Ross Dellenger's latest for Yahoo Sports details ESPN exercising its option in its ACC TV contract to extend the deal to 2036.

Per Dellenger, "there is little to no other option," than for the ACC to accept this extension.

More interestingly, Dellenger said the ACC is discussing a scheduling arrangement that will allow Florida State, Miami and Clemson to play against Notre Dame more frequently. "The Irish are expected to play, at the very least, two of the three each season in a rotation."

The ACC is also inching closer to a resolution with Clemson and Florida State in altering the league's revenue distribution structure.

The full story is here:


My take: As we've discussed in the past, the long-term health of the ACC is a helpful aid in allowing Notre Dame to remain an independent in football. And I imagine having Notre Dame playing against the ACC's biggest brands is helpful for the conference.

Now will playing two of those teams every year help Notre Dame? I think you could argue against that — at least from what we learned in the first year of the 12-team playoff. Schedule strength didn't seem to matter much if you don't lose more than once. But having the ACC trio in the mix regularly could take the pressure off of Notre Dame trying to schedule home-and-home series with Ohio State, Alabama, etc. But we'll see what comes of that in the future. So much is changing every year that it's hard to look to far into the future.

Here's the link to ask a question live or just to hang out with us ...

Notre Dame OL target Tyler Merrill plans to announce his commitment decision Thursday.

Merrill, who Rivals ranks as the No. 3 offensive guard and No. 84 overall in the 2026 class, visited Notre Dame this past weekend for junior day. As I reported in my intel piece, Notre Dame felt good about where it stood with Merrill coming out of the visit. I like Notre Dame's chances to land his commitment Thursday, so I will enter a Rivals FutureCast prediction in favor of Notre Dame.

Merrill's other four finalists are Penn State, Wisconsin, Alabama and Clemson.

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Multiple reports have national reporters have indicated that Chris Ash is set to become Notre Dame's new defensive coordinator. Working to confirm and will have a story from @Eric Hansen shortly.

Update: confirmed with a source the hiring of Ash and expectation for Mike Mickens to stay at Notre Dame.

Story from Eric:

Because of Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff run to the National Championship Game, the Irish coaching staff hasn’t been able to fully take advantage of the current recruiting contact period, which began Jan. 6, moved to a quiet period for Jan. 12 and a dead period for Jan. 13-15, and has resumed through Feb. 1.

Notre Dame did have recruiting and support staffers out on the road earlier this month, but this week will be the only time during this period that the coaching staff will get to visit with recruits off campus. Coaches can make in-person, off-campus recruiting contact with high school juniors in the 2026 class for the first time during this contact period.

This time is extra important for head coach Marcus Freeman, because head coaches aren’t allowed to take part in the spring contact period that runs from April 15-May 24.

Inside ND Sports has learned, through sources, where Notre Dame’s coaching staff is expected to be Wednesday. This list may not be comprehensive, but it will be updated on The Insider Lounge as visits are reported.

Head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive line coach Al Washington

Freeman and Washington are expected to be recruiting Thursday in North Carolina. They’ll make a trip to South Garner High for 2026 offensive tackle target Ekene Ogboko and 2026 DE target Ebenezer Ewetade. The latter visited Notre Dame last weekend, which is when he received his offer from the Irish.

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Freeman and Washington are also scheduled to visit 2026 defensive end target Zavion Griffin-Haynes. He previously expressed a desire to visit Notre Dame but didn’t make it to ND’s junior day.

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Freeman and Washington will head to a pair of high schools in Charlotte: Myers Park for 2026 DE target Rodney Dunham and Independence for 2026 S target Nick Reddish. Both visited Notre Dame last April. Reddish returned in June.

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Lastly, Freeman and Washington will make an in-home visit with 2026 linebacker target Thomas Davis Jr., who was on ND’s campus Saturday.

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Anyone hearing ND looking at a certain 5* that just decommitted from FSU?

I'll have a full story out in a bit, but here are a few tidbits.

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Because of Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff run to the National Championship Game, the Irish coaching staff hasn’t been able to fully take advantage of the current recruiting contact period, which began Jan. 6, moved to a quiet period for Jan. 12 and a dead period for Jan. 13-15, and has resumed through Feb. 1.

Notre Dame did have recruiting and support staffers out on the road earlier this month, but this week will be the only time during this period that the coaching staff will get to visit with recruits off campus. Coaches can make in-person, off-campus recruiting contact with high school juniors in the 2026 class for the first time during this contact period.

This time is extra important for head coach Marcus Freeman, because head coaches aren’t allowed to take part in the spring contact period that runs from April 15-May 24.

Inside ND Sports has learned, through sources, where Notre Dame’s coaching staff is expected to be Wednesday. This list may not be comprehensive, but it will be updated on The Insider Lounge as visits are reported.

(I'm headed to the dentist, so this is an abbreviated version I'll update later).

Head coach Marcus Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock
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Nate Tice of Yahoo Sports said Wednesday on Football 301 that the Chicago Bears look like they're interviewing some college guys for their open offensive line coach position. Tice named Notre Dame OL coach Joe Rudolph as one he was familiar with.

