# 2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led during the regular season by Brian Kelly in his 12th and final season at Notre Dame. They finished the season 11–2, highlighted by rivalry wins over Purdue, USC, Navy, and Stanford and an upset loss to eventual CFP participant Cincinnati. The Fighting Irish played their home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.
On November 29, Kelly resigned to become the head coach at LSU. He finished at Notre Dame with a 12-year record of 113–40 on the field, and an official record of 92–40 due to games vacated by the NCAA. Defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman was named the program's new head coach. The Irish played in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State, losing 37–35 after blowing a 28–7 2nd-quarter lead.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes

On December 14, 2020 defensive coordinator Clark Lea left the school to become the head coach at Vanderbilt. On January 8, 2021, the school named Cincinnati defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to replace Lea.

### Departures

NFL
* OL Liam Eichenberg (drafted by the Miami Dolphins)
* OL Aaron Banks (drafted by the San Francisco 49ers)
* LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (drafted by the Cleveland Browns)
* TE Tommy Tremble (drafted by the Carolina Panthers)
* OL Robert Hainsey (drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
* QB Ian Book (drafted by the New Orleans Saints)
* DL Daelin Hayes (drafted by the Baltimore Ravens)
* DL Adetokunbo Ogundeji (drafted by the Atlanta Falcons)
* WR Ben Skowronek (drafted by the Los Angeles Rams)
* S Shaun Crawford (signed by the Las Vegas Raiders)
* OL Tommy Kraemer (signed by the Detroit Lions)
* CB Nick McCloud (signed by the Buffalo Bills)
* WR Javon McKinley (signed by the Detroit Lions)
* TE Brock Wright (signed by the Detroit Lions)
Transfers out
* RB/WR Kendall Abdur-Rahman (transferred to Western Kentucky)
* RB/WR Jafar Armstrong (Transferred to Illinois)
* WR Jay Brunelle (transferred to Yale)
* DT Ja'Mion Franklin (Transferred to Duke)
* OL Dillan Gibbons (transferred to Florida State)
* C Colin Grunhard (Transferred to Kansas)
* LB Jordan Genmark Heath (Transferred to UCLA)
* WR Jordan Johnson (transferred to UCF)
* WR Micah Jones (Transferred to Illinois State)
* LB Jack Lamb (Transferred to Colorado)
* DE Ovie Oghoufo (Transferred to Texas)
* CB Isaiah Rutherford (Transferred to Arizona)
* RB Jahmir Smith (Transferred to Appalachian State)
* DE Kofi Wardlow (Transferred to Charlotte)
Other
* OL Hunter Spears (medically retired from football)

### Transfers in

* QB Jack Coan (transferred from Wisconsin)
* OL Cain Madden (transferred from Marshall)
* LB Adam Shibley (transferred from Michigan)

## Schedule

The 2021 schedule was officially released on April 25, 2019. The neutral site game at Soldier Field had been designated the Shamrock Series game, although television rights were owned and operated by the Big Ten Network. This was the second year since 2020 that not every home game aired on NBC, as the home opener aired on Peacock.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | 7:30 p.m. | at Florida State | No. 9 | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL (rivalry) | ABC | W 41–38 $^{OT}$ | 68,316 |
| September 11 | 2:30 p.m. | Toledo | No. 8 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | Peacock | W 32–29 | 62,009 |
| September 18 | 2:30 p.m. | Purdue | No. 12 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 27–13 | 74,341 |
| September 25 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 18 Wisconsin | No. 12 | Soldier FieldChicago, IL (Shamrock Series, Big Noon Kickoff, College GameDay) | Fox | W 41–13 | 59,571 |
| October 2 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 7 Cincinnati | No. 9 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | NBC | L 13–24 | 77,622 |
| October 9 | 7:30 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | No. 14 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA | ACCN | W 32–29 | 65,632 |
| October 23 | 7:30 p.m. | USC | No. 13 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 31–16 | 77,622 |
| October 30 | 7:30 p.m. | North Carolina | No. 11 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 44–34 | 71,018 |
| November 6 | 3:30 p.m. | Navy | No. 10 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 34–6 | 77,096 |
| November 13 | 7:30 p.m. | at Virginia | No. 9 | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | ABC | W 28–3 | 48,584 |
| November 20 | 2:30 p.m. | Georgia Tech | No. 8 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 55–0 | 70,011 |
| November 27 | 8:00 p.m. | at Stanford | No. 6 | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA (rivalry) | Fox | W 45–14 | 31,571 |
| January 1, 2022 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State | No. 5 | State Farm StadiumGlendale, AZ (Fiesta Bowl) | ESPN | L 35–37 | 49,550 |
| Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 9 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| Coaches | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 9 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | Not released |

