Notre Dame has made a strong impression for the 2024 season with a hot start to the offseason. As a result, ESPN is already bumping Marcus Freeman’s program up in the Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2024 season.

Over the past two seasons, Freeman began his tenure with an overall record of 19-7 and a pair of bowl victories. Coming out of the 2023 season, Notre Dame originally earned the No. 10 spot on ESPN’s early outlook with a strong core but some key questions for the program.

So far, the Fighting Irish have addressed a number of their questions, including the quarterback picture for 2024. Notre Dame moved quickly to add Duke star Riley Leonard in the transfer portal, setting the table for a seamless transition from Sam Hartman to Leonard and the future.

The addition of Leonard — and bringing offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock back to the program — has elevated expectations. The Irish rose 5 spots in ESPN’s early rankings, moving to No. 5 behind Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and Texas.

Here’s what Mark Schlabach had to say about Notre Dame’s outlook:

The Fighting Irish weren’t bad in coach Marcus Freeman’s first two seasons, winning 19 games. But it’s time for them to turn the corner, and Freeman has laid the groundwork by adding former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard and bringing back offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, who directed LSU’s high-flying offense in 2023. Leonard underwent ankle surgery to repair an injury suffered last season. He is expected to be ready for spring practice in March. The Irish also added receivers Kris Mitchell (Florida International) and Beaux Collins (Clemson) to shore up an underwhelming receiving corps. Finding replacements for bookend tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher will be a priority in spring practice.

2024 schedule

Surprise teams are always bound to pop up, but Notre Dame’s schedule for 2024 looks very manageable entering the spring. The Fighting Irish will face 3 true road games against Texas A&M, Purdue and USC. Outside of those games, visits from Louisville and Florida State are likely to be among the tougher matchups this year.

Anything can always happen in those games, but that currently looks like a manageable schedule.