Newsstand: Where Notre Dame stands in ESPN’s post-spring top 25 rankings
May is one of the slowest months of the year when it comes to college football, which means that media members often have slim pickings for content. You’ll see all sorts of top lists across the interwebs, especially updated top 25 rankings from various websites. It’s all in the eye of the beholder; some of the rankings can be good, while others can, well, not have Notre Dame listed in a top 30.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach came out with his new top 25 list on Monday, and Notre Dame checked in as the No. 5 school in the land.
Georgia, Ohio State, Texas and Oregon are ahead of the Fighting Irish, respectively, Directly behind Notre Dame to round out the top 10 is Ole Miss, Alabama, Missouri, Utah and Michigan, in that order.
“The Fighting Irish have high hopes heading into coach Marcus Freeman’s third season, and understandably so after they landed quarterback transfer Riley Leonard (Duke) and brought back former offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, the architect of LSU’s high-flying offense the past two seasons,” wrote Schlabach. “Leonard missed most of the spring camp after undergoing a follow-up surgery on his right ankle injury. He’s expected to be ready for the start of fall practices. He’ll benefit from having transfer receivers Beaux Collins (Clemson) and Kris Mitchell (Florida International).”
Florida State (11) and USC (25) are the only Notre Dame regular season opponents are the ESPN list.
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Notre Dame tweets of the day
Quote of the day
“She’s a very humble star,” Ivey said. “She’s very humble. We have an incredible relationship. I relied on my relationship with her and I feel like what she’s looking for is still aligned with what Notre Dame has. She’s a Notre Dame kid, and I’m just grateful that I get a chance to coach her.”
— Fighting Irish women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey on guard Hannah Hidalgo
Headlines of the day
- Lucky Charms: Multiple top-20 overall prospects to visit ND in June
- Elite 2026 WR Devin Carter on why Notre Dame is a ‘top contender’ for him
- Notre Dame QB commit Deuce Knight locked in for June unofficial visit
- Where ND football position groups appear in On3 unit rankings: Defense
- Where ND football position groups appear in On3 unit rankings: Offense
- The Gold Standard: Five 2026 recruits who ND is trending for
- Seven Notre Dame football 2026 recruiting targets who had notable rises in updated On300 rankings
- Five thoughts on Cincinnati Catholic League DL Gordy Sulfsted’s ND football commitment
