Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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40 SUMMER 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TODD D. BURLAGE N otre Dame sophomore Noah Coy faced an enviable, but still difficult, life-changing decision that few star high school athletes ever have to consider. An All-Indiana honoree in both base- ball and football out of Center Grove High School near Indianapolis, Coy had plenty of college offers and options to weigh in both sports. "I definitely had some choices coming into my high school senior year on what I wanted to do, future-wise," said Coy, now the starting Fighting Irish shortstop. "Football and baseball were equally my first loves so I had to consider all my options. I definitely had some choices to make." In baseball, Coy was a three-time letter winner at Center Grove, a two- time IndyStar Super Team member, a 2023 state tournament runner-up, and a member of the prestigious Indiana South All-Star team. In football, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound speedster was a star wide receiver who won three state championships (2021, '22, '23) with the Trojans, and became the 2023 Johnson County Player of the Year. Coy still remains the school record holder in career and single-season re- ceiving yards, catches and touchdowns. Coy grew up less than an hour north of Bloomington, Ind., and with strong fam- ily connections, Indiana University al- ways topped his eventual destination list. "If I went to IU, I probably would've tried to play both sports," Coy shared. But when head baseball coach Shawn Stiffler came calling late in the recruiting process with an unexpected scholarship offer, Coy's outlook and plans changed, despite little familiarity with the Notre Dame campus or its baseball program. "I decided future-wise, longevity-wise, baseball was the right move," Coy said. "And, I felt Notre Dame, the overall aspect of it, the ability to play baseball in the ACC, it couldn't get much better than that." Terrific academics and potentially quick playing time also served as en- ticements to Notre Dame that Coy said he strongly considered. "Someday this game is going to stop," said Coy, who's studying strategic man- agement with a minor in real estate. "And to be able to set yourself up for a lot of success, whether that's with the sport or outside the sport, it was a per- fect opportunity." Thirteen players graduated from the Irish team last spring, providing an op- portunity for Coy to build on his solid 2025 freshman season when he started 17 games at second base and recorded 11 hits, 11 runs and 9 RBI. Now back at the shortstop position he loves, Coy was batting .294 with 39 runs, 11 extra base hits, 4 home runs and 30 RBI through 41 games as of May 4. Coy also had made only 5 fielding errors all season in 120 attempts. And, on April 22, he was named a semifinalist for the 2026 Brooks Wal- lace Award, an honor given annually to the nation's best college shortstop. "I'm just trying to be the same guy every day," Coy said. "Every single day I want to make every facet of my life better." Just a year ago, Coy was willing to bide his time and hold his place behind the Irish upperclassmen. This year, it's his turn and his time to become the face of the program. "You get challenged here every day in- side the classroom and on the field, and that's something that I want," Coy said of the tough balancing act Notre Dame demands. "I don't want to be really com- fortable going through the college pro- cess. Comfort brings complacency. ✦ New Opportunities Pulled Noah Coy From His Comfort Zone N O T R E D A M E S P O R T S Irish Roundup BASEBALL (24-20 OVERALL, 11-16 ACC) Lost 14 of 23 contests after starting the season 15-6 … The single-elimination ACC Tournament takes place May 19-24 in Charlotte, N.C. MEN'S GOLF Finished in 10th place with a 6-over-par 870 at the ACC Championship April 23-27 in Panama City, Fla. WOMEN'S GOLF Tied for 13th with a 16-over 880 in the ACC Championship April 16-19 at Wilmington, N.C. MEN'S LACROSSE (10-2 OVERALL, 3-1 ACC) The Irish beat North Carolina 10-5 April 11, Duke 7-6 April 18 and Syracuse 16-11 April 25 to capture the regular-season ACC title … Fell to Virginia 15-10 in the semifinals of the ACC Championships May 1 in Charlotte, N.C. … Notre Dame earned the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and was slated to face the winner of the first-round game between Jacksonville and Robert Morris May 10 in South Bend. WOMEN'S LACROSSE (12-5 OVERALL, 6-4 ACC) Lost 12-9 to Clemson in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship April 22 in Charlotte, N.C. … Will face James Madison in the first round of the NCAA Tournament May 8 in Evanston, Ill. … The winner will play No. 1-seeded Northwestern May 10. SOFTBALL (25-27 OVERALL, 11-13 ACC) Won eight of their last nine to secure a spot in the ACC Championship May 6-9 in Charlottesville, Va. … The Irish were seeded No. 8 and were set to take on No. 9 Georgia Tech May 6. MEN'S TENNIS (21-8 OVERALL, 9-4 ACC) Earned the No. 3 seed in the ACC Champion- ship and defeated No. 11 North Carolina April 17 before falling to No. 2 Virginia 4-1 April 18 … Re- ceived an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but lost to Vanderbilt 4-1 May 1 in Champaign, Ill. WOMEN'S TENNIS (19-10 OVERALL, 5-7 ACC) Were seeded No. 10 in the ACC Tournament, and opened postseason play with victories over No. 15 Boston College (4-2) and No. 7 Clemson (4-3) before falling to No. 2 North Carolina (4-1) … Earned an NCAA Tournament at-large bid … Notched a 4-3 win over Arizona May 2 before losing 4-0 to No. 3-seeded Ohio State May 3 in Columbus, Ohio. TRACK & FIELD Both the men and women will compete in the ACC Championships May 14-16 at Louisville, Ky. … The NCAA Regional takes place May 27-30 in Lexington, Ky., and the NCAA Championships are slated for June 10-13 in Eugene, Ore. Coy was hitting .294 with 39 runs, 11 extra base hits, 4 home runs and 30 RBI through 41 games. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS