Notre Dame Rivals’ Fate Takes Sharp Turn as QB Decisions Near While Marcus Freeman Makes Quintuple Move

After a natty run following the 2024 regular season, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame grabbed national attention. And now, they’re trying to stack 5-star ammo as they watch their rivals fade in the rear-view mirror. The Stanford Cardinals are limping into 2025 amid bleeding talent and QB question marks while new HC Frank Reich tries to stabilize the ship. They lost over 12 players, including wideout Emmett Mosley, sack leader David Bailey, and Mudia Reuben, among others. So what’s the plan in Stanford?

247Sports’ Jackson Moore joined Budd Elliott in a new Cover 3 Podcast episode on June 14 to discuss Stanford football. “If they win four or five games, it’s an improvement,” he said. Stanford was a 3-9 team last season. And for Moore, a new HC in Frank Reich could either change or stall the Cardinals. “With a new head coach, if they can do this right, I think this could be the launching point,” he said. “And if they don’t do it right, it’s going to feel like a wasted year.” Reich orchestrated the biggest playoff comeback in NFL history and coached both the Eagles and Panthers. He’s now Stanford’s interim head coach, stepping into a role on March 31 that could be a transition year. But no coach, not even one with Reich’s NFL pedigree, can patch up a leaky roster overnight.

Jackson Moore also added, “It’s probably tough to see too many wins, but I think there [are] enough games out there where they can steal a couple… This roster doesn’t quite feel like a big jump from last year, after some guys that they’ve lost. So, I think it’s probably going to be a similar story to last year. If they can stay healthy, they should be competitive at least against some of the teams on the schedule.” Some of the prominent teams scheduled this year include BYU, SMU, FSU, Miami, and UNC, while they cap off their season with a matchup against Marcus Freeman’s squad in November. But again, there’s the QB chaos. 

CBS Sports added Stanford to their list of teams with the bleakest QB situations. It’s still a three-man fight after losing Bear Bachmeier to the portal. Now, the spotlight’s on returning QB Elijah Brown, Oregon State transfer Ben Gulbranson, and UCF’s Dylan Rizk. Gulbranson is a high-floor, low-ceiling game manager. He’s got 12 starts at Oregon State under his belt. Rizk is flashier. A former three-star, he tossed for 904 yards and five TDs in four starts at UCF. But per Jackson Moore, “I think Brown probably still has the highest ceiling and Rizk is kind of in between… The previous staff was investing a lot in Brown with this situation. So that might be how things work out here.” Meanwhile, back in South Bend, Marcus Freeman is losing some and winning some.

Marcus Freeman makes quintuple move to make up for loss

While Stanford is mixing and matching just to tread water, Marcus Freeman is moving like a chessmaster. Sherrone Moore and Michigan pulled a fast one on Notre Dame with 4-star DL Alister Vallejo snatching him right from under their nose. But for the Fighting Irish’s HC, that loss only fueled his recruitment drive further. They still hold the No. 5 class for 2026 and will host the remaining four blue-chip targets on campus this week.

This quintuple move includes visits from 5-star safety Joey O’Brien, who is also the No. 4 safety nationally. Then there’s 4-star WR Kaydon Finley, Evan Jacobson, who’s the No. 1 player out of Iowa and a top TE, and Nick Reddish, a 3-star safety. That’s four major targets. So, while Stanford hopes to limp through 2025 and preserve whatever foundation it has left, Marcus Freeman is building a skyscraper.

And when Notre Dame visits Stanford on November 29 for the Legends Trophy, this matchup might feel less like a rivalry and more like a reality check.