Know Your Enemy: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 19: Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) exits the field after the game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on September 19, 2026 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images With the game against the Fighting Irish fast approaching Patrick Sullivan from One Foot Down stopped by to answer my questions, some serious and some not so serious, about Saturday’s game. Enjoy!

class="wp-block-paragraph">Given the recent emergence of IU as a football power, have you noticed a drop in ND football fans as those fans chase the newest hot team?

class="wp-block-paragraph">There may be a not insignificant group of fans who suddenly find themselves having to split their time on Saturdays after decades of only needing to tune into the Irish, but otherwise I think all those folks are at least sort of stuck still rooting for the Irish just because of how much of their lives IU was so unwatchable and how much they invested into ND over the years, for better or worse. It’s hard to quit a long-time fandom just like that, although I suppose if anyone was fair-weather enough to do so, it would be Hoosiers, amiright??? (trying to win some brownie points here with the Hammer and Rails readers).

class="wp-block-paragraph">If anything, I think the sorry state of our men’s hoops program is probably where ND has been truly hemorrhaging fans of late — they’re so unbelievably difficult to watch. What’s it like having a real men’s basketball program?? I miss it.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Given that Marcus Freeman was at Purdue from 2013-2016 is there any chance you’d be willing to entertain a trade? We’d be willing to get rid of Kevin Kane.

class="wp-block-paragraph">This may be a surprise, but I did not know the name of Purdue’s defensive coordinator, so I was mistakenly delighted at first when I Googled “Kevin Kane” to see that you were offering to trade us an actor/director/producer who became a series regular on Law & Order: SVU and also appeared in a film called Lez Bomb.

class="wp-block-paragraph">In all honesty, I wouldn’t trade Marcus Freeman back to Purdue for all of King Midas’ silver. The man is the first likable and competent head coach for this program in my lifetime (technically Lou was coach when I was 0-5 years old, but since I don’t remember him as ND coach at all and because of his likability being pretty debatable outside the ND fan base, I am not counting him), and I just hope he sticks around long enough to deliver a national title before he dances off into the NFL coaching carousel sunset.

class="wp-block-paragraph">In the world of NIL and paying players do you have any idea how much Notre Dame spends on their roster? If so, do you have a whale donating to the team or just a cadre of wealthy donors?

class="wp-block-paragraph">It’s hard to say for sure, but no matter who you ask it’s pretty much consensus that Notre Dame is a top-10 spender on NIL in the country. The Athletic published a story with their best estimates a couple weeks back and they estimated ND was spending ~$41-48M on this roster, which slotted them in at 7th behind Ohio State (#1 with a projected $49-54M), Oregon, Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, and Miami. I had heard some of the ND beat writers talking about ~$40-45M for this 2026 Irish team as well, so I think the number there is pretty accurate.

class="wp-block-paragraph">I’m not privy to all the intricacies of how the money is raised, but I do know there are some big-name, super-rich alumni like Tom Mendoza (ND’s business school is named after him) and Brian Moynihan (Bank of America CEO) who are heavily involved, and then there are some of those funds/collectives that help contribute as well, and I think those pull from that cadre of wealthy donors you spoke of, including a fund that Brady Quinn helped found/run to raise donations.

class="wp-block-paragraph">With the lopsided nature of these games of late does part of you hope Purdue pulls off the upset just to liven things up?

class="wp-block-paragraph">No, but also part of me says yes — the 2024 team that made the national title game needed an early season embarrassment from Northern Illinois to get their backs against the wall and focused, so maybe a loss at home as 4-touchdown favorites against Barry’s Boys is exactly what they need to go on a tear and blow out BYU, Miami, SMU, and several Playoff opponents on their way to a national championship???

class="wp-block-paragraph">I’ve talked myself into it, let’s make it happen.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Who do Purdue fans need to know about on both sides of the ball?

class="wp-block-paragraph">Defensively, there’s a long list of names I want to provide since this is a pretty elite group, although two key guys at safety will not be available due to injury (Brauntae Johnson and Luke Talich), so Purdue can actually look forward to seeing a 5-star true freshman in Joey O’Brien on the back end of the defense — he may be a stud, but since we don’t know for sure yet, Ryan Browne may want to test him over the top and see.

class="wp-block-paragraph">In that secondary, Leonard Moore is the best cover corner in the country and Browne should avoid him at all costs — he’s got a knack for taking advantage of the few passes thrown his way (7 career INTs). Safety Adon Shuler is a tone-setting thumper, 2-time captain, and 3-year starter on the back end as the only remaining starting safety in the lineup. At linebacker, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is an absolute missile who looks like he was designed in a lab to play linebacker in the modern era (watch this clip of him annihilating the MSU running back last week), Drayk Bowen is a 2-time captain and tackling machine, and on the defensive line, watch out for NFL Hall of Famer Bryant Young’s son Bryce Young and his fellow starting defensive end Boubacar Traore. 5-star true freshman Rodney Dunham also looks like a future game wrecker off the edge who may get turned loose a few times on Saturday as well.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Offensively, CJ Carr is at the top of the list by a longshot — he’s the best ND QB in at least 10 years, maybe even 20 (Brady Quinn’s final season was 2006). He has two established receivers in Jordan Faison (small, shifty, Carr’s security blanket and a former walk-on who came to ND to play lacrosse) and Micah Gilbert, who emerged against Michigan State last weekend to the tune of 8 catches for 170 yards. Running back Nolan James has been the most effective option on the ground, but the Irish are still finding themselves a bit in that facet of their game after losing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to the NFL. And then left guard Anthonie Knapp is a good name to know too, the dude is a mauler and is the one guy on the OL showing the most consistently strong performance while everyone else is still learning to jell as a unit.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Oh also, there’s this kicker you guys may have heard of — Spencer Porath? Might want to watch out for him in his REVENGE GAME (revenge for what? I do not know — but word is he’s out for blood against his former teammates).

class="wp-block-paragraph">Are there any weak spots on either the offense or the defense that Purdue could possibly hope to exploit?

class="wp-block-paragraph">On defense, I would say trying to get any non-Leonard Moore DBs in one-on-one coverage and hoping your WRs can beat them with a double move or get some separation, as guys like nickelback Christian Gray and O’Brien, the true freshman safety starting after only playing 22 snaps in games 1-3, are probably a bit vulnerable through the air if Browne can get the time to send it deep to them.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Offensively, I would say to challenge these young offensive tackles with a strong pass rush off the edge, as you can probably disrupt CJ Carr a bit and force him to force some throws. And then if Purdue can really slow down this inconsistent Irish rushing attack and make ND be one-dimensional and predictable, that could help Purdue make a real game out of this. Forcing some turnovers would help as well, as the Irish have been clean offensively this year and that’s helped them fight through the slog at times and ultimately pull away against their opponents to-date.

class="wp-block-paragraph">What are your expectations for Saturday? Who wins and how?

class="wp-block-paragraph">Notre Dame will win, and I do think they’ll cover by the time it’s all said and done.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Carr will find a lot of success throwing the ball, and I think ND will give the ball to Nolan James more in the running game and move the chains pretty well on the ground against this Purdue defense. Meanwhile, Browne and Purdue’s offense will find some success throughout the game with the passing attack, but the Irish pass rush and ND’s talented and opportunistic DBs will combine for a couple turnovers as well to create momentum for the Irish and allow them to build a big lead and coast to a victory in the 4th quarter.

class="wp-block-paragraph">I’ll say Notre Dame 48, Purdue 16.