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From Fighting Irish Media:

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame graduate linebacker Jack Kiser has been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America first team, recognizing the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.

Kiser is one of 25 selections to the first team and becomes the 38th Fighting Irish student-athlete to earn first-team honors (the 38 players have combined to earn the honor 46 times). Linebacker JD Bertrand was the most recent Irish player to earn the honor last season.

Kiser was selected for the honor by a national vote after earning CSC Academic All-District honors earlier this month.

Kiser, a team captain, was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy and the Freddie Solomon Community Spirit Award, and was named to the 2024 AFCA Allstate Good Works Team. He earned Notre Dame’s team award for the program Man of the Year.

One of the most tenured players on Notre Dame’s roster and a team captain, Kiser completed his sixth season playing for the Irish and led the linebacker room. He holds the record for most games ever played at Notre Dame (70).

Kiser notched 275 career tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six sacks, four interceptions (two pick-sixes), 11 passes defended, six forced fumbles and a blocked kick.

He led the Irish in 2024 in tackles with 90 as a mainstay on defense and 16-game starter for Notre Dame. His 65 tackles in 2023 placed him third among Irish defenders and his 58 tackles in 2022 ranked him second on the team.

Owning two Notre Dame degrees, Kiser was a force in the classroom. He achieved a 3.82 undergraduate GPA, majoring in business analytics, and a 3.97 GPA to earn his master’s degree in accountancy. He was named to the 2024 National Football Foundation Honor Society.

Graduating in 2022, he continued his pursuit of academic rigor in the Master’s in Accountancy program, becoming the top-ranked student in the entire class. Kiser earned selection to the Dean’s List in Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021 and Spring 2022.

In May of 2023, Kiser was awarded the Dean’s Graduate Business Award, given to the student in each program, nominated by faculty, who demonstrates strong leadership amongst his/her classmates, shows promise for future professional success, and has a strong record of scholarship. He also earned the Tom Frecka Academic Achievement Award, recognizing the top GPA in the entire Master’s of Science in Accountancy program.

Kiser has led and participated in several community-facing initiatives during his time at Notre Dame. He has twice served as the player committee chairman for the program’s Cleats For a Cause initiative, and he served as the Fighting Irish Fight for Life football team lead for the past three years.

Additionally, Kiser worked with local low-income families to perform tax returns this past spring on a weekly basis leading up to Tax Day. He has also made an impact in his home community, as he visited his former youth football team to surprise local kids from his area, spend time with the team, and give them tickets to a Notre Dame Football game.

Notre Dame's search for a general manager to replace Chad Bowden is ongoing.

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From Fighting Irish Media ...

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Adding to his list of some of college football’s top accolades, graduate student linebacker Jack Kiser has been selected as a finalist for the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, college football’s premier award for community service.

The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy is presented to one of the 11 FBS players elected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team who best combines exemplary community service with leadership and performance on and off the field.

Kiser was selected as a finalist from a group of 11 semifinalists that make up the AFCA Allstate Good Works Team. Finalists were selected by a national voting committee, including a fan vote. The 2024 Wuerffel Trophy recipient will also be recognized as the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team captain.

Notre Dame has had one winner of the Wuerffel Trophy, linebacker Drue Tranquill in 2018. This marks the second-straight season that a Notre Dame player has been named a finalist for the honor, as linebacker JD Bertrand was a 2023 finalist. Other Notre Dame finalists include Tranquill in 2017 and linebacker Brandon Hoyte in 2005. Prior to the two awards merging, Notre Dame tight end Nic Weishar was named the AFCA Good Works Team Captain in 2018.

In addition to being named a member of the 2024 AFCA Good Works Team, Kiser has already been honored as a finalist for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy and a finalist for the 2024 Freddie Solomon Community Spirit Award.

One of the most tenured players on Notre Dame’s roster and a team captain, Kiser is in his sixth season playing for the Irish and leads the linebacker room. Kiser owns 241 career tackles, 14.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, four interceptions (two pick-sixes), 11 passes defended, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a blocked kick. He leads the Irish in tackles this season with 56.

Kiser holds the Notre Dame record for most games played in an Irish uniform (65). Kiser’s 65 games rank tied for first among all active FBS players in career games played for a single program, and third among all active FBS players in career games played. He has played in 59-consecutive games, a streak which ranks tied for second among all active FBS players (not including transfers).

Kiser has led and participated in several community-facing initiatives during his time at Notre Dame. He has twice served as the player committee chairman for the program’s Cleats For a Cause initiative, which uses custom footwear to raise awareness for local nonprofits, then auctioning off the shoes with the proceeds benefiting the organizations. In his role, Kiser chaired the player committee, which selected the charities that were featured in the initiative, communicated directly with the charities and made appearances, and worked with the designer of the shoes. Throughout the months leading up to the initiative this season, he organized players to volunteer at and support charities that will benefit from the initiative.

