The Notre Dame football team has earned quite a bit of hype heading into the 2026 season as a favorite for the national title. They are one of the favorites despite the roster going against one of the oldest unwritten rules in college sports. Most people believe a veteran roster is important for any team to win. However, the Fighting Irish carry one of the youngest rosters in the country into the fall.
Even some of the worst teams in the country tend to get rosy predictions heading into a season where they are expected to have an “older” roster. With the new 5-for-5 rule and the resulting effect of teams getting even older, at least for one year, the Irish have managed to move the opposite direction. Since the transfer portal came into play, programs that have been able to get older overnight generally find more success in the next season. Even before the portal, teams like Stanford were good for several years because they operated under the mantra of “get old and stay old.” BYU and Utah were famous for this kind of thing because of players going on missions during their college playing days.
This year, Notre Dame has the 10th-youngest roster in the country, with players averaging just 19.97 years old. While most of the rankings are just a decimal point apart, the Irish are among just 16 teams in the country whose average age isn’t over 20 years old.
It’s not hard to figure out why the Irish are a bit younger than they’ve been in the past. Starting quarterback CJ Carr is a third-year sophomore, following several years with the Golden Domers having veteran transfers (Sam Hartman and Riley Leonard) under center.
CJ Carr leads one of college football’s youngest championship contenders
Guys like Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price were both eligible to return for another season, and that alone could have driven the roster age up, but they both chose to head to the NFL.
So will Notre Dame help prove that an older roster doesn’t necessarily mean a better team? They won’t be alone if they do. Ohio State is younger, as the Buckeyes’ roster ranked 128th in the country with a 19.98 average. Georgia is the youngest team in the country at 19.81 years old, and Texas is just four spots above the Bulldogs at 19.86 years old on average.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are arguably the best team among the Top 40 oldest teams in the nation. Matt Rhule’s squad averages 20.51 years per player. The oldest team in the country is hardly a juggernaut, though UTSA has occasionally been successful in its conference.
Does this mean that the idea that a veteran roster is “better” is just a myth? At least for now, it appears that it certainly no longer applies. On average, Notre Dame has been older the last few years than what they are to start the 2026 season. It will certainly be interesting to see how so many of the best teams' ages factor into the run for the title this fall.
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