Josh Pate Names College Football Powerhouse That Can Win the National Championship

This 40-year-old coach is already thought of as one of the best by a national analyst, but the program's roster concerns went mostly unmentioned

College football analyst Josh Pate believes this program has a legit shot at winning it all, but the roster is lacking in key spots. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

National analyst Josh Pate delivered his College Football Show podcast Sunday night after a month away from the air, and he spent a large chunk of it on Notre Dame.

He named the Fighting Irish as a team that can win the national title in 2026. He also put head coach Marcus Freeman near the very top of his list of coaches in the sport.

Then he asked whether anyone actually knows if Notre Dame is a big-game program yet. Note the language. A big-time program? Sure. But the Fighting Irish need to show up against the sport's biggest opponents.

What Josh Pate said about Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame

Pate did not hedge on the coach.

"I think he's a top five head coach currently. I could easily see us calling him the number one coach in the country in the not too distant future. Going to have to win a national title," Pate said.

He went further on the title itself. "I could easily see him winning a national title this year," he said.

His argument is built on the handoff from Brian Kelly to Freeman in 2021. Notre Dame was already winning nine or 10 games a year. Pate said the program could have played it safe and hired a caretaker. Instead, in his words, "they did not let good be the enemy of great."

Pate also pointed to how the Irish handled being left out of last season's College Football Playoff at 10-2. He played audio from a spring visit with Freeman in South Bend.

"I think at first my default was the same as many other people's. You blame somebody else," Freeman said. "You have to own it. You have to own the failures. You have to own the situations. You have to own that you sleep in the bed you make."

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman (middle) leads the team onto the field to play the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pate's summary was blunt. "I don't know in my lifetime that there's ever been a better period to be a Notre Dame fan over the next five years than where we sit right now."

He listed the counterpoint too. "Is Notre Dame a big-time program? Is Notre Dame a big game program? That is still an unknown," Pate said.

Notre Dame roster questions at running back, receiver, offensive line

Here is where the team evaluation gets complicated.

Jeremiyah Love went No. 3 overall to Arizona, and Jadarian Price went No. 32 to Seattle. Notre Dame became the first school since the 1966 merger to produce the first two running backs taken in one draft. Aneyas Williams now leads a room with fewer than 60 career carries to his name. That is not a small gap to fill.

The receiver room has depth but no proven star. Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse and Micah Gilbert return. The two additions everyone points to are Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham, both from Ohio State. Porter played 57 offensive snaps in Columbus and missed spring practice with a knee injury. Graham never got real playing time behind Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss. Two former five-star recruits with almost no production is a bet, not a certainty.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Aneyas Williams (22) must pick up where Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price left off. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Up front in the trenches, redshirt freshman Will Black takes over at left tackle. The 6-foot-7, 316-pound Ontario native replaces Anthonie Knapp, who allowed one sack on 688 snaps last season. Redshirt sophomore Guerby Lambert is also new at right tackle. Quarterback CJ Carr now has two untested bookends protecting him.

That said, will the Irish really need a ton of offensive production or feel pressure to score a lot of points? Because it looks like one of the best defenses in the country. I ranked linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa at No. 21 among college football's most important players. Cornerback Leonard Moore slotted at No. 3. Safety Tae Johnson is a beast, and I expect DL Boubacar Traore to make a big leap in 2026 after leading the team with 6.5 sacks last year.

Miami visits Notre Dame on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET in a rematch of last season's opener. That game will answer more than any early August prognosticating.