As spring comes to a close, many sports outlets and writers are revisiting their Top 25 rankings for the 2025 season, and Notre Dame’s ranking has been impacted. USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg and Erick Smith released their post-spring Top 25, with the Fighting Irish climbing one spot to No. 7. Here’s what the writers had to say about Notre Dame: “The Irish have clearly arrived under Marcus Freeman. Redshirt freshman QB CJ Carr is set to step in for Riley Leonard after former backup Steve Angeli entered the transfer portal.
Carr will gradually take on the role, supported by top running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. The offensive line, which underwent some in-season changes last year due to injuries, will benefit from that experience and is set to develop around a promising young core. The schedule looks favorable again, with road games against Miami and Arkansas, and home matchups against Texas A&M, Boise State, and Southern California.”
Following their appearance in the national title game and the return of a significant portion of their key players, Notre Dame’s ranking at No. 7 might seem surprising. On3’s post-spring Top 25 placed the Irish at No. 2. Notre Dame brings back its leading rusher, top pass catcher, much of its offensive line, five of its top tacklers, and eight of its top 10 sack producers.
While some might point to the Irish having a first-time starting quarterback as a potential concern, it’s worth noting that both No. 2 Texas and No. 4 Georgia also have new quarterbacks. Notre Dame previously defeated Georgia 23-10 in the 2024 College Football Playoffs, and the Bulldogs lost significantly more players than the Irish. Considering that Notre Dame dominated their head-to-head matchup and returns a stronger roster overall, it’s surprising to see Georgia ranked higher in preseason polls. Some might suggest SEC bias plays a role.
Additionally, seeing Clemson and LSU ranked ahead of Notre Dame is intriguing. There’s a lot of excitement around Clemson due to their 2025 roster, but the Tigers finished last season with a 10-4 record, losing three of their final games, including losses to Georgia and Louisville. Meanwhile, Notre Dame beat both of those teams, and when comparing performance against five common opponents, the Irish were consistently more impressive.
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