Independents Football

Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero reminisced Friday on X about playing pickup basketball at Duke with Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard.

"We used to get it in at the indoor football field too," Banchero wrote on X.

summer nights in cameron used to go up!! we used to get it in at the indoor football field too🤣🤣🤣 @TrevorKeels https://t.co/DuocWCazf9

— Paolo Banchero (@Pp_doesit) January 17, 2025

Former Duke standout Trevor Keels, who now plays for the G League's Iowa Wolves, chimed in:

Nah facts!! We had the gloves & all🤣🤣 https://t.co/F40PAwKyyf

— Keel Mode (@TrevorKeels) January 17, 2025

The players were responding to a recent clip of Leonard talking about how he used to play with the Blue Devils basketball team during his time at Duke.

Leonard said he would be best known in his hometown in Alabama not for his work as a quarterback but for his previous reputation as a basketball player.

"I like to think that I could [walk on at Duke]," Leonard said in a recent clip shared by Robert Griffin III. "I didn't necessarily have the handles, though. Because to have handles, you've got to be in the gym, all day, every day.

"My class, when I got there in the summer, I was with Paolo Banchero and them. So we used to go Cameron, late at night, and hoop. Which is hope. So I was always trying to sneak in there, and play with them boys, and see if I could really prove myself."

Leonard continued: "That's one of my biggest regrets. I wish I would've hit Coach K up my freshman year."

When asked if he had ever scored on Banchero, Leonard answered: "Paolo's different. No, I would hold my own, I'll put it that way. I genuinely think I would have held my own. But yeah, I miss hoops."

While Banchero was playing his way into becoming the first pick of the 2022 NBA Draft during his single season at Duke, Leonard was mainly serving as a backup to Gunnar Holmberg.

He served two seasons as the team's primary starter before entering the transfer portal following the departure of Mike Elko at the end of the 2023 season.

Leonard and the Fighting Irish are now preparing to play Ohio State in the national championship game. Backup quarterback Steve Angeli briefly took over as Leonard went through concussion protocol during the team's semifinal win over Penn State, but Leonard is expected to return Monday for Notre Dame's title bid.

Notre Dame is hoping to end a 36-year national championship drought when it meets Ohio State in the College Football Playoff title game on Monday, and the team's former head coach is rooting for the Fighting Irish to pull it off.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly, who coached Notre Dame from 2010 to 2021, told Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports that he's hoping the Fighting Irish will be the ones hoisting the championship trophy when it's all said and done.

"I'm happy for all those guys, I pull for them," Kelly said. "A lot of the guys there that are on both sides of the ball, I recruited. Obviously I want to see those guys win it all, and I think they're in a great position. Totally excited for those guys."

Kelly's vote of confidence will hopefully help smooth over his relationship with Notre Dame fans who still aren't over his abrupt departure from the program to accept the head coaching position at LSU in November 2021. In his 12 years with the Fighting Irish, he went 113-40, becoming the program's all-time wins leader. However, many soured on him when he declared he was leaving because he wanted "to be in an environment where I have the resources to win a national championship."

Kelly explained to Marcello that he believes his words were misinterpreted by both the fans and the media, and he didn't intend to make it seem like he was unable to win a title at Notre Dame.

"They're selling it the way they want to sell it," he said. "Why do you leave Notre Dame? You leave Notre Dame because you're taking another challenge. I took Notre Dame to championships. It's just the way you want to twist it: 'You only leave Notre Dame to go win a championship.' I wasn't leaving Notre Dame because I couldn't win a championship. You can win championships at Notre Dame, but I chose another path because I wanted a different challenge."

That challenge has proved difficult for Kelly, who has a 29-11 record at LSU and hasn't been able to lead the Tigers to the College Football Playoff. The team's 9-4 finish to the 2024 season marks the first time in eight years that Kelly failed to reach the 10-win mark.

Conversely, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has a 33-9 record since taking over for Kelly. He's 3-2 against AP top-five teams in three seasons, compared to Kelly's 1-7 record against top-five teams in 12 years.

Now, Freeman has the Fighting Irish one win away from accomplishing what they never did under Kelly and earning a national championship.

Despite a recent report that Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was drawing interest from the NFL, it doesn't sound like he's going anywhere anytime soon.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that he's "heard that Marcus Freeman is happy at Notre Dame."

"I have heard that Marcus Freeman is happy at Notre Dame..

