As I watched the first round of CFP games this weekend, it still felt surreal that Notre Dame was not playing in one of these games, and their season ended at Stanford.
However, as the two weeks have now passed and the dust has settled (somewhat), it is time to come to the realization that Notre Dame's season is over.
With that in mind, it's also a great time to hand out some awards to players for the season. There were many deserving candidates, some easy choices, and some very difficult ones. Not every player could receive an award, but below is the best I could do.
Notre Dame's Most Valuable Player
I don't think there is much to argue here or much intrigue, but the team MVP for the 2025 football season goes to running back Jeremiyah Love.
Love put together one of the greatest seasons in Notre Dame history, capping the season by winning the Doak Walker award for the nation's best running back and finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting just last week.
Love amassed 1,372 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, and 6.9 yards per carry. He also totaled 280 receiving yards and three more touchdowns, for a total of over 1600 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns on the year.
Love was in a great position to break some records this season in the final game, but saw his night end early after suffering a bruised rib. Before the injury, he was able to set the record for most rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns in a season in Notre Dame history.
Love will forever be remembered by fans for his highlight tape hurdles, long runs, and explosive bursts, and he was clearly the best player on either side of the ball. Love was also a Unanimous All-American this year for Notre Dame.
Irish Offensive Player of the Year
With Love winning MVP, that opened a few choices for Offensive Player of the Year. Malachi Fields most certainly delivered some big plays and gaudy stats for the Irish. As did Jadarian Price as running back two. However, this year's Offensive Player of the Year goes to Quarterback CJ Carr.
Carr was a highly touted recruit for the Irish who spent last season injured and redshirted to gain a year of eligibility. It took the entire Spring and Summer camps for Coach Freeman to announce Carr as the starter over Kenny Minchey.
Carr never looked back.
After a slow start in his first game against Miami, Carr put his foot on the gas and ran through opponents all season long.
In his first season as a starter, Carr threw for over 2700 yards with 24 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions. He finished 8th in the nation in QBR (Quarterback Rating) at 82.9. Carr also added three rushing touchdowns on the season and only took 12 sacks in 12 games.
The future is most certainly bright for Carr, who will open as a Heisman candidate in the 2026 season. Without Love and Price next year, it will be on Carr to elevate the Irish offense as they look to get back to the playoffs.
Defensive Player of the Year
This was another fairly easy choice in my mind. That isn't to suggest that there were not many choices, but rather that one player stood above the rest. That player is Cornerback Leonard Moore.
Moore, another Unanimous All-American, was regarded as the best cornerback in the country this year after a dominant freshman season last year. The fact that Notre Dame gets him for one more season has to be exciting for Coach Freeman, Coach Ash, and Coach Mickens.
Moore battled injuries early this season after rolling his ankle against Texas A&M, but still finished with 5 interceptions, including an interception return for a touchdown, a forced fumble, and 7 passes defended. He also totaled 31 tackles in just 9 games.
Where Moore really took the next step was with his ball-hawking this season. Moore was a great cover corner last year, but never seemed to take the ball away. Teammate Christian Gray was better at that. Moore, though, really improved, intercepting five passes and coming away with a few big plays.
Moore will lead the defensive unit again next year, which looks to build upon some late-season momentum. Moore, Gray, Adon Shuler, and Tae Johnson will all (presumably) return for one more season together.
Freshman of the Year
Although CJ Carr was technically a redshirt freshman this year, he already won OPOY. Anyway, I had someone else in mind for this one. Freshman of the Year award goes to aforementioned safety Tae Johnson.
The Notre Dame defense REALLY struggled through its first three games. They surrendered 27 points to Miami, 41 points to Texas A&M, and 30 points to Purdue. It was obvious that some changes needed to be made defensively, and to Coach Ash and Coach Freeman's credit, they trusted redshirt Freshman Johnson to be their guy at safety.
Johnson, for his part, rewarded them tremendously. He burst onto the scene after the promotion, finishing with 4 interceptions, three passes defended, and 48 total tackles. Those numbers all came in just 10 games as Johnson did not play the final two weeks with a broken thumb.
Notre Dame must be very excited looking to next year as Johnson takes the next step in leading this high-flying secondary, partnering with Moore and the other experienced starters.
Transfer Player of the Year
In the new world of College Athletics, this award takes on a true meaning. More and more teams are building through the transfer portal, and even Notre Dame, in recent years, has added talent through the portal. Last year, it was Riley Leonard. This year, the transfer player of the year is receiver Malachi Fields.
Fields came over from Virginia this year and added a big body playmaker to the receiver room. The Irish could never have known that star player Jaden Greathouse would be out most of the year, but getting Fields made that loss more manageable.
Fields, who became a human highlight reel late in the season, finished with 36 catches for 630 yards and five touchdowns. His biggest play was the unbelievable catch against Pittsburgh, but an overlooked play was his touchdown catch to open the game against Purdue.
Coming off back-to-back losses to open the season, Notre Dame needed someone to step up in a big way. Fields delivered, with a long touchdown on the first play of the game. He also definitely helped them cruise across their next 10 games to finish 10-2.
Fields will be on to the NFL next year but definitely made an impact on the 2025 team.
The Do-It-All Award
I didn't 100% know what to call this last award, but it felt really wrong to leave this player off the awards list, and I needed something to recognize his season and career at Notre Dame. The Do-It-All Player of the Year goes to Jadarian Price.
Price was awarded at the national level with All-American nominations as a kick returner and special teams player, but even that sells short what he meant for the Irish this season.
Price is ranked as the number two running back going into the NFL draft, and he wasn't even the best back on the team. Most players in his situation would have transferred, but Price loved his role. He led by example and also had a really great season.
Price finished with two huge kick return touchdowns against Purdue and USC (again) and also tallied 674 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns to go with 87 receiving yards and two scores.
Notre Dame is going to miss Price a lot. His all-around style as a complementary back and returner will not be easily replaced as he enters the NFL.