He served as the Fighting Irish Fight for Life football team lead for the past three years, from Fall 2020-Spring 2023, a program which pairs a local pediatric patient with Notre Dame Athletics teams to become a true teammate.

Additionally, Kiser worked with local low-income families to perform tax returns this past spring on a weekly basis leading up to Tax Day. He has also made an impact in his home community, as he visited his former youth football team to surprise local kids from his area, spend time with the team, and give them tickets to a Notre Dame Football game.

Kiser has also been involved in the Notre Dame chapter of Uplifting Athletes, supporting the local rare disease community and their families, and would also regularly visit patients and families at the Ronald McDonald House on home game Fridays with head football coach Marcus Freeman.

Owning two Notre Dame degrees, Kiser is a force in the classroom. He achieved a 3.82 undergraduate GPA, majoring in business analytics, and a 3.97 GPA to earn his master’s degree in accountancy. He earned selection to the 2024 National Football Foundation Honor Society, and in 2023 was awarded the Dean’s Graduate Business Award and the Tom Frecka Academic Achievement Award, recognizing the top GPA in the Master’s of Science in Accountancy program at Notre Dame.

Story from @Eric Hansen:


Previously ...

We heard rumblings this week that Notre Dame GM Chad Bowden had talked to USC about its open general manager position, but we didn't have enough concrete information to share here yet.

Now multiple outlets are reporting that USC is targeting Bowden for the role. There's conflicting information on whether Bowden has accepted the USC job yet, including a graphic shared on social media.

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We're working to gather the latest accurate information.

Update: This is a done deal. Bowden is heading to USC, per multiple sources.

Let's use this thread for Notre Dame players who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility and are sharing farewells as they start focusing on the NFL.

K Mitch Jeter:

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Special day and time -- Thursday at noon ET

DON'T SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS IN THE REPLY BOX HERE ... for this chat

DO submit them at the Jotcast link below ... and the question queue is already open

Please include your name and hometown along with your question(s)

The Live Chat will run from noon ET until around 3 on Thursday.

A full transcript will be posted later Thursday afternoon.

https://live.jotcast.com/chat/notre-dame-football-live-chat-jan-30-2025-20184.html

Rivals and Inside ND Sports have learned Notre Dame offered 2026 edge Dre Quinn on Wednesday evening. As we reported in Trail Tracks this morning, Notre Dame defensive analyst Nick Sebastian is recruiting in the Atlanta area today. His travels included the offer to Quinn, a junior at Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian.

Notre Dame joined an offer list of 30-plus schools for Quinn, which includes the likes of Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas. Rivals ranks Quinn as the No. 224 overall prospect in the 2026 class.

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Anything new on the DC search and also hearing that Joe Rudolph interviewed for the Bears job

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Evan Jacobson, is 6-7, 220 and from Waukee, Iowa. Would not expect him to stay three-star status for too long, based on his offers that include Ohio State, Penn State, Auburn, LSU, Miami and Texas A&M among his now 26 offers.


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A look right here:

Fighting Irish Media produced a season recap. Think Irish Access but for the entire season.

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Will update the portal roundup shortly.

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Notre Dame's recruiting travels in Texas this week produced another offer in the 2026 class.

Legend Bey, the quarterback at North Forney High, reported a Notre Dame offer Wednesday. Of course, Notre Dame already has a 2026 quarterback commitment from Noah Grubbs. A source tells me the Irish offered Bey as a running back.

Bey, who Rivals rates as a three-star prospect, rushed for 1,912 yards and 28 touchdowns on 163 carries as a junior last season. He also completed 81 of his 162 passes for 1,444 yards and 13 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

Bey's offer list has surpassed 20 schools, including Oklahoma, TCU, Texas Tech, Oregon and Arizona State.

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Because of Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff run to the National Championship Game, the Irish coaching staff hasn’t been able to fully take advantage of the current recruiting contact period, which began Jan. 6, moved to a quiet period for Jan. 12 and a dead period for Jan. 13-15, and has resumed through Feb. 1.

Notre Dame did have recruiting and support staffers out on the road earlier this month, but this week will be the only time during this period that the coaching staff will get to visit with recruits off campus. Coaches can make in-person, off-campus recruiting contact with high school juniors in the 2026 class for the first time during this contact period.

This time is extra important for head coach Marcus Freeman, because head coaches aren’t allowed to take part in the spring contact period that runs from April 15-May 24.

Inside ND Sports has learned, through sources, where Notre Dame’s coaching staff is expected to be Tuesday. This list may not be comprehensive, but it will be updated on The Insider Lounge as visits are reported.

Head coach Marcus Freeman

Freeman is expected to be recruiting in Texas on Tuesday. He’ll make a visit to Aledo High to see 2026 wide receiver target Kaydon Finley, who visited Notre Dame this past weekend. He’ll head to Forney High for 2026 running back target Javian Osborne. Freeman will also visit Red Oak High for 2026 wide receiver target Brayden Robinson, who visited Notre Dame on Saturday as well. Lastly, Freeman will make in in-home visit with 2026 linebacker target Tai'Yion King of Port Arthur Memorial.

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