The Independent: A Notre Dame Football Podcast

It's Fan Survey Time! Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to discuss the feedback Pete received from his annual Notre Dame Fan Survey on The Athletic. You are all incredibly high on the Fighting Irish in 2026, and rightfully so. With Marcus Freeman entering Year 5 and CJ Carr listed as a preseason Heisman contender, what's not to like about this squad? The fellas discuss that and more on the la...

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informa...

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWiz...

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 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 conte...

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? Hosted by Simplecast,...

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.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. S...

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an...

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.  Hoste...

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsW...

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz...

Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are back for more Notre Dame news, nuggets and conversation. Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love showed out at the NFL Scouting Combine.  Where will he and fellow Fighting Irish backfield mate Jadarian Price get drafted? Plus, what does the projected first round tell us about Marcus Freeman's squad's opponents, both past and future? The fellas talk all that and more as we ar...

Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are back for another episode of The Independent. The guys talk the latest on Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame squad, look at the QB situation beyond CJ Carr and wonder if Wisconsin's football team is offering a template for how the Fighting Irish men's basketball team can get back on track?    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab...

Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are back for another episode of The Independent. The guys talk about the Big Ten's proposed 24-team College Football Playoff format and how that would have affected Notre Dame this past season (and in seasons to come). They also evaluate the assistant coaching hires that Marcus Freeman and Chris Ash made for this year's Fighting Irish assistants: Charlie Partridge, Br...

Football never sleeps and neither do Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson. Join them on the latest episode The Independent, where the fellas talk about Notre Dame's NFL Draft prospects, look back at the Fighting Irish players who starred in the Super Bowl and have some fun talking scheduling hypotheticals for Marcus Freeman's squad. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inform...

The offseason is in full swing and Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to chop it up about the latest happenings around Notre Dame. Marcus Freeman and Chris Ash have rounded out their defensive staff by hiring Aaron Henry from Illinois and Brian Jean-Mary from Georgia Tech. National signing day featured the addition of re-classified QB Teddy Jarrard. Mock drafts look favorable on some Fighting...

The 2026 offseason is finally, officially upon us and Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to catch you on all things Notre Dame football. Where does Marcus Freeman turn to replace DBs coach Mike Mickens? Could more Fighting Irish assistants be on the move? Plus, the full Notre Dame schedule has been released for this fall. The guys will preview that and talk much more as they turn the page to Y...

It's already been a long offseason, no? Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to debrief after Marcus Freeman's first press conference since Notre Dame's season ended, as the Fighting Irish coach talked portal additions, staff changes, NFL interest (or lack thereof) and much more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of persona...

The offseason already seems long, doesn't it? Marcus Freeman made it seem a little shorter on Monday, tweeting his indication that he is staying at Notre Dame for a fifth season, with sources telling The Independent that the coach has indeed agreed to a contract extension to stay in South Bend. The Fighting Irish figure to be a national title contender in 2026, and Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson ar...

The long offseason has already begun. Notre Dame has had several NFL Draft declarations, linebackers coach Max Bullough is off to Michigan State and there has yet to be definitive clarity on Marcus Freeman’s future with the Fighting Irish. Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to talk through it all, to break down future ND schedules and much more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pc...

Pete Bevacqua has gone on a media blitz since Sunday, when Notre Dame was left out of the College Football Playoff. Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to react to the Fighting Irish AD's Tuesday news conference, talk about the decision of Marcus Freeman's squad to opt out of a bowl, discuss Jeremiyah Love making it to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist and much more. Hosted by Simplecast, a...

Well, that was a whimper of a Sunday, wasn't it? Notre Dame is out of the College Football Playoff, getting leaped by rival Miami during the final selection show. Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to talk you all through a shocking development that ends the Fighting Irish's national title hopes. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

Notre Dame's regular season may be over, but Marcus Freeman's squad will be scoreboard watching this weekend. Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to answer your questions, talk about the Fighting Irish's College Football Playoff prospects, discuss Jeremiyah Love's Heisman Trophy candidacy and much more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our coll...

Notre Dame ended this regular season the same way the Fighting Irish ended last year's regular season: on a 10-game winning streak. Marcus Freeman's squad made its final College Football Playoff statement by dominating Stanford on the road to finish 10-2. CJ Carr led the offense to a 524-yard performance, Jeremiyah Love flashed and Aeneas Williams showed out, posting 123 yards from scrimmage and 2...

No. 9 Notre Dame enters its regular-season finale at rival Stanford looking like a College Football Playoff team. Can Marcus Freeman's Fighting Irish squad continue to dominate the way it has these past three weeks? The Irish look for a second 10-game winning streak in two years, and Jeremiyah Love looks to make his Heisman Trophy case as well. Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are here to break it al...