Best Ways Notre Dame Could Honor Lou Holtz During the 2026 Season

Lou Holtz is a college football legend and will certainly be remembered forever at Notre Dame Stadium

Jan 2, 1979; Tempe, AZ, USA; FILE PHOTO; Notre Dame head coach LOU HOLTZ prior to the 1989 Fiesta Bowl against West Virginia at Sun Devil Stadium.The Irish defeated the Mountaineers 34-21 to win the National Championship and finish the season undefeated at 12-0. | Imagn Images

Notre Dame and college football lost a legend on Wednesday as the death of Lou Holtz was announced.

You can't talk about Notre Dame from a historical perspective without talking about Holtz, and you can't talk about all-time great coaches in college football without bringing him up, either.

With the 2026 season still months away, plenty of time remains for Notre Dame to plan out how it will honor the most recent head coach to win a national championship with the Fighting Irish.

It's not my job, but I thought I'd share a few ideas on how to honor the coaching giant during the coming season.

5. LOU on Iconic Gold Helmets

Nov 25, 2017; Stanford, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush (7) hands the ball off to running back Josh Adams (33) during the first quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

This one seems fairly easy as Notre Dame did it in 2017 following the passing of Ara Parseghian, but putting LOU in that same spot on the front of the helmet seems like an obvious thing to do.

4. Black Cleats for All

Nov 10, 1990; Knoxville, TN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Notre Dame wide receiver Raghib Ismail (25) in action during the game against the Tennesse Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Michigan basketball's Fab Five had the baggy shorts in the early 1990's but Notre Dame had the black cleats. It was a far cry from the white cleats we see today.

Regardless of the intention, few things said an opponent was in for a long day quite like the image of the all-black shoes. I'd love to see Notre Dame wear all black gear cleats for 2026.

3. Marcus Freeman Dresses Like Lou for a Game

Oct 2, 1993; Stanford, CAL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Lou Holtz on the field prior to the game against Stanford Cardinal at Foster Field at Stanford Stadium. | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Marcus Freeman is the best-dressed coach in all of college football. What would be better than having him bust out one of Lou's old turtlenecks. Freeman isn't usually a hat guy unless its raining, but he should bust out the old interlocking ND hat that Holtz used to wear for good measure.

2. Officially Recognize 1993 as National Championship Team

All we heard last December was how much head-to-head matters when determining a College Football Playoff spot. That argument is correct, and last season, Miami deserved a spot over Notre Dame because Miami beat the Irish head-to-head in Week 1.

Holtz only won one national championship officially at Notre Dame, that coming in 1988. However, Bobby Bowden was given a lifetime achievement award by the media that year, despite Holtz and the Irish besting Florida State 31-24 in South Bend.

Both finished with identical records and Notre Dame won the head-to-head. The pollsters can and did say what they wanted, but what better way to honor the coaching legend then by giving him and his team credit for what should be rightfully theirs.

1. Beat Miami and Win the Whole Damn Thing

Oct 1986; South Bend, IN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Miami Hurricanes head coach Jimmy Johnson and Notre Dame Irish head coach Lou Holtz talk prior the game at Notre Dame Stadium. | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

Want to honor Holtz in the best way possible?

Forget the glitz and glamour. Go out and take care of business week after week. That includes against Miami the first Saturday in November, and then march through the gauntlet of the College Football Playoff and win the big gold trophy in the last game of the year.

Nothing would make Holtz prouder, or Notre Dame fans happier than that.