Steve Sarkisian is a name that has swirled around out there in NFL circles for weeks now..

We'll see if he has interest in going back to the NFL" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/ZpVcKpHSS1

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 13, 2025

Schefter's report comes after NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Sunday that Freeman was being eyed for a potential interview by the Chicago Bears in their head coaching search.

"The Bears have done extensive research for months on Marcus Freeman," Pelissero said. "He is only 39 years old, it would not be a shock if at some point he at least considers going to the NFL."

Freeman is preparing to lead the Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff national championship game against Ohio State on Jan. 20, and Pelissero added that it is "unlikely that he would entertain NFL overtures prior to" the game. Notre Dame will be trying to win its first national title since 1988 and 12th in program history.

Freeman took over as Notre Dame's head coach at the end of the 2021 campaign, so making the jump to the NFL would be a swift rise for the 39-year-old. However, a win in the national championship game would lead to even more interest from NFL teams, and it could be hard to resist moving up to the professional level.

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua defended the Fighting Irish's status as an independent on Friday.

"No secret, the expansion of the CFP from four to 12 teams has helped enormously, because as an independent, as with other schools, we get better opportunities, better percentages of getting in the playoffs, and the more you knock on that national championship door, the better," Bevacqua said, per ESPN's Heather Dinich. "And we like the freedom, quite frankly, it gives us."

"The fact we were able to play Navy at MetLife and had the Shamrock Series against Army at Yankee Stadium, that we can continue that great rivalry with USC -- we really get to move around the map and keep that very national presence," he added.

The Irish punched their ticket to the national championship game with a 27-24 win over Penn State on Thursday in a College Football Playoff semifinal clash. By advancing to the national title contest, Notre Dame will earn an aggregate of $20 million (h/t Dinich).

Other teams must split their CFP payouts with the rest of their respective conferences, but the Irish have no requirement to do so considering they aren't part of any conference.

"Part of Notre Dame's heritage and history is being independent in football," Bevacqua said on Friday. "It's worked for Notre Dame. I think back to how Notre Dame became such a national school in the early 20th century, and football had a large part to do with that."

Notre Dame also didn't have an opportunity to compete for one of the top four seeds in the CFP, as the spots were given to the highest-ranked conference champions. Head coach Marcus Freeman's team still won three playoff games to advance to the national championship contest.

The Irish staying independent hasn't received unanimous approval, as Penn State head coach James Franklin explained that "everybody should be in a conference" when speaking to reporters prior to the CFP semifinal.

"This is no knock at coach or Notre Dame, but I think everybody should be in a conference." 👀

James Franklin shares his thoughts about the consistency across the college football landscape during a presser with Marcus Freeman ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/apfFqZfNzx

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 8, 2025

Bevacqua confirmed that Notre Dame plans on staying independent, though.

Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts revealed that head coach Marcus Freeman was upset about comments that Penn State head coach James Franklin made prior to a 27-24 win by the Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff on Thursday night.

"He was angry," Watts said, per Pete Sampson of The Athletic. "He was angry with the press conference thing, whatever was going on between that. He was mad about that. All the anger went toward us and that anger went onto the field."

During a joint press conference with the two coaches prior to Thursday's contest, Franklin playfully asked Freeman how old he was and emphasized that "everybody should be in a conference."

"This is no knock at coach or Notre Dame, but I think everybody should be in a conference." 👀

James Franklin shares his thoughts about the consistency across the college football landscape during a presser with Marcus Freeman ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/apfFqZfNzx

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 8, 2025

Notre Dame is one of three FBS independents, and the only one to qualify for the playoff.

Freeman's team started off slow on Thursday, facing a 10-3 halftime deficit. The Irish tied the game in the third quarter, but ended up trailing 24-17 with just under eight minutes remaining in the fourth.

Quarterback Riley Leonard found sophomore wide receiver Jaden Greathouse for a 54-yard touchdown to tie the contest once again, then an interception by cornerback Christian Gray off Nittany Lions passer Drew Allar set up a 41-yard field goal that clinched the victory.

GOOD FROM 4️⃣1️⃣

MITCH JETER IS CLUTCH.

MR. JANUARY. #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/W3HO408OHQ

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) January 10, 2025

Freeman and Franklin had a brief conversation on the field after the final result.

