Notre Dame Fighting Irish news: Julian Sayin twist, Texas two-stepping away, more

One of the real regrets of the 2026 season for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is that if the defense had figured things out just a little faster, the team might have been good enough to make the College Football Playoff. Second-year defensive coordinator Chris Ash said that part of the problem was he wasn’t familiar enough with his players yet.

• For Notre Dame’s defense, it’s all about familiarity. Ash knows his players better now after a full season, a second spring and watching lots and lots of film. “I know what they need, and last year I didn’t,” Ash told Rivals’ Tyler Horka. “This year I know what each individual needs from a coaching standpoint, what we need to focus on and make sure we emphasize."

Notre Dame Fighting Irish recruiting: What will be and what could have been

• Former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees had a bigger role in landing quarterback CJ Carr than some Irish fans might be willing to admit. However, the tidbit that might strike some as really surprising is that, according to 247Sports analyst Tom Loy, if Carr hadn’t committed to the Fighting Irish, they still would have landed a heck of a quarterback commit in Julian Sayin. Sayin is now the starting quarterback for Ohio State.

• On Monday, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are in position to land one heck of a 2028 commit. Darieon Prescott is picking his team, and for the second time in seven days, Marcus Freeman and Co. might beat Dan Lanning and Co. for one of the best DL of their class. Even better news is that they look to be in good shape to do so.

More Notre Dame Fighting Irish & national news

• Nation Williams, a five-star prospect in the class of 2027, has narrowed her list to five schools and has set four additional visits. Williams has already completed an official visit to Iowa. North Carolina, Duke, UCLA and Notre Dame will also vie for a chance to host her. If Niele Ivey can get her to South Bend, it might be hard for Williams to go elsewhere.

• Arizona State is offering a new Bachelor of Arts program. The Sun Devils will allow students to major in Social Media. Just in case everyone needed another reminder that the human race is cooked.

• The Baltimore Ravens have waived undrafted rookie quarterback Diego Pavia days ahead of training camp to make room for veteran center Ethan Pocic on the 90-man roster. The 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up, Pavia was part of the Ravens' competition for the No. 3 quarterback spot during spring practices. That competition will now come down to veteran Skylar Thompson, who shined during minicamp, and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano from Connecticut.

• LSU's Lane Kiffin calls for an NIL "rookie cap" to be implemented for high school recruits: "The kids that haven’t played at all coming out of high school should be making less. … There should be a freshman or rookie cap, and then max slots per position that they make."

• The Notre Dame Fighting Irish might have another Power 4 program that is backing away from scheduling them. The Texas Longhorns have worked out a scheduling deal with ND for some future games; however, UT head coach Steve Sarkisian made it clear during his SEC Media Days appearance that they might cancel those games: “I don’t know yet about Notre Dame. We’ll see, because I think the (CFP selection) committee has to show us what happens now and what’s the value that they’re placing on strength of schedule and are we going to let a 9-3 team in as an at-large? We’ll find out, and I think this year will be a great test of what that looks like.”

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