Notre Dame football has incredibly high expectations entering the 2026 season, and that is all clear after the Irish are ranked No. 1 by multiple college football analysts. The Irish being left out of the 2025 College Football Playoffs has many fans calling this the revenge season, and they believe this Marcus Freeman squad is poised for a deep playoff run that just might snap the program's 37-year drought without a National Title.
Notre Dame came up just short of breaking this drought a couple of seasons ago, going on a magical run to the National Championship but losing to Ohio State 34-23 in the 2024 College Football Playoffs finals. However, entering 2026, the vibe is much different, and a key reason is who the Irish were able to bring back, as well as who they are bringing in.
Notre Dame finds itself on a rare list as it is just one of six schools to earn a top-15 transfer class and a top-15 recruiting class in 2026.
Notre Dame dominates both Transfer Portal and 2026 recruiting class
Freeman has emerged as one of the best coaches in college football, and while his dominant 43-12 record proves that, his ability to recruit also stands out. The Irish 2026 recruiting class went on to be one of the best this historic program has ever seen, ranking as high as No. 2 in the nation by On3 Sports. However, Freeman didn’t just dominate the 2026 recruiting class; he also dominated the Transfer Portal, ranking it No. 9 in the nation, according to On3 Sports Keegan Pope.
The Fighting Irish got off to a slow start in the portal chaos, but after landing its first commitment, the dominoes began to fall their way. Notre Dame landed elite Ohio State transfer wide receivers in Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham, while also landing dominant defensive stars in Tionne Gray, Francis Brewu, and Keon Keeley.
The Irish were able to go the entire offseason without losing one starter to the Transfer Portal, but brought in multiple transfers and former 5-stars who will make an immediate impact and try and lead this team to its first National Title in 37 years.
As for the Irish-dominant 2026 recruiting class, Notre Dame landed five 5-stars, including Rodney Dunham, who ranks as high as No. 7 overall in the 2026 class. Notre Dame has a lot of freshman talent coming to South Bend this offseason, and Irish fans should expect to see some get immediate playing time.
Freeman’s ability to recruit and land a historic 2026 recruiting class, while also dominating the portal and recruiting from within and avoiding any nightmare situation of a star player leaving, while also landing multiple former 5-star recruits and 4-star transfers, is a major reason why this team is fighting to be the No. 1 team in preseason rankings.
Notre Dame is starving for that National Title, especially after all the CFP drama from last year, and Freeman just built one of the best rosters in the nation to contend for a National Championship.