All the respect between Marcus Freeman and James Franklin 🙌 pic.twitter.com/tcWjXr1Ykb

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 10, 2025

Tensions between both sides didn't appear to be high following the game, as Franklin complimented his opponent when speaking to reporters.

"If you're going to lose to somebody — I don't want to lose to anybody, to be honest with you, but you've got to give Notre Dame credit," Franklin said, via 247Sports' Tyler Donohue. "I know Marcus will do a phenomenal job, and I'm happy for him and their university."

Freeman has experienced immediate success with the Irish, as their win total has improved in each of his first three full years leading the team. With Thursday's win, Notre Dame sits at 14-1 and will have an opportunity to win a national championship for the first time since 1988.

While the Irish may not have needed extra motivation to compete against Penn State, Franklin's comments seemingly added some fuel to the fire.

Even though Penn State head coach James Franklin wants to see every team in college football affiliated with a conference, Notre Dame continues to benefit from being an independent after a 27-24 victory over the Nittany Lions in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Front Office Sports noted the two teams that make the College Football Playoff Championship Game earn $20 million for their conference, but Notre Dame will get to keep the full amount for itself since it doesn't have any affiliation.

Franklin told reporters Wednesday that he thought every FBS team should be in a conference in the interest of uniformity across the sport.

"It should be consistent across college football," Franklin said. "This is no knock at [Freeman] or Notre Dame, but I think everybody should be in a conference. I think everybody should play a conference championship game, or nobody should play a conference champion championship game. I think everybody should play the same number of conference games."

Notre Dame is one of three independent FBS programs, along with Connecticut and Massachusetts. UMass will no longer be independent next season when it joins the MAC.

While the Fighting Irish are an ACC affiliate in other sports, they remain independent in football. That allows them to keep all of the money they earn through various outlets, including bowl payouts and television contracts, rather than having to split it equally if it were in a conference.

Notre Dame extended its TV deal with NBC in November 2023 through the 2029 season. The new contract is believed to pay the football program around $50 million per season, but the program also earns $17 million in television money from its ACC affiliation in other sports.

Per ESPN's Heather Dinich, Notre Dame could earn around $18 million annually beginning in 2026, which is right in line with Big Ten and SEC programs and more than Big 12 and ACC schools.

Dinich also noted there will be a $6 million financial incentive for any independent team that makes the playoff.

All of this goes to show that Notre Dame doesn't have to deal with splitting conference revenue because its stature as one of the most historic and marquee programs in the nation has afforded it the ability to operate outside the traditional conference structure.

The Irish have also elevated their profile by reaching the College Football Playoff Championship Game in the first season of the 12-team format.

Notre Dame is reportedly facing a new enemy as it prepares for Thursday night's College Football Playoff semifinal game against Penn State in the Capital One Orange Bowl.

Per Tyler Horka of On3.com, the Notre Dame locker room is dealing with a flu outbreak ahead of Thursday night's game.

"Been told the flu is going around the Notre Dame locker room. Those who have it have it bad, but it sounds like that's mostly backups and special teams players," Horka wrote on social media. "Still something to monitor for the Fighting Irish going into the Orange Bowl vs. Penn State tonight."

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN later provided an update, saying that "the situation has improved from several days ago."

Heard from a Notre Dame source who said the situation has improved from several days ago and "overall, we're good." Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love had an upper respiratory bug that impacted him before the first-round CFP game, so team has dealt with this for a bit. https://t.co/pZcV4ZKMl9

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) January 9, 2025

It would be a massive disappointment if the flu outbreak affected Notre Dame against Penn State. The Fighting Irish overcame tough tests from Indiana and Georgia on their way to reaching the CFP semifinals. The win against the Bulldogs was particularly impressive, as Georgia was ranked No. 2 in the CFP bracket.

Notre Dame went 11-1 during the regular season to earn the No. 7 spot in the CFP. The team's lone loss came in a 16-14 upset against Northern Illinois in the second week of the season.

The Fighting Irish will need their defense to continue performing at a high level in the CFP to reach their first national championship game since 2013. Notre Dame held both Indiana and Georgia to under 20 points in its first two playoff games, but it will be facing a Penn State squad that topped the 30-point mark in its two playoff outings against SMU and Boise State.

Fans are certainly hoping that the Fighting Irish will be at full strength against the Nittany Lions so they can see an exciting game between two talented teams in the Orange Bowl.

Notre Dame is one step closer to appearing in a national championship game for the first time since 1988.

