Is Marcus Freeman Turning Notre Dame Into the Next Alabama?

Notre Dame is fresh off a run to the national championship game and appears to be set up for sustained success it hasn't seen since the peak of the Lou Holtz era. As much as I'd like to think that wasn't that long ago, I was in second grade when Holtz's Irish were beating No. 1 Florida State in the "Game of the Century."

With a bump in recruiting following last year's run, Freeman and Notre Dame appear headed the greenest pastures the program has seen in roughly 30 years. Just how good could things get for Notre Dame under Freeman's direction?

Ridiculous Recent Texas Praise

Ralph Russo of The Athletic recently asked the question, "Is Texas the New Alabama?". In it he states:

In short, Texas is becoming the new Alabama. No, that doesn’t mean the Longhorns are going to rattle off a half-dozen titles in the next decade. But this is the season Texas puts its staying power on display. There is always another draft pick. There is always another All-American. The talent conveyor belt is fully operational — and well-funded. The days of stumbling as a 12-point favorite at home appear to be over.

Steve Sarkisian after Texas fell o Ohio State in the Cotton Bow — Texas coach Steve Sarkisian reacts as he heads to the locker room after his team's loss to Ohio State in the 2025 Cotton Bowl at A&T Stadium in Dallas. | Sara Diggins / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

To answer Russo's question and my own above about Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman, in short: No.

Not even close.

I'd argue that Texas making the College Football Playoff semi-final the last two seasons has already announced it as a staying power. However, there's a team Texas lost to twice last year that better fits the Alabama mold.

Georgia is Only Possible "Next Alabama"

Kirby Smart after winning the 2022 Peach Bowl against Ohio Stat — Georgia coach Kirby Smart is presented with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl trophy after winning the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff semifinal game between Ohio State and Georgia on Sunday, Jan 1, 2022, in Atlanta. Georgia won 42-41 | Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame had its way physically with Georgia in last season's Sugar Bowl and that single game seems to have turned the conversation regarding the Bulldogs.

Here's a quick reminder of what Georgia has accomplished over the last five years:

Two national championships, two SEC championships, two victories in each of the Orange and Peach Bowls, and a 61-7 overall record, with three of those losses coming in the SEC title or Sugar Bowl (national quarterfinal).

Why are we spending time looking for the next Alabama when as close of thing as we'll probably ever get again to one, fresh off an SEC crown and a pair of victories over Texas, is already here?

Even as great as Georgia has been, comparing what it has already done to what Alabama did under Nick Saban even feels absurd.

Notre Dame's "Next Best Hope"

Marcus Freeman and Dabo Swinne — Nov 5, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman talk before a game at Notre Dame Stadium. | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Notre Dame's way of building falls more in line with a recent college powerhouse that has become a new rival of the Fighting Irish.

Clemson won national championships in 2016 and 2018, as Dabo Swinney took until his fifth season to finish a year in the AP Poll's top 10. Since then (2013), Clemson finished outside the nation's top ten just once in the next seven years.

It might not have entered the season as the favorite to win the national championship like Alabama did seemingly annually during that time, but it was always in the top two or three contenders.

With the way both programs are built largely on recruiting, developing, and retaining talent, Notre Dame's outlook under Freeman aligns significantly more with how Swinney built things at Clemson, and the expectations that went along with them.

That's a lot fairer an outlook than comparing anything to potentially being what Alabama was under Nick Saban.