The Athletic\u2019s Stewart Mandel is not quite ready to crown Notre Dame as his preseason national champion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Mandel\u2019s Wednesday mailbag column<\/a>, someone asked him whether the Irish will win the national championship this year. While he would not go so far as to say they will, Mandel did make a compelling case.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNotre Dame is loaded,\u201d Mandel said. \u201cIt\u2019s rare these days for any team to bring back both its star quarterback (CJ Carr) and nearly its entire starting defense, much less last year\u2019s mythical analytics national champion. (Kidding.)\u201d<\/p>\n Mandel highlighted the fact that this year\u2019s Irish roster is filled with NFL talent, led by projected first-round cornerback Leonard Moore<\/a>. He also said redshirt sophomore safety Brauntae Johnson<\/a> \u201chas a chance to be an All-America-caliber player this season.\u201d<\/p>\n But one of the main reasons Mandel is not all in on Notre Dame yet is that it is losing two first-round NFL Draft picks at running back, Jeremiyah Love<\/a> and Jadarian Price<\/a>. He is bullish on junior running back Aneyas Williams<\/a> and Carr taking the next step as a passer. Still, he would only go as far as to say he thinks Notre Dame will be ranked highly in the College Football Playoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d be stunned if the Irish aren\u2019t a high seed in the CFP come December,\u201d he said. \u201cBut they\u2019re just one of seven teams I feel strongly about, joining Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Miami, Georgia and Texas. The biggest difference between ND and those teams is that ND isn\u2019t likely to be tested as often in the regular season. ND faces just three teams in my post-spring Top 25 \u2014 Miami, BYU and SMU, of which only BYU is on the road.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Irish may finish 12-0 or 11-1, but we still might not be entirely sure whether they\u2019re a true contender.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Mandel is not ready to name Notre Dame a \u201ctrue\u201d title contender, Vegas is. According to BetMGM, the Irish are second in college football national championship odds (+700), only behind Ohio State (+600).<\/p>\n Notre Dame Posts of the Day<\/p>\n Four-star DB Andre Jones surprised the nation when he announced his commitment to Notre Dame immediately after his brother did \u203c\ufe0f\u2618\ufe0f<\/p>\n \u201cIf Notre Dame wasn\u2019t for me, I wouldn\u2019t have committed. But they showed me that they wanted me.\u201dhttps:\/\/t.co\/uAFhI05UGh<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/LLghZS4nlK<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mike Singer (@MikeTSinger) July 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Notre Dame Quote of the Day<\/p>\n \u201cIf Notre Dame wasn\u2019t for me, I wouldn\u2019t have committed. But they showed me that they wanted me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas<\/a> 2028 four-star safety Andre Jones<\/a> on his decision to commit to the Irish. He is the son of former Irish running back Julius Jones<\/a> and brother of 2027 four-star wide receiver commit Julius Jones Jr.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Notre Dame Headlines of the Day<\/p>\n