What Could Derail Notre Dame Football’s 2025 Season?

Each season is a clean slate, for better or worse

Notre Dame had its most successful season of recent vintage in 2024. From an 11-1 regular season to a playoff run that lasted until the last game of the college calendar, there was a lot to be proud of and to celebrate in Notre Dame land.

As all eyes turn to the 2025 campaign with Spring ball just around the corner, the next natural question is how will the Irish follow up their best season in 30-plus years?

Certain parts of the team will return, while other pieces will be new. Will the new players and coaches enable Notre Dame to build on the momentum of 2024, or will the Irish regress in some areas? Nobody knows the answer to this question yet, but that won't stop us from speculating.

Let's examine some areas where things could go south on the Irish given all of the changes that have taken place within the program.

The Chris Ash Experiment

Chris Ash comes to Notre Dame as Al Golden's replacement at the DC position with a checkered resume. There are many high points such as his time with Ohio State, but also some red flags like his time as Rutgers head man, which did not go well at all.

Ash is a question mark that Al Golden was not.

There's no guarantee that the Irish will take a step back defensively under Ash, but there also isn't the certainty of high-level competency that came with Al Golden. With this change comes risk. Notre Dame's defense has been the backbone of the program for some time now and regression isn't an option.

The Quarterback Experiment

Without a transfer QB in 2025, the Irish will be staying in-house to name the next starter. This decision has huge implications for 2025 and beyond for the program.

Not only must Freeman and Denbrock select the right person for this role, but they must be ready to perform at a high level to start the season with the first game being a tough test at Miami.

Irish fans are ready to embrace a "home grown" Notre Dame QB, but only if "rookie" mistakes can be limited and the Irish can win during this player's ramp-up. This is easier said than done to accomplish.

Can the Irish avoid the injury bug in 2025?

Notre Dame's offensive and defensive lines were ravaged by severe injury in 2024. It's a testament to the entire program and the depth that's been built that Notre Dame made it as far as it did given the amount of key contributors that went down.

If Notre Dame can avoid a catastrophic injury situation in 2025 it'd go a long way to helping this season be a success in the way 2024 was.

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