Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2026 11 UNDER THE DOME if you're not willing to peek behind your blind spots. And in that sense, maybe there's a learning opportunity for Kelly if/when he comes back to the Notre Dame cam- pus next month. Like how the Irish continue to handle their exclusion from last season's Col- lege Football Playoff with a 10-2 record and a 10-game winning streak. "There's got to be a reason for this," Freeman said in the moment Dec. 7. "I don't have the answer right now. There's a reason. We're in the middle of it right now." And what does that look like now as Notre Dame starts football training camp, on Aug. 6? THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION "We left doubt," Freeman said back in late July. "That's the answer. I wasn't ready to accept that at that moment. My natural reaction was to blame others, blame the committee. 'It's not fair.' But by the time I regrouped and met with the team, I said, 'We left doubt.' "Now we can use it. Now we can eval- uate everything we've done from Janu- ary to August. We lost two games. If we didn't lose those two games, we're in the playoff. Instead of blaming not making the playoff on a committee, you put it on yourself. "Because if we blame the committee, now we don't need to do anything dif- ferent. We deserved to be in the play- off. Why am I going to reevaluate what we're doing? "No, we left doubt. We lost two games. How do we fix that? So, you go evaluate everything you do from January to Au- gust and try to enhance it in certain areas to hopefully produce a better outcome when you play those two games." It's not about having all the answers and digging in your heels. It's about hav- ing the courage to ask the right ques- tions, even if it makes the coaches and players in the program uncomfortable. Especially if it makes the coaches and players in the program uncomfortable. It's not just about spewing mantras. It's living them. And that's what Kelly will see in Freeman if the reunion indeed unfolds this month. "It's my job to find ways to create that edge, to create that motivation," Free- man said last spring on a day after prac- tice when everything otherwise felt like right turns and green lights. "And listen, if you were in every team meeting, the general theme would all be the same: How do you choose hard? Because you have to struggle. "And how do you continue to sacrifice for someone or something other than yourself? Ultimately for us in the football program, it's Notre Dame. And that's got to be the edge, the challenge every day. "We have to struggle. Nothing great is achieved without hard, tough strug- gles, right? Mentally or physically. But you have to sacrifice. Nothing great is achieved on your own. You have to be willing to sacrifice for someone or something other than yourself." ✦ "It's my job to find ways to create that edge, to create that motivation." FREEMAN I M P 0 R T A N T S U B S C R I P T I O N I N F O R M A T I O N THE 2026 SEASON IS KICKING OFF A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY. Notre Dame opens the year on Sunday instead of the traditional Saturday, so your Wisconsin recap issue will go to press and into the mail on Labor Day. This means a shorter mailing window than usual. Holiday processing and postal delivery times may vary depending on your location. Here's what you need to know: OPPONENT ON DECK: RICE Get an early look at Notre Dame's Week 2 matchup against Rice. See page 47 of this issue. READ IT FIRST DIGITALLY Your digital edition is available as soon as the print version is published! Log in at BlueandGold.com for immediate access. The Blue Gold Report newsletter will begin on Sept. 2 with any roster and depth chart changes. WANT FASTER DELIVERY? Periodical subscribers can upgrade to Seasonal First-Class mail for quicker USPS delivery throughout football season* Contact Customer Service at 800-421-7751 (M-F, 10 am to 4 pm) EST. 1981 Quarterback CJ Carr is Quarterback CJ Carr is among Notre Dame's among Notre Dame's biggest and most important biggest and most important keys to success in 2026 keys to success in 2026 DRIVING DRIVING FORCE FORCE PRESEASON 2026 • $5.95 PRESEASON 2026 • $5.95 VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 18 VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 18 BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM 2026 PRESEASON FOOTBALL ISSUE INCLUDES PREVIEWS FOR WISCONSIN PAGE 38 ✦ RICE PAGE 47 *Please note: first-class generally performs faster, especially during heavy postal holiday periods. However, the USPS does NOT guarantee delivery within a specific time, regardless of first-class or periodical status. Digital access is the only delivery that BGI can control and guarantee.