Changes head coach Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish should consider during the bye week heading into Texas A&M 

Head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football got their 2025 season off to a disappointing start on Sunday night, falling 27 to 24 to the Miami Hurricanes. While that wasn’t the most ideal start to the college football season for the Fighting Irish, losing to a top-10 team on the road isn’t the worst-case scenario. Coach Freeman has plenty of time to get things on track, and make another deep playoff run. 

The Fighting Irish head into a bye week with their next matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies two Saturdays from now. That is going to be yet another massive test for Notre Dame, and they need to win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. With nearly two weeks of preparing in front of them, this could be a good time for Coach Freeman and the staff to try some new things. 

It’s only one game, so this isn’t the time for this Notre Dame team to panic. You aren’t completely changing an identity, but there are definitely some wrinkles to consider, competition to consider, and changes that can be made. That includes one major one on the offensive side of the football, and some increased playing time for some defenders as well. 

Here are some changes that Notre Dame should consider during the bye week. 

Plan at left tackle 

With the struggles that sophomore Anthonie Knapp has had in pass protection, it may be time to consider some other left tackle options that could be on the table. The first short-term move that should be on the table is getting true freshman Will Black some reps at left tackle. Considered a five-star player in the 2025 recruiting class, Black is an impressive athlete at 6-7 and 305 pounds. He has been practicing almost exclusively at left guard, but it should be time to get him ready to play, even if it’s just an emergency option for the time being. 

For a long-term move, there should also be some internal conversations around what the team is going to do with Charles Jagusah once he returns from injury. Projected to start at right guard for the Irish, Jagusah has started multiple games at left tackle in his short career. At 6-7 and around 330 pounds, he has the physical traits to man the blindside. Notre Dame may be wise to play him at left tackle, and potentially slide Knapp inside to right guard. 

That potentially strengthens to positions with one swift move. 

Defensive changes 

On defense, Chris Ash needs to get this unit playing faster and more confidently. That may come to his own ideology, and potentially adjust his scheme accordingly. There are also two players that I would love to see a lot more of moving forward. 

The first is linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. He was, by pretty much every account and measure, the best linebacker for Notre Dame in the opener against Miami. Yet, he only played in 36 snaps. KVA has the talent to play MIKE, WILL, or even rush off of the edge. The 6-3, 230-pound defender needs to play more. 

I would also love to see more of Tae Johnson at field safety. We know that Jalen Stroman and Luke Talich are both going to play a lot with Adon Shuler, but Johnson brings a skill set that the team needs more of. Those other three are really good boundary players, but Johnson has more range to make plays from depth. Seeing his playmaking skills on the back end is needed to make for more diverse pairings in the secondary.