Marcus Freeman is widely regarded as one of the brightest coaches in college football. But if there’s one area that has consistently plagued the fifth-year Notre Dame head coach, it’s how the Irish have opened seasons.

There were the stunning losses to Marshall and Northern Illinois. Then, last season, Notre Dame stumbled to an 0-2 start with losses to Miami and Texas A&M. Although the Irish won their final 10 regular-season games, it wasn’t enough to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.

“We didn’t earn the opportunity — we didn’t earn the right — to play more than 12 games last year,” Freeman said Tuesday, two days before the start of fall camp.

“That’s something we’ve owned. We have aspirations to play beyond the regular season. That doesn’t need to be said. That’s a reminder of the work that needs to be done to give your program a chance to play past Game 12 and get into the playoffs. “That’s what I continue to remind our program, our coaches and our players: stop worrying about the playoffs. Stop talking about it. Focus on what we have. Leave no doubt. Leave no doubt with what is guaranteed — this meeting, this moment. That’s how you grow. When your mind is thinking about something that’s not right in front of you, you create bad habits. Take care of what is right in front of you.”

Returning captain and linebacker Drayk Bowen said last season’s 0-2 start remained fresh in the players’ minds throughout the spring and summer.

“We left it to the judges last year, and that’s on us,” added returning captain and safety Adon Shuler.

So how are the Irish making sure history doesn’t repeat itself?

Freeman first addressed the issue in January, promising to evaluate every aspect of the program. He said that process has continued.

“It’s a January-through-August issue,” Freeman explained. “How do you evaluate everything you are doing from the minute the last game ends to the minute the first game begins?

“We’re not changing everything we’ve done, but we are evaluating everything we’ve done. We’re enhancing little things in terms of how we practice, which days we practice and how much meeting time we have. From spring practice to OTAs, everything has been examined. I’ll let you know after the season if we enhanced things in the way we needed to. I feel confident in the changes we’ve made. This has created a sense of urgency for me because of last year and the previous years before that. We have to challenge everything. If you rinse, recycle and repeat, you’ll get passed by. You have to continue to adapt.”

Stronger Foundation

Freeman believes Notre Dame’s foundation entering the 2026 season is stronger than ever, thanks to the return of all three coordinators, quarterback CJ Carr and captains Bowen and Shuler.

“Any time your standards and culture are led by the players, it means that much more,” Freeman said. “Coaches are supposed to lead and enforce the standards, but when players do it, it means that much more. To have two returning captains who understand expectations and hold themselves accountable first — that’s most important — and then hold others accountable helps create the habits you need to become the team you want to be.”

Notre Dame enters the season ranked No. 5 in the preseason coaches poll, and many believe this team will contend for the program’s first national championship since 1988.

A major reason for that optimism is the return of Carr.

“He’s a version of a coordinator on the field,” Freeman said. “The coach-to-quarterback communication cuts off at 15 seconds. He puts our offense in a position not to have a negative play. He’s prepared, intelligent and experienced. That’s an X-factor.”

Bowen described Carr as one of the team’s most competitive players, saying his leadership stood out during player-led summer workouts. He commands the offense, controls the team and isn’t afraid to address issues when necessary.

“He’s had a foundation in how he prepares since he was a redshirt freshman,” Freeman added. “A lot of people wait until they have the opportunity. He did it the moment he walked in here.”

Backup Quarterback Battle

While Carr’s role as the starter is unquestioned, the battle for the backup quarterback position remains wide open.

Blake Hebert has spent the most time in the program, Noah Grubbs arrived in the spring and highly regarded prospect Teddy Jarrard reclassified to enroll a year early.

“The way we structure practice has to be intentional so those three quarterbacks get the reps they need,” Freeman said. You’ll see Blake and Noah splitting reps with the second team. If they’re not with the twos, they’ll be with the threes. We have to be intentional about getting Teddy caught up. He just got here in June, but he’s had a really good summer.”

Freeman said the competition could continue well into the season.

“This will be a unique year because the backup in Week 1 might not be the backup in Week 6,” he said.

Freeman was also asked whether it was realistic for Jarrard — who would ordinarily be entering his senior year of high school — to earn the backup role immediately.

“It’s not unrealistic for anything,” Freeman said. “Teddy is a talented football player. His physical skills are obvious, and the fact that he reclassified shows he’s intelligent and willing to put in the work. It’s our job to get him caught up so we can evaluate him making fast decisions. Only time will tell how long that takes.”

Biggest Questions

Freeman identified several of the biggest questions entering camp:

• Who will emerge as the backup quarterback?
• Who will comprise the starting offensive line?
• Which six or seven receivers will earn regular playing time?
• Who will become the next contributors at defensive end?
• How will the coaching staff maximize the tremendous depth in the secondary?

Several players will begin camp with limited workloads, including linebackers Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (left ACL surgery), center Ashton Craig (left ACL surgery), wide receivers Elijah Burress (right hamstring strain), Quincy Porter (left patella surgery) and Brayden Robinson (right ACL surgery), along with safety Nick Reddish (right shoulder labrum surgery).

Freeman said they remain confident that all of those players could be full go for the season opener.

Meanwhile, offensive linemen Charles Jagusah (left humerus surgery) and Peter Jones (right pectoral strain), defensive linemen Chris Burgess Jr. (left tibia stress fracture surgery) and Tiki Hola (right ACL surgery), and linebacker Ko’o Kia (left shoulder labrum surgery) are expected to miss the start of the season.

Notre Dame opens fall camp Thursday, exactly one month before the regular-season opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field on Sept. 6.

The first edition of the Notre Dame Federal Credit Union Irish Football Fix will air Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. on Pulse FM and will also be available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.