Greg McElroy explains why he’s high on Notre Dame in 2026
By David Wasson
Published:
The Notre Dame football team experienced extreme disappointment when the College Football Playoff field was finalized in December. The Fighting Irish were left out of the 12-team field by the slimmest of margins despite winning 10 straight games to finish the season.
But the good news for Notre Dame faithful is that the 2026 Irish offense is loaded for another run to national glory and will be spending every available moment between now and the fall to get there – a point that ESPN analyst Greg McElroy made clear on his Always College Football podcast this week.
“The Irish aren’t just talented. Some publications have the Irish as the No. 1-ranked roster in the country,” McElroy said. “Even though Marcus Freeman was wooed by some NFL teams, he decided to stay in South Bend in part because of just how good this team is that he built.”
McElroy went on to say that, unlike several programs that will be assimilating transfers or breaking in first-time starters at quarterback, Notre Dame has an established starter in CJ Carr, who threw for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2025.
“For the first time in what seems like eternity, Notre Dame isn’t starting a new quarterback,” McElroy added. “While other teams are installing new terminology and feeling out their new portal quarterbacks, CJ Carr and (Irish offensive coordinator Mike) Denbrock, they’ll be playing chess while everyone else is still playing checkers.”
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
