SOUTH BEND, Ind. — You’ve got questions.
And the Notre Dame mailbag has answers on where the Irish might turn at quarterback in the transfer market, where the program could end up in bowl season and the biggest surprise on this year’s roster.
Let’s get started.
(Note: Submitted questions have been lightly edited for clarity and length.)
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On the latest podcast, you pretty much confirmed Notre Dame will go into the transfer portal for next year’s starting quarterback. With the success on the field (and especially off) for Sam Hartman, I have to imagine Notre Dame would have a good list of players to choose from. Are there any names to keep an eye out on? — James B.
I expect Notre Dame to push for a transfer quarterback this winter, and coach Marcus Freeman said he’s open to the idea on Thursday.
“All options right now are in consideration,” he said, noting that a decision could be made during the second bye week.
But, the quarterback market is a competitive one. Sometimes, you end up with Sam Hartman. Sometimes, you end up with Kedon Slovis.
Notre Dame doesn’t need to take a transfer quarterback who’s either too inexperienced to know what you’re getting or simply not talented enough to carry an offense.
All that said, don’t expect Notre Dame to get Sam Hartman 2.0. The fact the Irish found a quarterback who had played five seasons, was a three-time captain and had thrown 110 career touchdown passes was an anomaly of right place, right time. There needed to be a COVID-19 bonus year available to Hartman, and the quarterback himself had to change his mind about playing another season of college football. Notre Dame was able to entice him to do it. Notre Dame can entice another quarterback just the same, but there probably won’t be another Hartman-level resume floating around.
A more realistic comp might be former Notre Dame QB Jack Coan, an experienced Power 5 quarterback who was good at his previous stop but not great. When Wisconsin could turn the page to Graham Mertz, a big-time prospect, it did. Coan threw 25 touchdown passes in 18 starts at Wisconsin, a big step down from Hartman’s career at Wake Forest.
Kansas State quarterback Will Howard has never been a true QB1. (Scott Sewell / USA Today)One quarterback who might fit this in-between demographic is Will Howard at Kansas State, who’s started 22 games over the past four years but has never been a true QB1. That was supposed to change this season, but he’s now splitting time with freshman Avery Johnson, a Mertz-esque former Notre Dame recruiting target. Howard also plays for offensive coordinator Collin Klein, who was one of Notre Dame’s top targets last winter before the search took a turn for the absurd. Would Howard look around for a bigger opportunity at a higher-profile program? I have no idea. But in college football, when two quarterbacks split time in one season, one of those quarterbacks usually leaves the next. Howard is a legitimate NFL prospect according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, but being draftable may not pay the same as the NIL opportunities as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback.
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And yes, I know there’s another quarterback out there who also played for a former offensive coordinator candidate who also has remaining eligibility. Does Utah’s Cam Rising make a move after sitting out this season while recovering from an ACL?
It’s easy to throw out Michael Pratt at Tulane and Riley Leonard at Duke as Hartman-esque in their transfer appeal. Pratt is the closest thing to Hartman anywhere, four years of starting experience, 8,001 passing yards, 103 total touchdowns. Does a pro-style prospect with NFL measurables need another year of college? Leonard was pushed as a future pro earlier this season, but he’s basically played a season and a half of college football. He’s thrown as many career touchdown passes at Duke as Drew Pyne did at Notre Dame. Would moving to a more pro-style offense benefit the junior? Again, impossible to say. Leonard has helped make Duke football relevant this season in a way Clemson, Notre Dame and Florida State can appreciate. But if his head coach lands elsewhere, maybe the quarterback does too.
There’s a side question here, basically, if Notre Dame taking a transfer quarterback would stunt the growth of Steve Angeli, Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr. Would adding an experienced quarterback be the right decision now but the wrong decision later? This is where it’s worth reminding everyone that Freeman is paid to win games now. If taking a transfer quarterback costs Notre Dame a quarterback on its current roster, that’s the cost of doing business. Freeman didn’t blink at the potential of losing Tyler Buchner and Pyne because Notre Dame was getting Hartman. That’s got to be the default setting for a head coach in the portal era.
Not to get ahead of ourselves, but how strong are Notre Dame’s chances at a New Year’s Six game if it finishes 10-2? Given the number of undefeated and one-loss teams, I’m worried it might get boxed out like 2019. — Tim C.
They got stronger last weekend.
Let’s recap some developments that impacted Notre Dame’s New Year’s Six positioning.
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1. Penn State lost and looked hopeless on offense, with Michigan two weeks away. If the Nittany Lions get blown out at home by the Wolverines, it’s easy to see them dropping below Notre Dame, which would be coming off a road win at Clemson.
2. Texas lost starting quarterback Quinn Ewers to a shoulder injury that put him in a sling. The Longhorns host BYU and Kansas State the next two weeks before road games at TCU and Iowa State, followed by a home finale against Texas Tech. Lose to Kansas State or Iowa State, and Texas is likely out of the Big 12 Championship Game.
Realistically, Notre Dame simply needs to climb over Penn State or Texas to make a New Year’s Six game. The SEC will get multiple bids, but those teams will cannibalize one another (Missouri–Georgia, LSU–Alabama, Ole Miss-Georgia, Tennessee-Missouri, Tennessee-Georgia).
Oregon and Washington can both make the New Year’s Six. Georgia and Alabama can both make it. Michigan and Ohio State can both make it. Florida State and North Carolina can both make it. Air Force can make it as the Group of Five team. Oklahoma can make it as the Big 12 champion. That still leaves two at large bids for Notre Dame to grab. When the first College Football Playoff rankings come out next week, we’ll learn how close the Irish are.
