Notre Dame’s Eventful Offseason Just Getting Started

It’s been a month since the 2024 college football season ended, and the off-season is already in full swing. 

Photo by The Irish Tribune

Just days after Notre Dame’s National Title appearance, a whirlwind of changes began. Coaches began departing, players entered the transfer portal, and many Irish fans became alarmed at the rapid pace of change and what the impact on the team’s future would be. 

Let’s recap the latest changes, introduce the new additions, and take a look at what’s on the horizon for 2025. 

Staff Changes

It’s that time of year again. The coaching carousel is in full swing already, and the Irish won't benefit from low turnover this time around. Unfortunately, with success comes attention, and then comes big money. Having a talented staff means other teams will want your people, and as of mid-February, Freeman’s staff has sustained three massive departures due to inter-organizational poaching.

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Defensive Coordinator 

The first domino to fall was recent Broyles award-winning defensive coordinator Al Golden. Shortly after the conclusion of the national championship game, news broke that Golden would be leaving South Bend to take over defensive coordinator duties with the Cincinnati Bengals. That’s when the Irish front office jumped into action and immediately started interviewing replacements. For some time, there was talk of Mike Mickens taking over as defensive coordinator before settling on Mickens becoming a co-defensive coordinator with whoever was brought on as DC. Not long after, news broke that Notre Dame would be hiring current NFL scout Chris Ash as their next defensive coordinator. 

Ash didn’t appear on many shortlists for DC candidates, but he’s been coaching for over 25 years. Ash truly cut his teeth at Wisconsin, earning his first defensive coordinator job after years of defensive back assistant work. He then moved on to defensive coordinator at Arkansas before earning a trip to the big time with Urban Meyer and Ohio State in 2014. There, Ash won a national title and secured a head coaching spot at Rutgers in 2016. After a disappointing four-year stint with the Scarlet Knights, Ash spent two years with the Longhorns as a defensive analyst and, later, as the defensive coordinator in 2020. He reunited with Meyer in the NFL as a safeties coach on the Jaguars, followed by two years with the Raiders before spending 2024 back in Jacksonville as a scout.

According to reports, Ash is a gritty and aggressive defensive leader with extensive position coaching experience, head coaching experience, NFL exposure, and an old-school coaching style. Keep in mind Ash is from the Urban Meyer coaching tree and is known as a no-nonsense disciplinarian. While respect and discipline aren’t necessarily issues at Notre Dame, one of the biggest questions surrounding Ash’s hire will be his fit amongst the new culture in South Bend. Luckily, it looks like Mickens should be heavily involved in the upcoming season’s defense and will be there to provide a sense of continuity between the 2024 holdovers and Ash.

The loudest criticism surrounding Ash is mostly a matter of circumstance. While his résumé is extensive and varied, it’s been four years since he’s called any plays, much less worked on a college staff, and many question how his play calling has developed or changed over the last half-decade. It’s almost guaranteed that Ash’s defense won’t be a carbon copy of Golden’s squad, but how much of it will stay the same, and will the Irish be able to maintain what made them one of the nation's top defenses for the last two years? 

General Manager

In one of the more surprising moves of the off-season, Notre Dame’s general manager, Chad Bowden, was poached by archrival USC to become their new general manager of program operations. Many Irish fans were shocked that Bowden, considered at one point the cornerstone of Marcus Freeman‘s new front office, was not only leaving but heading to a rival. Things became clearer when it was announced that Bowden’s salary was more than tripled to $1 million a year and that he’d previously lived in Los Angeles. Then grumblings came to the surface that Freeman was growing discontent with Bowden’s lack of production on the recruiting trail, and Notre Dame’s 2025 recruiting class seems to bear that out. Ultimately, it looks like the Irish didn’t want to get into another bidding war for Bowden's services, and the program let him walk. As for USC, it seems more like a desperate attempt at re-creating Notre Dame’s recent success with hopes of salvaging what remains of Lincoln Riley’s time with the Trojans.

In the vacuum left by Bowden’s wake, several candidates were interviewed and pursued, most notably Texas Tech's James Blanchard, who is responsible for the Red Raider's recent success in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail. Despite a trip to the Gug and meetings with top brass, a deal didn’t materialize, and Tech held onto their man. As per usual, there were speculations regarding a variety of Notre Dame alumni, most notably Brady Quinn, but nothing concrete materialized. That is until reports leaked that Marcus Freeman and the program were narrowing in on Detroit Lions Director of Scouting Advancement Mike Martin. It was then formally announced that Martin would be joining Notre Dame‘s staff as its new general manager for the 2025 season. 