The Fighting Irish claimed a 23-10 win over Georgia in Thursday night's Sugar Bowl to earn a spot in the national semifinal.

NOTRE DAME HOLDS OFF GEORGIA IN THE SUGAR BOWL ☘️🏆 pic.twitter.com/Z646PFgsCQ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 3, 2025

Notre Dame improves to 6-0 against ranked teams in Marcus Freeman's third full season with the team.

Only Penn State now stands between the Fighting Irish and a spot in the national championship game.

https://twitter.com/sheluv_Ferb/status/1874978131033112976

Marcus Freeman has made Notre Dame elite. This is the biggest win for Notre Dame in about thirty years. I think the Irish will beat Penn State and play for a National championship.

— 🎙iTalk SEC (@italksec) January 3, 2025

Marcus Freeman coached Notre Dame to their biggest win since the 1988 Fiesta Bowl. He took over the program at what was supposed to represent its lowest moment, a top coach leaving them, and now has them on the doorstep of a national championship. Unbelievable coaching job.

— Stephen B. Kerr (@Dizz_A_Door) January 3, 2025

https://twitter.com/SpoodyQue1/status/1874955899326087462

Ohio State and Notre Dame flat-out dominated on both sides

Their National Championship Game is gonna be a heavyweight classic

— Bill Speros (@billsperos) January 3, 2025

Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton helped Georgia open scoring in his first start following Carson Beck's season-ending elbow surgery.

The game turned when the Fighting Irish answered with 10 points on consecutive plays late in the first half.

Notre Dame followed up a field goal with a strip-sack of Stockton at Georgia's 13-yard line to put the ball in the hands of Riley Leonard.

Leonard finished off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Beaux Collins.

Fumble ➡️ TD

Two big plays for Notre Dame‼️ pic.twitter.com/COekKZ0VPt

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 2, 2025

Georgia then put the second-half kickoff in the hands of Notre Dame wideout Jayden Harrison, who returned the ball 98 yards for a touchdown.

JAYDEN HARRISON

9️⃣8️⃣ YARDS#GoIrish | @j_harrison5

pic.twitter.com/58i6kwbw3H

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) January 2, 2025

NOTRE DAME CANNOT BE STOPPED ☘️🔥 pic.twitter.com/yb8YdsMcHn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 2, 2025

College football fans were impressed by the Fighting Irish's depth as the roster prevailed despite losing players including Howard Cross III and Jeremiyah Love to apparent mid-game injuries.

Notre Dame is missing Riley Mills and a First Team All-American corner.

They look awesome anyway.

A testament to the depth Freeman has built in South Bend.

Never had that type of depth under Kelly.

— Neil W. Blackmon (@nwblackmon) January 2, 2025

Always next man up on this Notre Dame defensive line, or so it seems. Such depth.

— Geoffrey Clark (@gfclark89) January 2, 2025

It's been unsung players for Notre Dame making the big plays. Junior Tuihalamaka, RJ Oben, Jayden Harrison.

A true team effort so far.

— Austin Hough (@AustinRHough) January 2, 2025

You knew a former Duke player would be a difference maker for Notre Dame today. But I bet you didn’t have RJ Oben on your bingo card.

— BFriedACC (@BFriedACC) January 2, 2025

Georgia's quarterfinal exit means that conference champions who earned a first-round bye will finish the first 12-team CFP with an overall 0-4 record.

Oregon, ASU and Boise State were already bounced from their respective matchups before the Sugar Bowl took place on Thursday night.

Yeah.

Teams aren’t gonna want that first round bye next year.

— Carrie (@WhoDeyBucks) January 2, 2025

https://twitter.com/_p_t_g_22/status/1874974198478905559

The Sugar Bowl was originally scheduled for Wednesday. The game was postponed after at least 15 people were killed in New Orleans early on New Year's Day in what is being investigated by the FBI as a terrorist attack.

Notre Dame will take on Penn State in the Orange Bowl next Thursday with a trip to the national championship game on the line.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is a big fan of the new College Football Playoff after his team's 27-17 win over Indiana in the first-ever game with a 12-team format.

Freeman called the win a "historic" moment while speaking to reporters after the game.

"I've never been part of an environment like that," Freeman said. "Not many times in life you're the first to do something, and as I told the [team] in there, we were the first to win and play a playoff game in Notre Dame Stadium. That's historic. Something we'll cherish for the rest of our lives."

