Notre Dame Football Announces Home Schedule, Star Players Earn Award Nominations

The University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish have announced the kick-off schedule for their 2024 home football games.

The Fighting Irish host six games at Notre Dame Stadium in 2024, and their schedule also features the return of the Shamrock Series and back-to-back contests in NFL venues.

The home slate opens with Northern Illinois on September 7 (3.30 pm ET). Both teams finished the 2023 season with a three-game winning run and will be keen to make their mark this term.

The Irish subsequently have a two-game homestand featuring Miami (Ohio) on September 21 and Louisville on September 28. Both games are at 3.30 pm ET.

Notre Dame will host Stanford on October 12 (3.30 pm ET) before playing in the 7:30 pm ET primetime slot in a match-up against Florida State on November 9

The final home game at Notre Dame Stadium is against Virginia on November 16 (3.30 pm ET). The Shamrock Series game against Army at Yankee Stadium will be a primetime affair a week later.

Fighting Irish Earn Recognition

Graduate student defensive lineman Howard Cross III and junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison are up for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.

The Lott Award annually honours the Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year, recognising a player who exemplifies excellence on and off the field.

The acronym IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. The award is named after NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott.

Cross III was a decent rotation option in previous seasons but grew into an impact starter in 2023. He has been Notre Dame's consensus MVP despite his atypical size.

The starlet led the defence with 32 run stops - the most in a season by an interior defensive lineman since Sheldon Day in 2015 (33). He also accumulated 36 quarterback hurries.

The 22-year-old is constantly compared to his much bigger father, former New York Giants tight end Howard Cross. However, what the 2023 Second Team All-American lacks in size, he more than makes up for with his work ethic and brains.

Morrison is the star of the team on either side of the ball. The 20-year-old Phoenix-born cornerback is one of the top collegiate defensive backs in the country and a potential first-round NFL draft pick.

He was a freshman All-American in 2022, picking off six passes, including three in a famous win over Boston College.

Morrison intercepted only three passes in 2023 but racked up ten pass break ups while defending 13 passes - more than the ten he recorded in 2022.

Morisson and Cross join a national watch list of 42 players and will back themselves to clinch the prize. College football bettors in Ireland will also be eager to see the outcome.

The Fighting Irish are a popular pick with punters on the Emerald Isle and they will be keen to wager on Morisson or Cross to claim the prestigious prize.

Betting apps in Ireland are likely to be swamped with punters looking to take a chance on the Fighting Irish pair given the team’s strong links to the nation.

A Notre Dame player has not won the Lott Trophy since linebacker Manti Te'o in 2012. He is the program's only recipient, but Morisson and Cross will be keen to claim the prize and deliver a winning return to punters who wager on them.

Tyler Buchner Returns Home

Former Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner has announced his return to the Fighting Irish as a walk-on wide receiver.

Buchner had moved to Alabama, where he started only one game for Nick Saban’s side, despite joining with high hopes of impressing the Hall of Famer.

The 21-year-old Illinois native returned to Notre Dame in the spring to play lacrosse, finishing the spring season as an NCAA champion. He will now rejoin Marcus Freeman’s squad.

In an essay titled ‘And Our Hearts Forever’, Buchner reflected on his journey back to South Bend after a year at the University of Alabama. Buchner detailed the challenges he faced in Tuscaloosa, both on and off the field, and his decision to return to Notre Dame.

"Notre Dame has always been a place of faith and redemption, but I never imagined the extent of its generosity until the day Coach Freeman allowed me to rejoin the football team as a walk-on," he wrote.

"It would have been easy for the football coaching staff to see me just as a player who had left, but instead, I am grateful they were able to see me as a young man eager to return and contribute in any way I could for the greater good of the team.

"Now, as I stand on the threshold of another season, my heart swells with a fervent desire to help Notre Dame achieve the glory we all dream of - a National Championship in football.

"I am driven by the determination to give my all, to push beyond my limits, and to be a part of something greater than myself.

The Fighting Irish faithful are eagerly awaiting the return of prodigal son Buchner and the start of the 2024 season, with high hopes for individual and team honours.

Notre Dame will hope they can improve upon their 10-3 record from last season, and if they can get key players back in time for the new season, they could hit the bookmakers hard this term.