Martin brings with him more than 20 years of NFL experience across a variety of positions, including scout, assistant, and ultimately director of scouting advancement. After playing defensive back at Vanderbilt from 1999 to 2003, Martin got a coaching internship spot with the Tennessee Titans before moving on to the Houston Texans, where he started as a college scout until 2015, where he then became a national scout before being promoted to director of college scouting in 2017. After 11 years with the Texans, Martin worked as a scout for the Carolina Panthers before heading to Detroit in 2021 to work with Dan Campbell. Martin was instrumental in assembling the Detroit Lions' current roster that helped them tie the single-season franchise win record in 2023, going 12-5 before setting the record in 2024 with a 15-2 season. 

Needless to say, Martin has a lengthy and successful track record of assessing and identifying talent, assembling and building a roster, and running a professional developmental organization at a high level. He brings NFL experience to a college football landscape amidst major structural change. Freeman was presented with a pretty significant loss, but by being proactive instead of reactive, responded with an objective upgrade. Bowden was one of the most unique components of Notre Dame’s recruiting machine, and finding a way to upgrade from that is a true accomplishment. If this hire works out, it’ll be an absolute home run for Freeman and the Irish.

Running Backs Coach

The latest Notre Dame staff member to be stolen away was none other than running backs coach Deland McCullough. Roughly 2 weeks ago, it was announced that McCullough would be leaving the team after accepting a position with Pete Carroll and the Las Vegas Raiders. He was one of Marcus Freeman‘s first hires in 2021 and was instrumental in the recruitment and development of Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Aneyas Williams, and Kedren Young. It seems that McCullough’s exit was largely dictated by his previously stated desire to become a head coach himself one day.

On Tuesday, February 18th, Ja’Juan Seider of Penn State was officially named the new running backs coach for Notre Dame. Just over a month ago, Freeman and the Irish bested Seider and the Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl, and all of a sudden, he’s joined the team. It wasn’t just the fact that Notre Dame was the destination, but this was a major assistant coach from a blue chip program that just went to the college football playoff - and had one of the best running back rooms in the country with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Reports have claimed that coaches across the country were knocking on Notre Dame’s door looking for an interview instead of the other way around, signaling how attractive the running back room and program have become as of late. One of the biggest upsides to Seider’s addition is his recruiting chops. He was able to lure Singleton away from the Irish a few years back and has recruiting connections in states where the Irish have lagged behind. It’s entirely possible that this is both a coaching and recruiting upgrade. Once again, Freeman has found a way to take a disadvantageous situation and not only right the ship, but end up in an even better place. 

Portal Departures

Jaden Mickey - CB - Boise State

Tyson Ford - DT - Cal

Aiden Gobaira - DE - James Madison

Ty Chan - OL - UConn

Jayden Thomas - WR - UVA 

Deion Colzie - WR - Miami (OH)

Sam Pendleton - OL - Tennessee

Rocco Spindler - OL - Nebraska

Pat Coogan - OL - Indiana

Mickey announced his departure from the program just four weeks into the season and has recently chosen Boise State over Cal as his landing spot. He would have been joined by backup Tyson Ford, who only appeared once for the Irish in his career, coming against Tennessee State in 2023. Both Aiden Gobaira and Ty Chan are departing for James Madison and Uconn, respectively.

Wide receivers Jayden Thomas and Deion Colzie are both heading out the door after once again playing a limited role in the passing game. Thomas reeled in 18 balls for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns in 14 games this year, while Colzie grabbed 5 passes for 41 yards and 1 touchdown in 4 games. Thomas will be heading to UVA, and Colzie will suit up for Miami (OH). Losing two veterans at the same position is nothing to brag about, but the Irish shouldn’t feel this too hard. Neither Colzie nor Thomas ever played a significant role in Notre Dame’s offense, and between underclassmen chomping at the bit for playing time and portal additions, the wide receivers room will be even more crowded than it has been over the last two years.

