decision-making will provide a big test.

Freeman also is looking for good decision-making from Carr.

“Every play can’t be a touchdown. Every play can’t be a bomb,” he said. “Trust the game plan, trust what you see, be who you are and win this play.

“Be the best version of CJ Carr. Make those guys around you better. That’s something he does really well. He raises the play of those guys around him through his words, through his actions, through his competitive spirit. Be that guy.”

3. Will Jeremiyah Love put together a Heisman Trophy-worthy season?

Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love celebrates with teammates after running for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Rich Storry/Getty Images)

When Love last played in South Florida — in the Orange Bowl against Penn State in January — he clawed his way past several would-be tacklers despite a knee injury for a gritty, highlight-reel 2-yard touchdown.

He will return this weekend on the radar as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Love was named a preseason first-team All-American by just about every major outlet after rushing for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2024. He was sixth among FBS running backs with 6.9 yards per carry.

Freeman has seen Love’s drive this offseason as he looks to top that performance in 2025.

“I tell those guys, you can’t elevate if you’re just meeting when everybody else meets and you’re just practicing when everybody else practices. Like, what are you doing outside of the mandatory hours?” Freeman said. “But he’s a guy that wants to improve, wants to do better, so he’s meeting with his coaches and watching extra film. And he’s practicing at a higher level than I ever have seen him, a faster level, disciplined.”

Love should form a formidable duo with Jadarian Price, who also returns after totaling 746 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Freeman complimented Price’s team-first attitude as he plays alongside Love.

“He’s as complete of a back as anybody in our running backs room,” Freeman said. “He’s done an excellent job of taking care of the football. His natural, God-given abilities are well-seen in terms of what he does on the field, but the work he’s put in to become a dependable blocker in protection, to use him in the pass game, are areas of growth I’ve seen in Jadarian. He’s an extremely selfless person.”

4. Will the defense continue to reign?

Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore intercepts a pass in the end zone over Navy running back Eli Heidenreich on Oct. 26, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New defensive coordinator Chris Ash joins a unit that was among the best in the country last season under Al Golden, who left to become the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator. The Irish led the nation with 33 takeaways, including 19 interceptions, and six defensive touchdowns. They tied for fourth in scoring defense, allowing 15.5 points per game.

Forcing turnovers remains a priority under Freeman and Ash, who has coordinated defenses at Wisconsin, Ohio State, Arkansas and Texas, was the head coach at Rutgers (2016-19) and most recently was a position coach and scout in the NFL.

“Every defensive coach talks about it. Everybody works it,” Ash said. “But it’s another (thing) to go make it happen on game day. … It’s about the habits you build every single day. It’s a year-round commitment to getting that done, and hopefully those results don’t change.”

The Irish lost several defensive stars — including four who went in the first five rounds of the NFL draft — but also return several big-time playmakers, including cornerback Leonard Moore, who made multiple preseason All-America teams.

Moore had two interceptions, 11 pass breakups and two forced fumbles as a freshman, and this year he has displayed important leadership, Freeman said.

“If a player in his second year had an option to be a captain, I’m not so sure he wouldn’t have been named a captain,” Freeman said. “I didn’t give the first- and second-year guys the opportunity to be voted upon. But when you talk about leadership outside of (the six captains), Leonard Moore, Jeremiyah Love, those guys are leading in their own way. They make the rooms and those guys they surround themselves with better.”

5. Can Marcus Freeman lead the Irish to a breakthrough?

Freeman led the Irish to a program-record 14 wins and the CFP title game in his third season at the helm.

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He kept the Irish together after a shocking early stumble against Northern Illinois and guided them to 13 straight wins before the loss to Ohio State.

Now Freeman, 39, enters a season in which a return trip to the title game — and a national championship to end a 37-year title drought — is the goal, building on the always-high expectations in South Bend.

Freeman believes he has the right player leaders — including six captains: Pauling, offensive linemen Billy Schrauth and Aamil Wagner, defensive lineman Donovan Hinish, linebacker Drayk Bowen and safety Adon Shuler — to help him try to meet those expectations.

“I was wondering where our leadership was going to come from, and it has come from multiple positions, multiple people, multiple different age groups,” said Freeman, who is 33-10 at Notre Dame. “I’m really pleased with the leadership on this team. The ability to handle negative things, both sides of the ball.

“Anybody can lead when things are good. But when things are tough, when things aren’t going well, I’ve seen some leadership from our players, which is extremely good to see. I’m confident no matter what the environment will be, what the score will be, they’re going to be able to handle it.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/29/notre-dame-football-season-preview/