Making Sense of Stephen A. Smith's Visit to Notre Dame

If you were to have given me 100 chances to name famous people that would come address the Notre Dame football team this season, I certainly wouldn't have guessed ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith to be one of them.

Not after what he's said about Notre Dame football over the years.

But here we are, a few weeks from the 2026 regular season getting started against Wisconsin on a Sunday night in Green Bay, and the guy who endlessly yells into a camera about the Dallas Cowboys is firing up the troops in South Bend.

What a time to be alive.

Stephen A. Smith Visits Notre Dame

Smith has long been one of the hosts on ESPN's "First Take", a show that is nothing more than forced sports arguments.

To his credit, he's done well with it, and although its not my cup of tea, it certainly does enough numbers for him to be making insane amounts of money.

Grateful to Stephen A. Smith for talking to the team tonight!#GoIrish☘️ | @stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/F39vabf8U7
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 12, 2026

Smith got away from the TV set earlier this week though, and got up in front of the Notre Dame football team, speaking about his path to the top of the sports media world.

So what was in Smith's message to the Notre Dame football team?

Veteran pass rusher Boubacar Traore shed some light on that when he spoke to the media Wednesday:

"There was a lot of wisdom he was talking to us about, just about what his journey was like and stuff like that," Traore said. "It kind of motivated me to do what I do. Go to work every day, keep my head down and continue to work."

Stephen A. Smith on Notre Dame Football, Historically

Smith has long been a guy who goes after the most popular things in sports and he usually gets the rise he's looking for in doing so.

The Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, and Notre Dame football all fit that mold, and the Fighting Irish are something he hasn't shyed away from over the years.

Smith After Notre Dame Missed Out on Last Year's College Football Playoff

After Notre Dame was left out of the College Football Playoff last season, Smith went after the program on First Take:

Put on your big boy pants. Grow up and accept accountability for the role you played... here you are with your selfish asses, out there being an Independent... the one thing you can't control, you want to whine and moan about it because your team lost head-up to Miami to open the season.

Smith Calls Notre Dame Football Irrelevant in 2024

Go back to February of 2024, and Smith really went in on Notre Dame, calling the program irrelevant.

"You talk about you have no sympathy for Notre Dame. Why are they even relevant?" Smith asked Chris "Mad Dog" Russo.

The following year, Notre Dame would go on to an 11-1 regular season and make a run to college football's National Championship game before falling short against Ohio State.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts

When I first saw that Stephen A. Smith spoke to the Notre Dame football team, my only thought was that I hope the squad was supplied with nice headphones so they didn't have to listen.

After some thinking though, I'm still far from thrilled, but I'm certainly curious as to the point of this.

If you connect a few dots, just before Fall Camp opened up, Marcus Freeman was an attendee along with Smith at the annual Joel Cornette Foundation golf outing outside Cincinnati.

Joel Cornette was a key player for the Butler basketball team that made a Cinderella run to the Sweet 16 as a 12-seed in the the 2003 NCAA Tournament. He was also the brother of former Notre Dame basketball player Jordan Cornette (now works at NBC), who remains the Fighting Irish all-time leader in blocked shots.

Joel passed away unexpectedly from heart failure in 2016 at just 35 years of age and Jordan has since helped with the foundation, which helps raise funds for the American Heart Association.

Smith and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman were both in attendance at the event just a few weeks ago, which would lead one to think the two hit things off in some capacity, resulting in Smith speaking to the team.

I'm not a fan of Smith's work and don't seek it out, but if you do, more power to you.

This isn't about the sports media I consume or don't, though. This is more about trusting the guy in charge of Notre Dame football.

If you were to ask Notre Dame fans, Marcus Freeman would come across with about a 98% approval rating with what he's done as head coach of the Fighting Irish.

It seems like by connecting just a couple of dots here, it's safe to assume Freeman had a lot (likely everything) to do with Smith addressing the team.

What was Freeman trying to get across to his team by having Smith speak to it?

It's seems pretty clear that something Smith said or did hit Freeman in the right spot and got him to invite the popular sports talker to come to South Bend.

I find myself much more interested in that than the fact a guy who has bashed Notre Dame football historically, spent time addressing the team.

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