Despite falling 34-23 to No. 8 seed Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship game in Atlanta Monday night, No. 7 seed Notre Dame (14-2) enjoyed a season to remember. With a program-record 14 victories—13 consecutive—the Fighting Irish achieved unprecedented success during the 2024-25 season under Marcus Freeman.
What’s Next for Notre Dame
History-Making Drive for Notre Dame
In an epic opening drive, the Irish made history. In drawing first blood, Notre Dame methodically marched down the field in an 18-play, 75-yard drive. Quarterback Riley Leonard capped the 9:45 opening drive by chugging into the end zone from the one-yard line to give the Irish an early 7-0 lead. The scoring run completed the longest scoring drive (18 plays) in BCS/CFP Championship game history.
Ohio State answered. Not just on the next drive, but the next three drives in the first half. Notre Dame’s usually elite defense simply did not have an answer for Ohio State’s potent offense. The Irish defensive line was unable to pressure quarterback Will Howard. As a result, the Kansas State transfer picked apart the Notre Dame secondary. He found Jeremiah Smith on an 8-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. Running back Quinshon Judkins punched it in from short yardage to put the Buckeyes up 14-7. And Howard hit a wide-open Judkins in the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown to close out the first half. Ohio State led Notre Dame 21-7 at halftime. The 14-point deficit was the largest of the season for the Irish.
Out-Of-Character Off Night for Notre Dame Defense
Chip Kelly’s Ohio State offense picked apart Al Golden’s vaunted Notre Dame defense. The Irish simply could not match Ohio State’s physicality in the trenches. The playmakers for the Buckeyes made the Irish defenders look out of place and lost. Judkins busted the game open on the opening drive of the second half. He ripped the Irish for a 70-yard run. The explosive play led to a Judkins touchdown, his third, from the one-yard line, giving the Buckeyes a 28-7 advantage.
The Irish showed some life, responding with a touchdown of their own. Leonard found Jaden Greathouse for a 34-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Jeremiyah Love, who was under-utilized, converted the two-point conversion on a shovel pass from Leonard to close the gap to 31-15. Leonard and Greathouse connected again in the fourth quarter on a 30-yard scoring pass. The Irish converted another two-point conversion that made it 31-23. Ohio State closed the game strongly, though, adding a late field goal to put the game away.
Notre Dame – Ohio State: Survival of the Fittest
In playing in their 16th game of the season, both Notre Dame and Ohio State had to fight a war of attrition. The injury bug hit Notre Dame especially hard this season. Notre Dame lost standout defensive lineman Rylie Mills in the first-round playoff win over Indiana. Tight end Cooper Flanagan suffered an Achilles injury in the quarterfinals against Georgia. And offensive tackle Anthonie Knapp suffered an ankle injury in the win over Penn State. Knapp became the first true freshman to start more than 13 games in a season. He started the first 15 games in 2024-25. All three players missed the National Championship game on Monday. It showed.
In the era of the 12-team College Football Playoff, keeping a roster healthy through a long, grinding season is a chief challenge. The teams that have depth and can navigate the new waters best will likely end up contesting the championships at year’s end. Like Notre Dame and Ohio State this season. Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator Al Golden commented on the new era at a recent press conference.
“It’s been harder to manage because we have so many guys out,” Al Golden said before the National Championship. “What we’ve learned during this journey is how deep you have to be in college football right now to get to this point. We’ve had a lot of guys step up, or we’re not where we are right now.”
Al Golden’s Last Game at Notre Dame?
While teams in the NFL have expressed interest in Freeman in recent weeks, the Irish head coach is not the only staff member drawing interest. Golden is also linked to a possible move to the NFL. Golden emerged on a short list of candidates for the defensive coordinator position with the Cincinnati Bengals. He served as the linebackers coach for the Bengals from 2020-2021 under head coach Zac Taylor. Golden departed Cincinnati after Super Bowl LVI and joined Freeman at Notre Dame in 2022.
Losing Golden to the NFL would be a significant blow to Notre Dame. Golden has been instrumental in molding the unit into one of the nation’s best. His departure would create a void in veteran leadership on the coaching staff.
Looking Ahead To Next Season
Despite falling short in the National Championship, the Irish have a reason for optimism looking ahead. A significant portion of their roster is made up of players with eligibility remaining. Notable players include some of this year’s standouts. The list includes on offense Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Jaden Greathouse, Jordan Faison, Charles Jagusah, Anthonie Knapp, Rocco Spindler, Pat Coogan, Billy Schrauth, and Ashton Craig.
On defense, Jordan Botelho, Boubacar Traore, Junior Tuihalamaka, Benjamin Morrison, Leonard Moore, Christian Gray, and Adon Shuler all have eligibility remaining. If all or most of them decide to return, it would provide the Irish with an experienced core.
Notre Dame’s Loaded Quarterback Room
With Leonard’s one-and-done season at Notre Dame complete, the Irish have plenty of arm strength waiting in the wings. Junior Steve Angeli has stepped up every time he has been called to duty. In the 2023 season, Angeli competed in eight games. He started the finale against Oregon State in the Sun Bowl, leading the Irish to a runaway 40-8 victory over the Beavers. He completed 15-of-19 passes in the Sun Bowl, throwing for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Against Penn State in this year’s Orange Bowl, Angeli played an instrumental role in the hard-fought win against the Nittany Lions. He completed 6-of-7 passes for 44 yards. Numbered among his throws was a 14-yard completion on a third-down conversion. The play kept the drive alive and resulted in a field goal to end the half.
Highly touted freshman CJ Carr made his Irish debut in the win over Purdue in September. The Michigan native took the final four snaps in the rout of the Boilermakers. He suffered an elbow injury on his throwing arm later that month. He recently resumed throwing. Carr stood out during the Blue-Gold Game last April. He is likely to bid for the starting job in 2025. A consensus four-star recruit, Carr was a three-time first team all-state quarterback in high school.
Sophomore Kenny Minchey also appeared in the Purdue game. He had a pair of rushes for 12 combined yards. He also notched his first collegiate touchdown with a seven-yard scoring run and completed one pass for four yards.
Unprecedented Success for the Irish
In an unprecedented season of success, the Irish should hold their heads high. They are Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl champions. Their 14 wins is the most in program history. They were just four quarters shy of immortality, coming up just short of the program’s 12th National Championship.
Only time will tell what the future holds for Notre Dame football. But depending on which key players and coaches return, Notre Dame can build upon this season’s successes. With any luck of the Irish next season, a return to the pinnacle of college football will be in the cards for Notre Dame.
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