Notre Dame’s heaviest portal losses all came along the offensive line, with three starters moving on to their next destination. Senior Pat Coogan has officially transferred to Indiana after appearing in all 16 games this season and 13 appearances in 2023. Senior Rocco Spindler is heading to Nebraska, having appeared in 12 games in 2022, 10 games in 2023, and all 16 games in 2024. Lastly, sophomore Sam Pendleton has joined the Tennessee Volunteers despite starting 13 games in 2024 and 3 games as a true freshman in 2023. While the Irish have one of deepest offensive line groups in the country, losing three starters, even if they were due to injury, at any position is a tough loss to take.

Portal Arrivals

DeVonta Smith - DB - Alabama - 4 Star (TR)

Malachi Fields - WR - UVA - 4 Star (TR)

Will Pauling - WR - Wisconsin - 3 Star (TR)

Ty Washington - TE - Arkansas - 3 Star (TR)

Jared Dawson - DT - Louisville - 3 Star (TR)

Noah Burnette - K - UNC - 3 Star (TR)

Elijah Hughs - DT - USC - 3 Star (TR)

Jalen Stroman - S - UVA - 3 Star (TR)

As far as talent goes, Irish personnel management has already brought in quite a bit of talent through the transfer portal. 4-star DeVonta Smith is one of the highlights of the class, putting up 30 tackles, 5 pass deflections, and a forced fumble in 2024 with the Crimson Tide, and will be an excellent addition to a talented secondary.

Fields is arguably the best receiver talent the Irish have seen in years, standing at 6’4", 220 lbs; the 4-star wideout put up 55 catches, 808 yards, and 5 touchdowns for the Cavaliers in 2024. With those numbers, Fields would have led the Irish receiving core in catches, yards, and touchdowns this season. He’ll be an immediate starter on the boundary for the Irish, while Will Pauling out of Wisconsin will compete for reps on the outside and reunite with his former coach, now Notre Dame’s WR coach Mike Brown. Pauling will be looking to recreate his stellar 2023 season, where he recorded 74 catches for 837 yards and 6 scores, all marks that would have led the Irish receivers this season.

The Irish needed a kicker this offseason and once again appealed to a transfer for the job, securing 3-star starting kicker Noah Burnette out of UNC. Burnette had a nearly perfect 2023 season, going 19/20 on field goals and a perfect 43/43 on extra points, but regressed a bit in 2024. He finished 15/21 on field goals and 38/39 on extra points, but set his career long at 52 yards. For context, Mitch Jeter finished this season 13/21 from the field, 54/54 on extra points, and a 49-yard long. Burnette has an extra year of starting kicking experience over Jeter and should be a significant improvement if he replicates his 2023 performance.

Overall, Freeman and the Irish have come out for the better between portal losses and additions and have shored up nearly all their obvious thin spots. If they are to add any more portal players before the start of the season, the focus should be adding another body on both the defensive and offensive lines to sure up both depth and increase competition. As we saw this year, the injury bug can have you starting your 3rd string linemen on either side of the ball in the blink of an eye.

The Incoming 2025 Class

Will Black - OL - 5 Star

Madden Faraimo - LB - 4 Star

Christopher Burgess Jr. - DL - 4 Star

Dallas Golden - CB/S - 4 Star

James Flanigan - TE - 4 Star

Ja’Don Blair - S - 4 Star

Mark Zackery IV - CB - 4 Star

Owen Strebig - OL - 4 Star

Anthony Sacca - LB/S - 4 Star

Nolan James - ATH - 4 Star

Cameron Herron - OL - 4 Star

Antavious Richardson - CB/WR - 4 Star

Blake Hebert - QB - 4 Star

Eliijah Burress - WR - 4 Star

Matty Augustine - OT - 4 Star

The Irish have a lot to look forward to with the incoming 2025 freshman class. It’s highlighted by a lone 5-star prospect, OL Will Black, but is bolstered by 14 4-star prospects, depending on what recruiting service you use. It was enough to earn Notre Dame a respectable #12 in recruiting class rankings, but is representative of a somewhat concerning trend. Over the last few seasons, the Irish have steadily dropped in overall recruiting class rankings.

For context, the highest number of 4-star commits within the top-25 recruiting classes was 20 for Texas A&M and Georgia, while the highest number of 5-star commits was 5 for both Texas and Georgia. At 1 5-star and 14 4-star players, Notre Dame isn’t all that far off. The biggest gap is only the very top of the top talent pool, and because of academic standards shrinking Notre Dame’s recruiting pool, the Irish will need to snag every 5-star talent going to Stanford, UCLA, Duke, Vanderbilt, and the like.

