Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is ready to leave the past in the past and move forward to the 2026 football season in South Bend. The ending of the 2025 football season was not what Freeman and his squad wanted, ending their season early as they were snubbed from the College Football Playoff, but Freeman isn't letting his guys focus on that anymore.
Freeman is using three words to drive his team for the 2026 season: leave no doubt.
Notre Dame can continue to blame the selection committee or the college football world for the decision to be left out of the CFP last season, but in the end, the Irish left doubt. Freeman wants his guys to use those three words going forward, not just on the football field, but in everything in life.
"Leave no doubt is not just in the game of football, it's you as a person," Freeman said. "I tell our players all the time, if you want to be a starter, you have to leave no doubt. If you want to play more, you have to leave no doubt. If you want to get your degree, you have to leave no doubt."
The fallout from Notre Dame missing the College Football Playoff, deciding not to play in a bowl and publicly beefing with the ACC/CFP selection committee didn’t do any favors for ND’s public perception.
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) March 17, 2026
Marcus Freeman is resurrecting it like only he can.pic.twitter.com/Z3jhjtskVd
A longer offseason has not been the worst thing for Notre Dame
For the first time in a long time, Notre Dame played its final game of the season in November in 2025. Granted, Freeman had his guys doing a few things in December, but when the Irish didn't make the CFP and opted out of the bowl game, Freeman sent his guys home to rest and get ready for the spring.
That meant that Notre Dame was able to get their guys back in the gym once they got back on campus in January. Because of that, Freeman feels like the team is further ahead than they have been in past years, and they haven't even started spring ball yet.
"This is probably the best offseason we have had so far, number one because we have had more time," Freeman said.
While Notre Dame would have loved to have the opportunity to compete for a National Championship, having a longer offseason can sometimes be exactly what a team needs to get back on track.