Notre Dame isn’t named the Fighting Irish by accident. Last week, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman revealed why he doesn’t discourage players from fighting at practice.

“These dudes are competitive. And I don’t want them to lose that competitive spirit,” Freeman said. “If we don’t have scuffles or tussles… then, we’re probably not as competitive as I aspire to have our team to be. But we do have a simple rule. Two guys fighting is the max, and we’re not gonna have full-team melees.

“So, if two guys are fighting, they’re fighting. Everybody else’s job is to break them up. And we have to be proactive about that in terms of showing them and teaching them. And our guys do an unbelievable job at pulling guys apart. Then, you’re not wasting time. We got so much work to do, we can’t waste two minutes breaking up a fight.”

Notre Dame likely has plenty of frustration to get out this offseason. After suffering back-to-back losses to start the 2025 campaign, Notre Dame rattled off 10 consecutive wins.

Two of the Fighting Irish’s 10 wins were against ranked opponents. Only one of those two teams finished the season in the AP Top 25.

The College Football Playoff selection committee excluded Notre Dame from the 12-team playoff. It was disappointing outcome for the Fighting Irish, who had reached the national championship in the previous year.

With an offseason to stew on its snub, Notre Dame is hungry to bounce back in 2026. While Marcus Freeman doesn’t discourage his players from fighting at practice, he insists they leave any ill will on the field.

“Me and my brother, when we would fight, it’s just like brothers, we fight. But there’s a line you don’t cross,” Freeman said. “… Everybody’s line might be a little bit different. But that’s ours. 

“If two guys are fighting, don’t cross the line and don’t take it off the field. It can’t be personal. … If I hear about that, then we have a bigger issue. Our captains and our leaders gotta make sure we stop it or I ultimately do.”

Next season will be Freeman’s fifth season at the helm of Notre Dame. He’d led the program to a 43-11 record during his tenure. Multiple NFL teams showed interest in hiring Freeman this offseason, but he ultimately decided to return to South Bend for another season.