Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 PRESEASON 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Hannah Hidalgo — Basketball The junior guard from Mer- chantville, N.J., won a gold medal with Team USA in the 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup July 6, following a solid perfor- mance in a 92-84 win over Brazil in the championship game. Hidalgo finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds, and earned a place on the tourna- ment's All-Star Five team. She also claimed gold medals with Team USA in the 2023 FIBA U19 Wom- en's World Cup and the 2022 FIBA U17 Women's World Cup. Tommy Janton — Swimming The senior from Kennett Square, Pa., claimed an individual national championship with a school-re- cord time of 53.00 in the 100-me- ter backstroke at the 2025 USA Swimming National Champion- ships June 3 in Indianapolis. Janton also competed in the 50- and 200-meter backstroke at the event, finish- ing 12th and 10th respectively. His championship performance in Indianapolis earned him a spot on the United States National Team that competed in Singapore earlier this summer. Jacob Modleski — Golf The reigning ACC individual champion finished his sopho- more season with second-team All-America recognition from Golfweek. The Noblesville, Ind., native played in all 12 team tour- naments during the regular sea- son. He finished 22nd at the NCAA Championships and finished the season with a 68.5 stroke average, setting a program record. Modleski — who's ranked No. 18 in the country — is the only Irish men's golfer to ever win an ACC individual title. CJ Singleton — Track & Field The junior distance runner from Butler, Pa., earned second- team All-America honors after he finished ninth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Champi- onships June 13 in Eugene, Ore. Singleton posted the second-best time of his sea- son with an 8:28.93 in the event, two days after he recorded a season-best 8:28.03 in the preliminary round June 11 to secure his spot in the finals. — Tyler Horka TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE Don't be alarmed if you look at Notre Dame's 2025 schedule and think, "I don't see a game on here I truly believe the Fighting Irish are going to lose." It's not just the fan in you. People who put out betting lines for a living also think Notre Dame is very capable of running the table. Per power rankings from Brad Powers of the "Bet The Board" podcast, Notre Dame is one of five college football teams that is favored to win all of its 12 regular-season games this season. The others are Arizona State, Clem- son, Georgia and Ohio State. All five programs qualified for the College Football Playoff a season ago. The Irish open the season with two games that are predicted to be close. They're favored by 2.5 points in the season opener at Miami and by a touchdown in Week 3 at home against Texas A&M following a uniquely timed weekend away from game action in Week 2. Those lines are courtesy of Bet MGM as of late July. According to Powers' projections, Notre Dame is expected to win eight of 12 games by a double-digit point spread. Bet MGM, though, has Notre Dame's regular-season win total set at 10.5 games. Oddsmakers know there is always bound to be a game or two even the best in the sport will trip up in. The Irish know that very well: they lost at home to Northern Illi- nois last September as a four-touchdown favorite. They have a few games in 2025 they're supposed to win by multiple scores, too. It's almost time to go win them. — Tyler Horka CHARTING THE IRISH THE MOST VALUABLE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PROGRAMS More and more, college football is acting like the NFL — a professional collection of teams com- prised of players making big bucks. And speaking of big bucks — it would take an awful lot of them to purchase the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program if it ever went up for sale. According to a hypothetical research study by The Athletic that took into account, per the out- let's article text, "everything from prestige and championships to facility renovations, population trends and realignment scenarios," Notre Dame was named the fourth-most expensive program that would be on the market behind Texas, Georgia and Ohio State. The Irish would sell for $1.85 billion. The Longhorns would sell for $2.38 billion, on par with what the Carolina Panthers went for in 2018. Yes, the biggest brands in college football are worth as much as some NFL franchises. That shouldn't come as a surprise given the popularity of the sport. The Athletic praised Notre Dame's long-running television deal with NBC as a factor that makes the Irish brand worth so much money. "It's large enough to put Notre Dame's paydays within striking distance of SEC/Big Ten programs," The Athletic wrote of that deal. "Last year's play- off run helps, too, not that we need to justify the lofty price tag for a team known for putting flakes of real gold on its helmets." Also according to the study, Notre Dame has a current average football revenue of $143 million. That's third nationally behind Texas ($183 million) and Georgia ($147 million). — Tyler Horka TEAMS FAVORED TO WIN EVERY REGULAR SEASON GAME IN 2025 Per the "Bet The Board" Podcast Arizona State Clemson Georgia Notre Dame Ohio State Marcus Freeman has built Notre Dame to the point of expecting to win every single game. Not many other programs in the country are in that position. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER THE MOST VALUABLE POWER FOUR PROGRAMS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL Per The Athletic Rk. School Valuation 1. Texas $2.38 billion 2. Georgia $1.92 billion 3. Ohio State $1.90 billion 4. Notre Dame $1.85 billion 5. Michigan $1.83 billion 6. Alabama $1.74 billion 7. Oklahoma $1.49 billion 8. Southern Cal $1.40 billion 9. Tennessee $1.37 billion 10. LSU $1.23 billion