Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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76 PRESEASON 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED of Minority Football Coaches Coach of the Year Award. By advancing to the national champi- onship game against Ohio State, Free- man became the first Black or Asian head coach to appear in the title game. Freeman's three wins last season against teams ranked in the final Asso- ciated Press top 10 — No. 5 Penn State, No. 6 Georgia and No. 10 Indiana — were the most for an Irish head coach since Lou Holtz also beat three in 1990. END OF AN ERA Citing seismic changes in the landscape of college athletics through the transfer portal and NIL monetary pursuits for ath- letes, veteran Irish hockey coach Jeff Jack- son stepped down after last season fol- lowing 20 years on Notre Dame's bench. The winner of two national champi- onships at Lake Superior State, along with four Final Four appearances at Notre Dame — which included 419 victories with the Irish — Jackson an- nounced last June that 2024-25 would be his final year and he would pass the coaching torch to former Irish player and associate head coach Brock Sheahan for the 2025-26 season. After a long string of consistent suc- cess, and only seven years removed from back-to-back Frozen Four appearances in 2017 and 2018, Jackson struggled and failed to make the NCAA Tourna- ment his final three seasons, including in 2024-25 when the Irish finished only 12-25-1 and 4-19-1 in the Big Ten. A NIGHT FOR THE AGES The 2024-25 football season provided more than its share of memories and moments for the Notre Dame faithful to savor for years to come. But the Irish playing at home and hosting Indiana in the first-ever on- campus playoff game ranks at or near the top of the list. More than 10 hours before a Friday night prime-time kickoff Dec. 20, the atmosphere in and around Notre Dame Stadium was electric among the tens of thousands who took part in this inau- gural event for an in-state playoff game. And when Notre Dame posted a 27-17 victory that night — in a game that wasn't that close — the voltage only in- creased inside the stadium. The rout was highlighted by a 98- yard touchdown run in the first quarter by Irish tailback Jeremiyah Love that sent the home crowd into a frenzy and kick-started Notre Dame's memorable playoff run. GOODBYE GOLDEN Speculation met reality shortly after Notre Dame's loss to Ohio State in the national championship game when third- year Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden left his post to take the same position with the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL. Golden, the 2024 Broyles Award winner as the best assistant coach in the country, did a masterful job leading his unit last season. Numerous injuries to front-line players from training camp all the way through the playoff run tested the depth and preparedness of the defense all sea- son, and it answered all challenges. Golden's defense finished first na- 2024-25 Female Athletes of the Year 1. Hannah Hidalgo (basketball) — The star sophomore guard became an Associ- ated Press first-team All-American, the ACC Player of the Year, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a Naismith Player of the Year finalist. The Merchantville, N.J., native set an Irish program single-season record with a 23.8 scoring average. Hidalgo also added 3.6 assists per contest, and finished first in the conference and fourth in the country with 3.7 steals per game. 2. Eszter Muhari (fencing) — The epee specialist enjoyed a dominating junior season at Notre Dame, winning the 2025 NCAA and ACC individual titles, and add- ing All-ACC academic honors. The Budapest, Hungary, native also won national and conference epee titles with Notre Dame as a freshman in 2022-23, before she sat out her sophomore season in 2023-24 to train for the Paris Summer Olympics with her native Hungary, where she won the bronze medal. 3. Jadin O'Brien (track) — A 10-time career All-American in outdoor and indoor track and field, the Irish graduate in 2025 won the NCAA indoor national championship in the pentathlon, and was the NCAA national runner-up in the outdoor heptathlon. A two-time Olympic Trials qualifier and a five-time first-team All-ACC honoree, the Pewaukee, Wis., native remains the only Fighting Irish athlete to win the ACC heptathlon crown. 4. Addison Amaral (softball) — The sophomore Irish infielder earned third-team All-ACC honors after leading the team in batting average (.365), runs (29), hits (57), doubles (11), home runs (9), and RBI (43). A talented defender as well, the Salinas, Calif., native committed only 7 errors last season in 167 fielding attempts. Amaral also recorded 15 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI games last season. 5. Grace Weigand (lacrosse) — The senior defender didn't exactly stuff the stat sheet offensively, but her leadership as an Irish team captain and her work at an often overlooked position was still recognized with second-team All-ACC honors and USA Lacrosse All-American honorable mention recognition. The Denver native started all 15 games for Notre Dame and led the team with 31 ground balls and tied for third on the Irish with 18 caused turnovers. — Todd D. Burlage Last season, sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo averaged a school- record 23.8 points per game en route to being named the ACC Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER