The Notre Dame football program is hoping to bounce back in 2026 after a 2025 season that saw the team miss out on the college football playoff in controversial fashion. The Fighting Irish closed out the regular season on a 10-game winning streak, but ultimately, their opening two losses to Miami and Texas A&M were enough to keep them out of the big dance.

This offseason, there has been considerable speculation that Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman might have interest in engaging with NFL teams on taking a job at the next level, which he has repeatedly shot down.

Recently, Freeman gave a slightly less adamant answer about the topic when asked by Kyle Brandt of Good Morning Football.

“Never say never,” said Freeman, before adding that he has “the best job in America” at Notre Dame, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network on X, formerly Twitter.

The slight change of tone is likely not what Notre Dame fans want to hear from the head coach who took them to a national title game appearance two years ago.

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Fighting Irish fans were envisioning a similar playoff run this past season before they were surprisingly left out in favor of the Miami Hurricanes, who went on to vindicate the committee's decision by making it all the way to the national championship game, and very nearly winning it.

Still, that didn't stop Notre Dame from protesting the decision by declining their invitation to a bowl game, a move that drew a slew of mockery from the college football world.

Despite the controversy, Freeman remains one of the most well-respected in the country, and there's a reason why NFL teams have such reported interest in him.

In any case, the Fighting Irish are slated to get their 2026 season underway in early September.