Anonymous Coaches Preview Notre Dame Football in 2026

It goes without saying that Notre Dame's expectations for the 2026 football season are the highest they've been in at least 20 years.

2006 saw Notre Dame ranked No. 2 to start the year and there is plenty of reason to believe this season could see a similar start in the rankings.

If you ask any Notre Dame fan, they'll quickly tell you this is the best Fighting Irish roster in a very long time. There aren't just capable bodies atop the two-deep, but loads of talent as you go up and down the depth chart at nearly every position.

That's what Notre Dame fans think.

What about the coaches that see Notre Dame during the year? Are they quite as high on the Fighting Irish as faithful in South Bend?

Anonymous Coaches Discuss Notre Dame Ahead of 2026 Season

The calendar is almost flipping to June, which means college football preview magazine time is nearly upon us.

Now, I'm aware that plenty of folks reading this are of the age that they've probably never purchased a magazine, but there was a time where the only way to get in-depth information about teams nationally was to go to a bookstore and purchase a college football preview magazine.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and quarterback CJ Car — Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr (13) and head coach Marcus Freeman during the Blue-Gold spring game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, April 25, 2026, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Times have certainly changed, seeing as these things are largely outdated by the time they actually hit newsstands anymore, but there is always a part that I find valuable in them: what opposing coaches have to say about certain teams.

Athlon Sports always has that feature in their preview magazine, something you can order online now.

It's safe to say the opposing coaches they found are seemingly as high on Notre Dame as Fighting Irish fans.

On Notre Dame QB CJ Carr

“I would imagine that they take the cuffs off (quarterback CJ Carr) a little more.”

“I thought he (Carr) was very good last year, but I also thought that they asked little of him. Create isolation routes, get the ball to the right guy. Indiana did the same thing — ran the ball, created one-on-ones and took advantage of them. And (Carr) is more talented than Fernando Mendoza. That’s saying a lot.”

On Notre Dame's Dominant Fronts

“They’re so good up front that they just get after your a–.”

“It’s just hard to match up with them because you can’t stop them from running the football because of how good they are up front. You put the whole team up there, and then you’re gonna create one-on-ones, and they have a few receivers that they haven’t had the last few years.”

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts

The "worry" with Notre Dame's offense going into 2026 is how it possibly replaces a backfield of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. That's understandable to ask, but the passing game should be significantly improved, which should make life easier for the new-look backfield.

For years, these have focused on how Notre Dame isn't ready for the primetime, or how it has obvious shortcomings at key positions.

That's not to be found anywhere in this edition.

Notre Dame is every bit a national championship threat entering 2026 and those who coach against it see it as exactly that.

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