Michael Jordan was nowhere near Notre Dame’s practice field Wednesday. Somehow, he still found his way into the building. It was a simple move, but the message was obvious. Marcus Freeman wants his team thinking bigger after a 10-2 season ended without a playoff spot.

During warmups on Aug. 12, Notre Dame put Michael Jordan highlights on the big screen as the Irish worked through fall camp. The clips showed Jordan doing Jordan things on the screen as the football players get ready for another season. And what Freeman intended happened, with DE Bryce Young saying, “It just reminds me that we’re chasing greatness.”

Beyond that, this team has plenty to prove. The Irish lost their first two games last season, then went on a tear. Ten straight wins followed, pushing Notre Dame to 10-2. Still, the committee left them out of the playoff, with Miami taking the final at-large spot. Marcus Freeman has not spent the offseason complaining about it.

“I don’t ever use that term ‘we got snubbed,’” he previously said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I said we didn’t make the playoffs and we didn’t do the things it took as a program to make the playoffs…We’ve used that to evaluate, OK, we can’t start the season 0-2.”

Notre Dame has plenty riding on 2026. C.J. Carr is back at QB after leading the Irish to 10 straight wins last season. Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse return as key targets, with former Ohio State receivers Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter adding more options.

The defense has a big piece back, too. Leonard Moore returns in the secondary and enters the season with All-American buzz. Boubacar Traore and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa also give Marcus Freeman plenty to work with.

That said, there was Tuesday’s unexpected subplot as well, as Notre Dame football invited a surprise guest to speak to the team during fall camp.

Hence, Stephen A. Smith, one of ESPN’s loudest Notre Dame critics, visited campus, toured the new Shields Family Hall and spoke with the team. He even posed for a photo with Marcus Freeman. His visit is funny because he has gone after the Irish before, particularly over the playoff arrangement that gives the independent program a path into the field if they finish in the top 12.

“This is sickening…Bump Notre Dame,” he said back in January. “Get your a– in a conference and compete like everybody else.”

Still, even he feels Notre Dame can be great under Marcus Freeman. Now he was inside the building, talking to the very team he had criticized. Perhaps that’s what the team needs: a jolt from one of their biggest critics and motivation from an NBA legend, even if it’s just on the screen. They’re different messages that carry the same idea. Stop talking and prove it. That’s because the ultimate goal is never out of focus. 

“This is about getting Notre Dame its 12th national championship and we got a lot of work to do that, but it’s going to happen at some point,” Marcus Freeman told WNDU 16 News Now. “At some point, Notre Dame will get its 12th national championship.”

Notre Dame gets its first step towards that coveted title on Sept. 6 against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.