The Fighting Irish, who earned the No. 7 seed in the bracket, hosted their in-state rivals at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday night.

After a sloppy start that saw a punt and interceptions by both teams on the first three drives of the game, Notre Dame struck first on Jeremiyah Love's 98-yard touchdown run on the first play after the defense got a turnover.

JEREMIYAH LOVE GOES 98 YARDS 🤯🔥

THE 12-TEAM CFP IS OFFICIALLY HERE 🍿 pic.twitter.com/zCOZ2E0yWO

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 21, 2024

The Irish eventually went up 27-3 before Indiana got two late touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the score look more competitive than it was.

Notre Dame has won 11 straight games since a 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois. It's the program's longest in-season winning streak since starting 12-0 in 2018 before losing to Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Next up for Freeman and the Fighting Irish is a showdown with No. 2 Georgia at Sanford Stadium in the Playoff quarterfinal on Jan. 1. Notre Dame has never defeated Georgia in three all-time meetings, most recently losing 23-17 in 2019.

The 12-team College Football Playoff kicked off on Friday night, with Notre Dame coming out on top.

The No. 7 seed Fighting Irish took down Indiana, the No. 10 seed, by the final score of 27-17 at Notre Dame Stadium.

NOTRE DAME ROUTES INDIANA, 27-17 🔥☘️

Riley Leonard: 23-32 pass, 231 total YDs, 2 total TD, 1 INT#CollegeFootballPlayoff pic.twitter.com/9f6VLqYkie

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 21, 2024

Head coach Marcus Freeman's team jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter due to a 98-yard rushing touchdown by sophomore Jeremiyah Love.

JEREMIYAH LOVE GOES 98 YARDS 🤯🔥

THE 12-TEAM CFP IS OFFICIALLY HERE 🍿 pic.twitter.com/zCOZ2E0yWO

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 21, 2024

Love finished with a game-high 108 yards on eight carries.

SERIOUS STIFF ARM FROM JEREMIYAH LOVE 💪

Notre Dame firmly in control heading into the 4Q on ABC/ESPN. pic.twitter.com/XIM0ZQdWLZ

— ESPN (@espn) December 21, 2024

Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard wasn't flawless by any means, but he was able to consistently move the chains and help Notre Dame build its lead throughout the contest. Leonard finished 23-of-32 for 201 yards and a touchdown to go along with an interception. He also picked up 30 yards and a second score on the ground.

RILEY LEONARD MAKES FIGHTING IRISH HISTORY 😤

The most single-season rushing touchdowns for a Notre Dame QB ever 👏 pic.twitter.com/uIjUVEHRTx

— ESPN (@espn) December 21, 2024

The Hoosiers entered the contest with the highest scoring average among all Big Ten teams in 2024, but they were unable to gain traction against Freeman's defense until the game was out of hand.

Indiana amassed a mere 278 yards of offense which included 63 rush yards, recording 2.3 yards per carry.

Fans and pundits were impressed with Notre Dame during the victory.

Simple story to explain this game. Notre Dame has far better players than Indiana.

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) December 21, 2024

Such a great night for CFB! Incredible to watch a true playoff game on campus in that environment.@NDFootball totally owned Hoosiers...Every aspect...The conservative coaching decisions from @IndianaFootball was not what I expected

We get to do this 3 more times tomorrow

— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) December 21, 2024

Don't let The Discourse distract you from the fact that Notre Dame's defense is Really Good and that's my biggest takeaway tonight.

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) December 21, 2024

Kinda the perfect win for Notre Dame.

Dominated at home for majority of the game but have a few late scores that they use keep them humble and hungry when watching film.

— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) December 21, 2024

Notre Dame’s lead feels much bigger than 17

— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) December 21, 2024

Idc how bad Indiana looked tonight… Notre Dame is gonna be a tough team to beat

Can’t believe I’m saying that

— LC (@laurencowling) December 21, 2024

Notre Dame looked dominant tonight… in part because the lights were too bright for Indiana. I like Georgia, even with the backup QB. Especially with the backup QB.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 21, 2024

Now, Notre Dame will face off against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl for an opportunity to earn one of the final four spots in the CFP.

The Bulldogs will be shorthanded, as quarterback Carson Beck is in danger of missing the contest with an elbow injury.

The Fighting Irish are set to battle Georgia on Jan. 1.