While 12th is still an upper-tier class, the Irish need to get control of this before it gets away from them. Thankfully, it seems to be a top concern for Freeman and the program’s top brass, and apparently a large part of why GM Chad Bowden moved on. Notre Dame was growing concerned with their lack of recruiting success, and it’s reassuring to see them take action to bridge the growing gap. If this program is going to continue improving off the 2024 season’s success, they’re going to need multiple consecutive top-10 recruiting classes to stay competitive. That way, portal additions are just the gravy on top.

The Quarterback Competition

For the fifth straight season, the Fighting Irish are looking for a new quarterback to lead the team, having turned to the portal for outside help three of the last four years. With this opportunity, the Irish have a chance to keep its “one and done” cycle going or line up their first multi-year starter since Ian Book in 2019 and 2020. Depending on who wins the starting job, Notre Dame may very well define their 2025 season.

Steve Angeli

Angeli might be the front-runner for the starting spot, as he’s been with the team for four years and has been a consistent backup for the last two. In that time, he’s been the epitome of reliability and consistency. Angeli is a solid, above-average passer who’s stepped up in several key moments with composure and found a way to execute. With Leonard’s exit, Steve is by far the most experienced arm in Notre Dame‘s quarterback’s room, having amassed 772 yards on 58/80 through the air (72% completion), 10 TDs, and only 1 interception in just 14 appearances and 1 start. At the very least, Angeli has waited his turn and proved his ability enough to earn a legitimate shot at the starting job. 

The biggest criticism levied against him is his lack of athleticism and his seemingly lower ceiling. He easily has the highest floor in the quarterback room, but he’s unproven against truly elite competition on a week-in and week-out basis, and there’s concern as to whether or not he can keep that level of play up over 12-16 games. Ultimately, it comes down to whether or not Freeman and the coaching staff believe that Angeli can step into the role and immediately help the Irish compete at the highest level possible. Say what you like about his ability, but Angeli may have the best shot at leading the 2025 Irish offense based on experience alone.

Kenny Minchey

Minchey is by far the most elite and complete athlete in this group. At the same time, he’s been dubbed a gunslinger by the quarterback staff and has a significantly higher ceiling than Angeli. If the Irish coaching staff decides to go with Minchey, they get a multi-year starter for the first time in recent memory. Depending on how long he stays, Minchey could be the starting quarterback for 2 to 3 years and give some consistency to a Notre Dame offense that has appealed to transfer quarterbacks as of late. It would seem, due to playing time, that Angeli has the favor of the coaching staff, but Minchey has had two consecutive years to sit, observe, and learn from the likes of Sam Hartman, Riley, Leonard, and his competition, Steve Angeli. He’d have to out-talent Angeli to truly make it an even playing field. 

Minchey has far less collegiate action than Angeli, as he’s gone 1/1 through the air for 4 yards, and 2 carries for 12 yards and a touchdown in just one appearance. Kenny leads the QB room in athletic ability and mobility, along with a comparably high ceiling like Carr, but can struggle when it comes to passing accuracy. He very well might have the biggest arm of the three, but Angeli has the most control and Carr is more of a natural. Minchey will have to reign in his arm with enough control to make his dual-threat ability a true problem. 

Minchey’s biggest knock is his lack of experience and general lack of game tape. In actuality, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a good chance at winning the job, only that there's so little to go on. Minchey could very well win this job, but he’ll have to do so in the spring and by a noticeable margin. He’ll have to outperform Angeli enough to make up for his lack of experience and show Freeman and Denbrock that he’s worth the long-term investment over the likes of CJ Carr.

CJ Carr

Carr has the highest ceiling in Notre Dame‘s entire quarterback room and is considered by many to be the future face of the program. Carr came out of high school ranked the #2 pocket passer in the country and was considered a five-star prospect on many recruitment boards. He’s not quite as athletic as Kenny Minchey, but is more agile than Steve Angeli. As far as his arm, CJ may not have quite the cannon that Minchey does, but he’s hands-down, the purest pocket passer of the three. While it remains to be game-tested, Carr’s arm is said to be the most accurate in the quarterback room. This mix of passing prowess and athletic flexibility makes him the perfect prototype quarterback for today’s game. Whether it’s running the read option or throwing on the run, Carr seems to strike the perfect middle ground between Angeli and Minchey’s games. He’ll be a redshirt freshman for the 2025 season after serving as an understudy this past year. Unfortunately, CJ wasn’t able to fully benefit from his early enrollment with the team or freshman year due to an elbow injury suffered in practice prior to the Louisville game. The elbow injury was to his throwing arm and severely limited his practice reps and pregame warm-up snaps, keeping him sidelined or a minimal participant in practice since September.

