The Irish football program has come a long way. After starting the season with two straight losses, Marcus Freeman’s boys set their priorities straight and decided to go on an undefeated run to make the playoff. Mind you, those wins would not be possible without their senior players. With Senior Day creeping in, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame decided to throw a small honor celebration for the senior Irish this weekend.

On November 22nd, Notre Dame insider Jack Soble hopped onto X and shared a heartwarming tribute from the families of 32 seniors ahead of their Senior Day matchup against Syracuse:

“Notre Dame released a heartwarming tribute for the 32 seniors being honored tomorrow afternoon, featuring young friends and family of the seniors.”

You could tell the messages meant a lot, especially the support from the people who have been in their corner since day one. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman described the feeling well.

“I remember my senior day,” Freeman said. “You run out there for what you know could be your last time in Notre Dame Stadium, but after you see your families and you get back to that sideline, you have to flip the switch back to competition mode.”

This year’s list includes 32 honorees, 12 of whom are walk-ons. Notable walk-ons include longtime fan favorite quarterback Tyler Buchner and defensive back Mickey Brown. A handful of scholarship players being honored still hold eligibility and can return in 2026 if they choose to come back and the coaching staff agrees.

Notre Dame is recognizing several players on Senior Day. The list includes defensive end Jordan Botelho, kicker Noah Burnette, defensive end Joshua Burnham, defensive tackle Jared Dawson, running back Dylan Devezin (walk-on), and defensive back Charles Du (walk-on).

Two important names missing from the list are tight end Ty Washington and center Ashton Craig. Even though they are true seniors, they are classified as redshirt juniors, and their absence from the ceremony suggests they plan to return next season. Running back Jeremiyah Love also gave Notre Dame a push for excellence after the early setbacks.

Marcus Freeman’s source of motivation

Those early defeats to Texas A&M and Miami had left the Irish with zero room for error. They knew that one more slip-up would knock them out of contention. Running back Jeremiyah Love recently talked about the team’s situation on “The Pat McAfee Show,” explaining how much quarterback CJ Carr has grown. He also described how the team’s overall mindset has changed since last year.

According to Love, head coach Marcus Freeman has been using those early losses as the team’s biggest source of motivation. He constantly reminds players of the mistakes and frustration from the start of the year.

“Coach Freeman reminds us every week about the pain of losing those two games early in the season,” Love said.

Instead of letting the losses crush them, the Irish are using them as fuel to push harder and stay focused as the playoff race heats up. The pressure has made Notre Dame sharper, especially on defense. Chris Ash’s unit looked rough in the first few weeks, but the team’s thin margin of error forced everyone to step up. Now the defense is finally playing at a high level. It has also become one of the toughest groups to move the ball against.