Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546068
6 PRESEASON 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FAN FORUM BE HEARD! Send your letters to: steve.downey@on3.com or mail to: Blue & Gold Illustrated, P. O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702 During the summer, ESPN released its list of the top college football coaches for the 2026 season. At No. 4 was Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, who was listed behind only No. 1 Curt Cignetti of Indiana, No. 2 Kirby Smart of Georgia and No. 3 Ryan Day of Ohio State — all three of whom have won at least one national title in the past five years. Here is a sampling of what Fighting Irish fans had to say about Freeman's ranking on our message board at BlueandGold.com. Fuller: Is it a blessing or a curse to have the highest rated coach to not win a championship? What makes him the best coach of the 0 championships group? I don't think anyone can argue with the top 3, all 3 have a championship and that's all the evidence you need. I can't stand Ryan Day but he has the best program in America. So then the arguments are for 4-8. While I think Freeman is the best of this group it does put a lot of pressure on this ND team. With a coach like this each season we don't win builds more and more pressure. I am glad we have the "4th" best coach in CFB, it means multiple playoff wins are REQUIRED the next couple years, and maybe even a championship … thomasna: A championship is needed just to stay "4th" best. The defense is loaded. The coaching staff is top notch although Ash has to prove his defense is elite against top teams. The OL and QB should be very good. I am waiting to see how the skill position talent on offense plays before saying Notre Dame is THE team in 2026-27. Losing the home run speed at RB and breaking in two new receivers who haven't played much is projecting a lot, IMO. I'd give Oregon the best title odds right now followed by ND and then Ohio State. IrishLenny76: When he wins the national championship he'll move up. Bigteve79: Having Marcus Freeman at 4th is fair at this stage of his career. When he wins a national title at ND, he'll go up a couple notches and po- tentially be #1 with multiple titles if he stays for 5-10 years. With the way the program is recruiting right now, there are very few weak spots on the roster and the assembled group of assistant coaches and support staff rival the best in the sport. The man is a leader who is respected highly by the rest of the coaching fraternity and a guy most high school recruits would likely enjoy playing for because they relate to him in a way they never could with Brian Kelly. JOIN THE CONVERSATION AT BLUEANDGOLD.COM! Sign up for just $1 ESPN ranked Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman as the No. 4 coach in college football heading into the 2026 season. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER FAMILY TRADITION I'm a longtime subscriber to Blue & Gold Illustrated who grew up a HUGE ND fan because of my father. He went to Notre Dame via the benefit of the mili- tary "G.I. Bill" after he served in WWII. My father always boasted that, when he was an ND student (1946-50), un- der the leadership of head coach Frank Leahy, the Irish football team NEVER lost a game! (Look it up!) He moved our family out to Southern California in the 1960s where his eight Irish Catholic kids learned to DISLIKE (our mother taught us not to use the word "hate") the USC Trojans! In 1974, I sat with my father, in the Coliseum, and watched the Trojans beat the Irish in that embarrassing 55-24 loss. Fifty years later to the day on Nov. 30, 2024, I sat in the Coliseum with my own son to watch Christian Gray and Xavier Watts return consecutive pick sixes to ensure a victory against the team I HATE (… err … DISLIKE … sorry, Mom). All that being said, I've passed on the Notre Dame lineage to my own kids and, thanks to Blue & Gold Illustrated, we now have a family tradition. Since I am now an "old man," I still purchase your fantastic magazine via USPS mail! So, you should know, that when each "envelope" covered issue of Blue & Gold arrives in our mail box, the whole family gathers and makes their best guess as to who will be on the cover! A great family tradition! Keep up the good work, and GO IRISH!!! Patrick Walker Placentia, Calif. WAY OF LIFE In the last issue of Blue & Gold Illus- trated, there was an article about former Irish assistant coach Greg Blache. Us old-timers will never forget his quote in "Go Irish," now known as Blue & Gold Illustrated. "Any football team can be beat. Every so often even a Notre Dame team can be beaten, but you can never beat Notre Dame. Because Notre Dame is a way of life." Frank Mastrangelo West Pittsburg, Pa. IT'S ON THE TEE The football is on the tee, A new season, oh golly gee, It's packing all your hopes, dreams, and possibilities, so, get a good grip on thee. A shrill whistle splits the air, and the football ball is off the tee. The strong of heart you are just about to see You're singing, waving, and sending a volley cheer on high, All of the season yet to come, my oh my. Ed Fechtel FROM THE WEBSITE .com .com