If you’re looking at destinations, the Peach Bowl will host two at-large teams. The Fiesta Bowl has one at-large spot. The Cotton Bowl has one at-large spot.
The biggest hurdle between Notre Dame and the New Year’s Six is beating Clemson. The Irish are starting to pop up in New Year’s Six projections now, with Fox predicting Notre Dame versus Washington in the Peach Bowl and Action Sports forecasting Notre Dame versus Oklahoma in the same game. Will Notre Dame get there? There’s a path.
What in the world was coach Tim O’Malley thinking to call a reverse pass in the red zone of the third-grade championship? Also, how awesome was it that Freeman began his line of questioning to a coach with the lazy reporter “thoughts on…” phrasing? — James R.
If Freeman had started his question to O’Malley with “talk about…” I would have lost it.
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Is USC still going to play Notre Dame every year when it moves to the Big Ten, even if they go to 10 games? Would this be the biggest rivalry casualty to realignment ever? — James M.
USC plans to continue the Notre Dame series, which both schools need. There’s an argument Notre Dame needs it more considering the scheduling inventory available to USC in the Midwest.
In the next five seasons, USC will play at Penn State (twice), at Wisconsin (twice), at Nebraska (twice), at Michigan, at Iowa (twice) and at Ohio State. Oddly, the Big Ten didn’t sync USC’s trips to South Bend with the Trojans’ conference schedules where they play five home and four away games. That means USC’s road schedule in 2025 is Notre Dame, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and UCLA. Six road games against Power 5 programs … good luck.
For the record, the Big Ten already has conference opponents mapped out through the 2028 season. It’s a nine-game schedule. It’s not going to 10.
You have made the statement that Freeman would not be swayed by his personal relationships in making difficult choices when it comes to his coaching staff. What does Gerad Parker need to do to keep his position as offensive coordinator? — Kenny G.
What made me most optimistic about Parker as offensive coordinator popped at NC State when he counterpunched brilliantly, leaning into misdirection and play action to pick apart the Wolfpack defense. In a game where Notre Dame went three-and-out six times, Parker still found a way to score six touchdowns on the road. He called plays that hit big — Audric Estime’s run, plus shots to Chris Tyree (busted coverage) and Tobias Merriweather. It all felt like a moment when Parker “out-coached” the opposition.
He’s struggled to recreate that sense of coaching control ever since.
After averaging 4.4 points per drive in the season’s first four games, the Irish have averaged 2.1 points per drive in the next four. Yes, the quality of opposition went way up. You could argue the plan worked against Ohio State, at least schematically. But watching Notre Dame’s offense now, there’s no sense Parker is ahead on his call sheet. Parker made NC State adjust to him. It feels like the other way around now, Parker never quite piecing plays and drives together.
Parker doesn’t need to hit a points total or a yards per play metric during the next four games. It simply needs to look more like it did in September. And when the head coach talks during the week about the need to hit more shot plays and do more play action, that has to be part of the plan, too. There’s a mandate for Parker. Whether he hits it or not, only Freeman will really know. But showing an ability to adjust in-game, to counter punch, to find an effective Plan B, to restart a pass game that has Hartman … all that would be a start.
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When will Notre Dame get a true No. 1 wide receiver? Is it Cam Williams? Is it the transfer portal this offseason? Does anyone on the current roster have the potential to become a true No. 1? — Pat W.
My bold prediction of Notre Dame’s next recruiting class: The No. 1 receiver in the haul will be Micah Gilbert more than Cam Williams. Both are high-end prospects. But I’m not sure they’re ranked in the right order.
As for the current roster, Jaden Greathouse and Rico Flores could fill the role next season. Perhaps Tobias Merriweather puts his game together. This is where it’s worth remembering Miles Boykin wasn’t a No. 1 receiver until his senior year. Chase Claypool flashed as a junior before turning it on as a senior. There’s time for the talent on the roster to develop. And there’s more talent incoming next season.
Last week I saw a story that outlined the recruiting trips coaches were making during the bye week, from Atlanta to Hawaii. The only one not traveling was defensive coordinator Al Golden. Do you have any insight on why he wouldn’t be hitting the road? — Sean P.
Notre Dame sent recruiting director Chad Bowden on the road last weekend, which meant it had to take a coach off the road. That coach was Golden, who’d earned the right to downshift a bit.
Heading into the season, I feel like most fans and media felt that the offense — led by Hartman, the O-line and a slew of talented running backs — would anchor the team, and that they would probably have to score 35-plus points per game for the Irish to be a Playoff team. … In hindsight, those expectations were obviously off, both crediting the offense far too much and not crediting the defense enough. What did we miss in August? — Lamine H.
The defensive line. The defensive line. The defensive line.
Pretty much every position on this roster has performed close to expectations, for better or worse. The receivers haven’t been dynamic, but they’ve also been banged up. The offensive line is perhaps a step off the pace most expected. Running back has been dynamic, just as predicted. Linebacker and cornerback have been outstanding, which most saw coming. Safety has had its moments, good and bad, which always seemed in the cards.
But the defensive line? Pro Football Focus rates Howard Cross and Rylie Mills as two of the top 10 defensive tackles in the country. Javontae Jean-Baptiste has been an absolute steal at defensive end. Gabe Rubio has been a force when healthy. While Notre Dame might not be getting much from the rest of the position, what the Irish are getting from the players listed above has rethought what this defense can be. Defensive line coach Al Washington has had an outstanding season in terms of player development.
Why did Hartman shave his beard? Does this affect his NIL deals? — Mike E.
He’s got a deal with Dollar Shave Club. Got to put those razors to use.
(Photo of Sam Hartman: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
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