The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were forced to watch the College Football Playoff and national championship at home after being left out of the field in controversial fashion.
Marcus Freeman’s team won its final 10 games of the year. Unfortunately, the Fighting Irish lost to both the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies to kick off the 2025 season. That was too much to overcome when all was said and done.
Despite being left out of the playoff, Notre Dame has received a lot of support. Most recently, legendary head coach Nick Saban spoke out before the national championship to deliver a blunt and honest message to Freeman and the Fighting Irish.
As shared by Yahoo Sports, Saban made it clear that he believes Notre Dame should have been in the playoff.
“You deserved to be in the playoffs,” Saban said simply.
That has been the overwhelming sentiment since the committee made its decision. Had the Fighting Irish been included in the playoff picture, there is no question that they would have had a legitimate shot at making a championship run.
Notre Dame & Marcus Freeman Have Nothing to Hang Their Heads About
Not getting into the playoff was a crushing blow for the program. Shortly after the news broke that Notre Dame would not be included in the playoff, the team made the decision that it would not play in a bowl game either. That ended the season.
Even though things didn’t go according to plan, the Fighting Irish have a lot to build on moving forward.
Freeman was immediately mentioned in the NFL rumor mill after Notre Dame’s season came to an end. With plenty of professional teams making coaching changes, he was talked about a lot as a candidate. However, Freeman has made it clear that he isn’t leaving the Fighting Irish right now.
Not only did Freeman decide not to head off into the NFL, he has put together a strong offseason for Notre Dame. After a slow start to the transfer portal, the Fighting Irish caught fire and ended up being one of the biggest winners.
The Future Looks Incredibly Bright for Notre Dame
Since taking over as Notre Dame’s head coach back in 2021, Freeman has led the team to a 43-12 record. He led the program to the national championship game just one season ago before coming up short against Ohio State.
After a heartbreaking end to this season, Freeman has been able to reload the roster with talent.
In the transfer portal, the Fighting Irish were able to add some great pieces. Among those players were former Ohio State wide receivers Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham, former Oregon defensive tackle Tionne Gray, former Pittsburgh defensive tackle Francis Brewu, and former Colorado cornerback DJ McKinney.
All of those players will have a chance to make an instant impact for Notre Dame next season. They’re all more than capable of playing big roles and leading the Fighting Irish back to success.
Saban has now spoken and most of the country agrees with him. Notre Dame should have been in the playoff, but now the program is fully focused on 2026.
Nick Saban Sends Blunt Message to Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame