Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua Has His Hands Full

The Irish are at a crossroads in many different areas of the program

Pete Bevacqua, athletic director for the University of Notre Dame, announces Pat Garrity as the new men's and women's basketball general manager, during a press conference at Notre Dame Stadium on Thursday, May 22, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Being an athletic director at any prominent college is a huge role with a ton of responsibilities, pressure, and tough decisions to make that have a lasting impact, all under the scrutiny of the public eye.

Now imagine performing this job at a place where everyone who cares about it wants to stay on the cutting edge of every moving trend in the present to stay competitive, while also strictly adhering to history and the way things have always been done at the exact same time. This is the life of Pete Bevacqua.

The good news? Bevacqua went to Notre Dame and was even a part of Lou Holtz's program as a walk-on punter. He understands this dynamic. This will serve him well as he navigates some modern challenges that face his football program.

Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua on the ACC's social media campaigns:

"It has created damage. That's not just me speaking; people a lot more important at this university than me feel the same way." pic.twitter.com/6YkCzHTCKR

— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) December 9, 2025

The Marcus Freeman problem Notre Dame wants to have

Marcus Freeman is one of the hottest coaches in the sport of football. As such, he has been targeted for the biggest college openings in this last cycle, and is considered to be a serious target for the NFL's Giants as well as other teams that will have openings as soon as the regular season ends. This is good and bad for the Irish.

Notre Dame finally has a coach who is operating at an elite level on and off the field. This is the kind of coach fans have been begging for since Lou Holtz departed. It's fantastic. The only downside of this is that everyone else likes what they see as well.

Even if Freeman signs a new extension soon with Notre Dame, buyout clauses exist for a reason. This will become a yearly concern in South Bend, and everyone needs to uncomfortably accept that.

Coaching at Notre Dame ages a man in a unique way, almost presidential or in a Yankee manager type of way. Frank Leahy looked like he could be his own father by the time he retired at the ripe old age of 45. Marcus Freeman won't be in South Bend forever; the Irish need to win a title soon before his circumstances change. The clock is ticking.

Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman is expected to be a top candidate for the Giants HC position, per @MikeGarafolo. pic.twitter.com/mx4fDybzAM

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) December 21, 2025

Notre Dame's relationship with the ACC should be on the rocks

The ACC is a struggling conference that is locked into a bad TV deal and has minimal teams of interest. If Notre Dame isn't playing Miami, Florida State, or Clemson, the ACC doesn't offer much excitement or a benefit schedule-wise.

While Notre Dame is a financial partner with the league through its partial scheduling agreement, that relationship is now strained due to differences in how the CFP rankings drama was navigated.

Pete Bevacqua must decide what scheduling path Notre Dame will travel down. Does begrudgingly staying in the ACC part-time make the most sense?

Is there another conference that is open to negotiating regular games with the Irish? In the modern climate of CFB, is scheduling all 12 games independently like the old days a viable option? Will the Irish have to give up independence and join a conference full-time soon for financial, CFP, and scheduling stability?

No matter how Bevacqua moves forward, there are long-lasting repercussions to his decision that will shape the future of Notre Dame Football.

Notre Dame's place in the CFP

Pete Bevacqua and Notre Dame feel they were misled by the CFP committee, a group of which Bevacqua sits on the governing board of. How does he navigate this relationship from now on?

Other than the agreed-upon in 2024 change to the CFP format that guarantees the Irish a spot in the field if ranked in the final top 12, what else can Bevacqua get done to improve the process so that it is more fair and transparent, not just for the Irish but for everyone?

Pete Bevacqua is a smart guy, a Notre Dame guy, a TV guy, a CFP guy; he gets it. All of it. I do not doubt that. The question is how he can use his knowledge of these landscapes to best position Notre Dame within them.