Why Notre Dame Is Staying Among College Football's Elite
The Notre Dame Football program has never been in better shape overall than it is right now.
The Irish feature a top-five head coach to go along with a top-five talent acquisition model that has staying power.
For the first time in the modern era, the Irish are clicking on all cylinders with every aspect that impacts the program on and off the field, pulling from the same end of the rope.
This is a formula that has staying power.
Notre Dame Keeps Succeeding For One Reason: Recruiting
Even in a world where the transfer portal plays a big role in the sport, traditional recruiting is still the lifeblood that powers the Irish program. In what was once just a pipe dream, Notre Dame landing top-five classes with regularity has become an expectation in South Bend.
Marcus Freeman's elite work ethic, combined with his exceptional communication skills, has moved the needle.
The reality of the situation is that when the head coach of a program works this hard, that level of dedication becomes the standard across the entire staff.
The 2027 Irish class is setting up to be a top-five unit full of four and five-star talents preparing to contribute early and often.
2027 5 EDGE Abraham Sesay has committed to Notre Dame!
- Notre Dame Recruiting (@NDrecruiting01) June 16, 2026
The Irish beat out LSU, Penn State, and many others for his talents.
Sesay's ranked as the 16th overall player in the country, according to Rivals.
HUGE GET! pic.twitter.com/pVxsIKnRF1
What you don't see is the foundation of the operation
Notre Dame's elite talent acquisition model doesn't just come from the football side.
This level of success from the Irish requires everyone pulling in the same direction across the board. The only way this takes place is with help from all areas.
The academic side of things, along with the NIL operation and overall administration buy-in, are all prerequisites for this level of football success in South Bend.
Right now, the Irish are hitting on all fronts in all of these areas. Whatever formula is being used to combine efforts on all of the administrative behind-the-scenes pieces of the puzzle with the actual football side is working, and working well. Now Notre Dame must lean into it.
Once NIL was declared legal by the court system, Notre Dame had a choice to make. It has clearly decided it's willing to " keep up with the Joneses" in terms of the money and investment it takes to truly compete at the highest level.
This is the golden age of modern Notre Dame football, and the foundations that have made it possible are here to stay long term. All that's left to do now is win the national championship as a reward for this hard work and effort being put in throughout the program on and off the field.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/notredame as Why Notre Dame Is Staying Among College Football's Elite.
Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 9:35 AM.