Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 SEPT. 12, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Michael Capretto — Soccer The freshman forward from Hockessin, Del., led the Fighting Irish with 5 points (2 goals, 1 assist), 8 total shots and 4 shots on goal during their 1-1-2 start. Capretto, who arrived at Notre Dame in the sum- mer as the No. 124 high school recruit in the country, gave Notre Dame a 2-1 lead and was credited with the game-winning goal in a 3-1 victory over Harvard Aug. 31. Lily Fenton — Volleyball The senior setter from Latrobe, Pa., was a bright spot during Notre Dame's opening weekend that featured losses at home to Ball State Aug. 28 and Xavier Aug. 30. Fenton finished the two matches with a team-high 39 assists (4.33 per set) and ranked second with 21 digs. In the 3-2 loss to Ball State, she paced the team with 22 assists and added 13 digs, the second most for the Irish. Kate Kemmerley — Soccer The freshman forward from Berwyn, Pa., scored a pair of goals in the Irish's 3-0 victory over Mur- ray State at Alumni Stadium Aug. 23. They marked her first 2 career goals and her first career brace. Kemmerley netted the sec- ond and third goals of the game for the Irish in their first victory of the season, after the team started 2026 with three straight draws. Jacob Modleski — Golf The senior from Noblesville, Ind., added to his growing list of accolades when he earned 2026-27 preseason third- team All-America honors f ro m t h e G o l f C h a n n e l Aug. 31. Modleski paced the Fight- ing Irish with eight top-10 finishes while leading them to a top-10 NCAA Regional finish last year. He also fin- ished below par in 11 of his 12 tournaments during his junior year and was the co-champion at the Schenkel Invitational in the spring. TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE Throughout the offseason, much has been made of Marcus Freeman's less-than-stellar record in September. But specifically in home openers, it's even more glaring. As a head coach, Freeman is 1-3 in home openers and 20-2 in all other home games. He has never de- feated an FBS team in a home opener at Notre Dame, with his lone victory coming against FCS Tennessee State in 2023. Notre Dame's two most embarrassing losses in Freeman's tenure were against Marshall in 2022 (26-21) and against Northern Illinois in 2024 (16-14), while the 41-40 defeat at the hands of Texas A&M in 2025 had a big hand in eventually knocking the Irish out of the College Football Playoff. What's more, during Freeman's lone season as de- fensive coordinator in 2021, the Irish hosted Toledo and escaped with a victory by the skin of their teeth. The Rockets scored to take a 29-24 lead with 1:35 to play, but Notre Dame engineered a minute-long touchdown drive that ended in a Michael Mayer touchdown catch from Jack Coan to win it, 32-29. To truly "leave no doubt," Notre Dame has to be better in early September — even against a Rice team that seemingly doesn't pose a threat. And Freeman knows it. "It's a January through August issue, right?" Freeman said. "How do you evaluate everything you're do- ing from the minute the last game ends to the minute the first game begins? We're not changing everything we've done, but we're evaluating everything we've done, and we're enhancing little things we've done." Freeman pointed to how the Irish practice, which days they practice and their meeting time, to which he said they added about 15 hours from the previous season. Whether or not those changes worked will become clearer on Saturday. — Jack Soble CHRISTIAN GRAY EXCELS IN BREAKING UP PASSES Senior cornerback Christian Gray has put himself on pace to finish his Notre Dame career as one of the most prolific defensive backs in program history in one of the few categories his position owns in the Notre Dame record books. Gray entered the 2026 season ranked in a tie for seventh in career passes broken up at Notre Dame with 22. Through three seasons, Gray matched the career output of defensive back Dave Waymer (1976-79) in passes broken up, a category the program has tracked back to 1956. Half of Gray's career passes broken up came in his junior season in 2025. Only three players in pro- gram history have been credited in a single season with more than the 11 passes broken up Gray logged in 2025: Julian Love (20 in 2017 and 16 in 2018), Clarence Ellis (13 in 1969) and Waymer (12 in 1978). The number of passes broken up by Gray has been impressive, but it's also a reflection of how frequently opposing teams were willing to challenge him in coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, Gray led the Irish in coverage targets each of the past two seasons with 68 in 2024 and 60 in 2025. Playing on the opposite side of the field from cornerback Leonard Moore, who was named a unanimous All-American in 2025, made Gray a more inviting target. The Irish moved Gray to nickel back this past off- season, so it will be interesting to monitor if teams still try to test him as frequently. Colorado graduate transfer DJ McKinney, who stepped into the starting cornerback role previously manned by Gray, should be prepared to be thrown at regularly, too. Gray, who broke up 9 passes in his first year as a starter in 2024, should be able to climb the record book into second place with a strong season. He likely would need to stay at Notre Dame for a fifth season — which he's eligible to do given the NCAA's new rules — to have a chance at dethroning Love as Notre Dame's passes broken up king. — Tyler James NOTRE DAME CAREER PASSES BROKEN UP Since 1956 Rk. Player (Years) PBU 1. Julian Love (2016-18) 39 2. Clarence Ellis (1969-71) 29 3. Harrison Smith (2007-11) 28 4. Luther Bradley (1973, '75-77) 27 5. Cole Luke (2013-16) 26 6. Bobby Taylor (1992-94) 23 7. Christian Gray (2023-25) 22 Dave Waymer (1976-79) 22 9. Darrin Walls (2006-10) 20 Troy Wilson (1983-86) 20 NOTRE DAME'S LAST FIVE HOME OPENERS Year Opponent Result 2025 Texas A&M L, 41-40 2024 Northern Illinois L, 16-14 2023 Tennessee State W, 56-3 2022 Marshall L, 26-21 2021 Toledo W, 32-29 Head coach Marcus Freeman is just 1-3 in his Notre Dame home openers, including a 41-40 loss to Texas A&M in 2025. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER