The Independent: A Notre Dame Football Podcast

It’s been a good offseason for Notre Dame, and the vibes continue to be high as the Fighting Irish are ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s future power rankings. Adam Rittenberg, the author of the rankings, joins Matt and Pete to discuss why he loves the Irish, and what Marcus Freeman has done to position the program for so much success.

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We're less than 100 days from the start of the Notre Dame football season, and Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to catch you up on all of the Fighting Irish's offseason moves. How much does Marcus Freeman's 2026 roster cost? What did you make of Pete Bevacqua's testimony on Capitol Hill? Plus, Leonard Moore lands on the cover of EA Sports' College Football 27.

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Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are back to talk all things Notre Dame. Pete has been in Amelia Island, Fla., all week for ACC spring meetings, where he met with Fighting Irish AD Pete Bevacqua to talk about potential College Football Playoff expansion and more. Where do things stand with the Irish and the ACC? Plus, NBC announced kick times for all of Marcus Freeman's squad's home games this fall. The guys will talk about all of that on the latest episode of The Independent.

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The Notre Dame spring game was a thriller, with Irish kicker Spencer Porath hitting a field goal on the last play to give the Blue team a 41-40 win over the Gold team. Of course, the takeaways came far beyond the kicking game for Marcus Freeman's fifth Fighting Irish squad, and Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to recap the spring season. How close is this team to being a national title contender? (It already is.) How close is CJ Carr to being a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate? (Very close.) More than 45,000 folks packed the stadium for a beautiful South Bend Saturday, as excitement is high around this year's team.

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Notre Dame held its annual spring jersey scrimmage this past Saturday, and CJ Carr stole the show. Just how good can Marcus Freeman's squad be in 2025? We'll find out more in this Saturday's Blue-Gold spring game in South Bend, which Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson preview as well. Plus, how high will Jeremiyah Love and other Fighting Irish players go in this week's NFL Draft?

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Notre Dame's Blue-Gold spring game is just two weeks away. So, too, is the NFL Draft. There is lots to talk about with Marcus Freeman's squad as Fighting Irish players past and present look to make statements this month. Join Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson for another spirited discussion about all things Irish, on the latest episode of The Independent. 

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Notre Dame is halfway home during spring football, culminating in the April 25 Blue-Gold spring game. Marcus Freeman updated the media Wednesday on where things stand with his program, from CJ Carr's leadership to the new additions to Chris Ash's defensive staff. Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to talk all that and much more on the latest episode of The Independent.

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Football is back (kind of). Notre Dame is amid its first week of spring football, as Marcus Freeman's fifth Fighting Irish squad heads into 2026 with a chip on its shoulder. Jeremiyah Love and other former Irish stars showed their stuff at Pro Day this week as well. Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to talk about all of that and much more on another exciting episode of The Independent. 

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Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz passed away on March 4 at the age of 89. In this special edition of The Independent, former Holtz players Jeff Kilburg, Chris Zorich, Steve Roddy and Cornelius Southall share their favorite memories of their coach, from winning the national championship to random acts of kindness that reverberate with his former players till this day.

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March is here and that means NBC’s Jordan Cornette, Notre Dame’s all-time leader in blocks, joins The Independent to preview conference tournament week, look at where things have gone wrong for Fighting Irish men’s basketball and much more. Plus, Brian Kelly is in the news again, and Jeremiyah Love’s draft fate may have taken a turn after Week 1 of NFL free agency.

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