Get to know the Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Syracuse football’s week-13 opponent

The good news for Syracuse football is the Orange gets a bye week after traveling to Miami in early November. The bad news is head coach Fran Brown’s team returns from the off week with a trip to South Bend to face Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish aren’t the first team on Syracuse’s 2025 schedule with national title aspirations. Luckily, they will be the last. Needless to say, this will be one of the Orange’s toughest games this season, so let’s take a closer look at what to expect from Notre Dame in 2025.

Notre Dame’s head coach: Marcus Freeman

It’s tough to find a coach in college football with a more promising future right now than Freeman. At age 39, he coaches a high-profile program and nearly won a national championship last season. The Dayton native played his college football at Ohio State, where he was a three-year starter and a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection twice. Freeman was a fifth-round pick of the Bears in the 2009 NFL Draft, only to retire after one pro season because of an enlarged heart condition.

The early retirement allowed Freeman to get an early start on his coaching career. He had stops at Kent State, Purdue, and Cincinnati before becoming Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator in 2021. After Brian Kelly bolted for LSU following the 2021 season, Freeman was named the head coach of the Fighting Irish. He proceeded to go 9-4 in his first season, 10-3 in his second season, and 14-2 in his third season, ultimately reaching the CFP championship game, only to lose to his alma mater.

Last meeting with Syracuse: Notre Dame 41, Syracuse 24 (2022)

There was genuine hope for Dino Babers and the Orange heading into this game. With wins over Louisville, Purdue, NC State, and others, Syracuse opened the 2022 season 6-0. They were also painfully close to pulling off a road upset over Clemson the week before hosting Notre Dame. A 27-21 loss against the No. 5 Tigers fueled optimism that the Orange could take down the Irish in Freeman’s first season at the helm.

Alas, it was not meant to be. The Irish led 7-0 seven seconds in after a pick-six. Despite responding with a touchdown to tie the game at 7, Notre Dame’s rushing attack could not be stopped. It also didn’t help that Garrett Shrader didn’t play the second half because of an injury. To be fair, a Sean Tucker touchdown late in the third quarter closed the gap to 24-17. But the Orange couldn’t overcome Notre Dame’s 246 rushing yards or the loss of Shrader in what turned out to be a comfortable Notre Dame win.

Series history

The first Syracuse-Notre Dame game was back in 1914. Somehow, there have only been 10 meetings between the two historic programs since then, eight of which have come this century. Of those eight, Syracuse has just two wins. There was Walter Reyes’ five-touchdown game in a 38-12 win in 2003, as well as the stunning 24-23 Orange win in South Bend under Greg Robinson. Unfortunately, that was the last time Syracuse beat Notre Dame, as the Irish have won the last five meetings, all by double digits, giving the Irish an 8-3 edge in the all-time series.

Notre Dame’s 2024 season

This could have been a disastrous season for the Fighting Irish. After beating Texas A&M in College Station to open the season, Notre Dame suffered a puzzling 16-14 home loss to Northern Illinois the following week. In retrospect, that game is among the biggest anomalies in college football history. The Irish rebounded with a 66-7 beatdown of Purdue the following week, and went on to win out for the rest of the regular season.

While Notre Dame’s 2024 schedule wasn’t the most intimidating, the Irish notched wins over Louisville, Georgia Tech, Navy, Army, and USC on their way to the College Football Playoff. In the playoff, they took care of business against an overmatched Indiana team before upsetting Georgia and Penn State to reach the National Championship Game. However, Ohio State proved to be too much for them in a 34-23 loss to the Buckeyes. Despite that loss and the earlier defeat to Northern Illinois, the Irish set a program record for wins in arguably the program’s best season since winning the 1988 national championship.

Notre Dame’s key returning players

The Fighting Irish won’t benefit from an experienced quarterback this season, although they will have one of the top backfields in the country. Both Jeremiyah Love, who rushed for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, and Jadarian Price, who rushed for 746 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, are back in the fold. Of course, they do lose the 906 yards and 17 touchdowns quarterback Riley Leonard had on the ground. Leading receiver Jaden Greathouse is also back after becoming a breakout star during the College Football Playoff. Junior Jordan Faison also returns after collecting 30 catches for 356 yards in 2024.

Defensively, Notre Dame has some holes to fill in the front seven, although linebackers Jaiden Ausberry and Jaylen Sneed give the Irish two proven players in the middle of the defense. They also return a wealth of experience in the secondary. Christian Gray and Leonard Moore could be among the nation’s top cornerback duos. Adon Shuler is also a reliable safety at the back end, finishing fourth on the team in tackles last season while also collecting five defended passes and three interceptions.

Notre Dame’s notable additions

The transfer portal will provide some help for Notre Dame at wide receiver. Virginia transfer Malachi Fields provides size at 6’4,’’ as well as four years of experience. He’s had back-to-back seasons with over 50 catches and over 800 receiving yards, so he’ll make an immediate impact. Wisconsin transfer Will Pauling doesn’t have the same size at 5' 10,’’ but he’s racked up 116 catches for over 1,200 yards across the last two seasons. There are also a few freshmen wide receivers to watch, including four-star recruit Elijah Burress.

The Notre Dame defense will also add a few reinforcements. Alabama transfer Devonta Smith and Virginia Tech transfer Jalen Stroman should play immediate roles in an already deep secondary. Louisville transfer Jared Dawson should also be part of the rotation along the defensive line. The Fighting Irish also have some true freshmen who could see regular snaps on defense, including defensive backs Dallas Golden and JaDon Blair, as well as four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo.

Notre Dame’s 2025 season outlook

After coming so close to winning the national championship last season, the Fighting Irish will expect to get back to the College Football Playoff this season. With an elite backfield, a more talented set of wide receivers, and a defense that looks deep at all three levels, the pieces are there. The only question is at quarterback, as Steve Angeli transferred to Syracuse, leaving Notre Dame with two inexperienced options in CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. Neither threw a pass last season, so the Irish won’t be able to lean on an experienced quarterback the way they leaned on Leonard last season.

Notre Dame’s schedule isn’t exactly conducive to allowing a young quarterback to settle in gradually. The Irish visit Miami and host Texas A&M in their first two games of the season. They also make a trip to Arkansas before September is over. Things ease up a little bit after that, although home games with Boise State, USC, Navy, and Syracuse won’t be easy, nor will a mid-November trip to Pitt. Notre Dame might need at least 10 wins to get back to the CFP, but there could be little margin for error if an inexperienced quarterback leads to a slow start.

When and where Notre Dame plays Syracuse in 2025

Syracuse plays at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, November 22. The game is scheduled for 3:30 pm and will be televised nationally on NBC.

Learn more about Notre Dame: https://slapthesign.com/

Prediction: Notre Dame 21, Syracuse 13

By late November, Notre Dame should have figured out its quarterback situation. With any luck, Syracuse will have steady play at that position as well. Unfortunately for the Orange, the Fighting Irish have more overall talent. Playing on the road against the Notre Dame defense, the Syracuse offense could struggle to move the ball consistently. That’s not to say that the Orange can’t find a way to stay competitive and make things interesting. But it’s hard to believe a late-season upset over the Irish is in the cards.