Much like Minchey, Carr suffers from a lack of experience and, to date, has zero collegiate snaps under his belt. Furthering this lack of experience and familiarity with the system is his somewhat troubled post-injury experience. There seemed to be some initial miscommunication between Carr’s camp and the fighting Irish training staff regarding the correct path to take in recovery, and even some rumors the Irish were looking for another portal QB. Since then, it's been confirmed this will be a three-man battle for the starting spot, and Carr will have a shot to earn the job. Even if Carr manages to wow the staff and compete for the top spot, there’s a certain level of risk in putting him out on the field at Miami, followed by Texas A&M to start his career. That's not to say Carr wouldn’t be able to handle it, but there’s a pretty huge difference between playing a week 1 warmup opponent and two back-to-back top-25 teams. 

This is the first true quarterback battle Freeman has had on his hands, and will be one of the more consequential decisions he’s faced thus far. Many didn’t think the Irish were ready for the run they made in 2024, so expectations for this season will be sky-high, and the quarterback who’s named starter could either get the Irish over that National Title hump or fail to recreate the success that’s become the new standard. 

The 2025 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location
Sunday - August 31st	@ Miami (ACC/Rivalry)	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL
Saturday - September 7th	BYE Week #1
Saturday - September 13th	Texas A&M (SEC)	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, Indiana
Saturday - September 20th	Purdue (BIG10/Rivalry)	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, Indiana
Saturday - September 27th	@ Arkansas (SEC)	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR
Saturday - October 4th	Boise State (Mountain West)	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, Indiana
Saturday - October 11th	NC State (ACC)	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN
Saturday - October 18th	USC (BIG10/Rivalry)	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, Indiana
Saturday - October 25th	BYE Week #2
November 1st	@ Boston College (ACC/Rivalry)	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA
November 8th	Navy (AAC/Rivalry)	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, Indiana
November 15th	@ Pittsburgh (ACC/Rivalry)	Acrisure Stadium Pittsburgh, PA
November 22nd	Syracuse (ACC)	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, Indiana
November 29th	@ Stanford (ACC/Rivalry)	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA

Notre Dame’s official 2025 schedule has been released, and there are some standouts. The Irish will play 7 true home games in South Bend and only 5 true road games. This time around, the Irish won’t have to give up a real home game for a neutral site and will benefit from less travel and an extra weekend of home-field advantage.

There are a few downsides, though, as Irish fans will have to wait until week 3 for the home opener, and the team will endure two long stretches of consecutive games; first, 6 consecutive matchups from September 13th through October 18th, ending with 4 straight through all of November to end the season. Due to Stanford’s entry into the ACC, the Irish will have 6 ACC opponents in 2025 and only 2 games against the BIG 10 (Purdue, USC).

What this schedule does have going for it is a whopping 7 historical rivals (Miami, Purdue, USC, Boston College, Navy, Pitt, and Stanford). Most notably, this will be Notre Dame’s first time playing 2 SEC teams in the regular season since 1986, when the Irish played Alabama and LSU.

Overall, it's a solid schedule with a high upside. USC will likely be better than they were in 2024, as well as TAMU, who should be settled in with 2nd year HC Mike Elko. Miami will likely take a step back after losing Cam Ward to the draft, but the Irish face them early enough in the year that they should benefit from an early win like they did against TAMU in 2024. The real meat of this schedule will determine how strong a strength of schedule the Irish earn. Just how well does Boise State respond after losing Ashton Jeanty? Will the ACC as a whole step their game up, or will they just fill out Notre Dame’s 2025 slate with mediocrity?

Where Do We Go From Here?

The offseason is not yet over, and there's plenty of time before the season begins for more changes to come.

The Irish will kick off spring ball following their March 10th-14th spring break and will play the 94th annual Blue-Gold game on April 12th. Just days later, on April 16th, the 2025 spring transfer portal window will open, allowing 10 more days of player movement until officially closing on April 25th. This is when we could see the players departing after losing position battles while adding players to cover any last-minute needs.

In the meantime, we'll keep you in the loop as spring ball gets closer and the 2025 regular season begins to take shape.

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