## Game summaries
### At Florida State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| • No. 9 Fighting Irish | 7 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 41 |
| Seminoles | 7 | 7 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 38 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| ND –7.0 | 53.5 |
| Statistics | Notre Dame | Florida State |
| First downs | 17 | 19 |
| Total yards | 431 | 442 |
| Rushing yards | 65 | 264 |
| Passing yards | 366 | 178 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 30:35 | 29:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 26/35, 366 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Kyren Williams | 18 carries, 42 yards |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Michael Mayer | 9 receptions, 120 yards, 1 TD |
| Florida State | Passing | Jordan Travis | 9/19, 130 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INT |
| Florida State | Rushing | Jashaun Corbin | 15 carries, 144 yards, 1 TD |
| Florida State | Receiving | Keyshawn Helton | 4 receptions, 53 yards |

### Toledo

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rockets | 6 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 29 |
| • No. 8 Fighting Irish | 7 | 7 | 0 | 18 | 32 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| ND –16.5 | 55.5 |
| Statistics | Toledo | Notre Dame |
| First downs | 16 | 27 |
| Total yards | 353 | 449 |
| Rushing yards | 132 | 132 |
| Passing yards | 221 | 317 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 30:04 | 29:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Toledo | Passing | Carter Bradley | 17/27, 213 yards |
| Toledo | Rushing | Bryant Koback | 21 carries, 122 yards, 1 TD |
| Toledo | Receiving | Devin Maddox | 9 receptions, 135 yards |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 21/33, 239 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Kyren Williams | 16 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Michael Mayer | 7 receptions, 81 yards, 2 TDs |

### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boilermakers | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
| • No. 12 Fighting Irish | 0 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| ND –7.5 | 58.5 |
| Statistics | Purdue | Notre Dame |
| First downs | 19 | 16 |
| Total yards | 348 | 343 |
| Rushing yards | 57 | 120 |
| Passing yards | 291 | 223 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 34:11 | 25:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Purdue | Passing | Jack Plummer | 25/36, 187 yards, 1 TD |
| Purdue | Rushing | King Doerue | 10 carries, 45 yards |
| Purdue | Receiving | Jackson Anthrop | 7 receptions, 90 yards |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 15/31, 223 yards, 2 TDs |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Kyren Williams | 12 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Avery Davis | 5 receptions, 120 yards, 1 TD |

### Vs. No. 18 Wisconsin

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Badgers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| • No. 12 Fighting Irish | 0 | 10 | 0 | 31 | 41 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| WIS –6 | 43.5 |
| Statistics | Wisconsin | Notre Dame |
| First downs | 16 | 17 |
| Total yards | 318 | 242 |
| Rushing yards | 78 | 3 |
| Passing yards | 240 | 239 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:24 | 31:36 |
For this season's Shamrock Series, Notre Dame kept with tradition by donning special uniforms. The team wore its usual gold helmet that featured four stars on the back of the helmet, which honors the Flag of Chicago. The school's blue uniform had sleeves featuring two gold stripes, which resemble the rivers and waterways represented on Chicago's flag. The all-white numbers are block slab-serif, which represent the "City of Broad Shoulders". The back collar of the uniform displays Notre Dame's mission statement, which is to "Graduate Champions". The pants are a nod to the Fighting Irish team that played the first football game at Soldier Field in 1924, the same year the university won its first championship. The pants are gold, with two blue lines with a white line in the middle, running down the side of the leg.
With this victory, Brian Kelly became the winningest coach in Notre Dame history with victory number 106, surpassing Knute Rockne in his 12th season with the Fighting Irish.
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Graham Mertz | 18/41, 240 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Chez Mellusi | 18 carries, 54 yards |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Kendric Pryor | 6 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 15/29, 158 yards, 1 TD |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Kyren Williams | 18 carries, 33 yards |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Kevin Austin Jr. | 6 receptions, 76 yards, 2 TDs |

### No. 7 Cincinnati

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 7 Bearcats | 0 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| No. 9 Fighting Irish | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CIN –2 | 50.5 |
| Statistics | Cincinnati | Notre Dame |
| First downs | 16 | 19 |
| Total yards | 390 | 341 |
| Rushing yards | 93 | 84 |
| Passing yards | 297 | 257 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 28:10 | 31:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Cincinnati | Passing | Desmond Ridder | 19/32, 297 yards, 2 TDs |
| Cincinnati | Rushing | Jerome Ford | 17 carries, 71 yards |
| Cincinnati | Receiving | Alec Pierce | 6 receptions, 144 yards |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Drew Pyne | 9/22, 143 yards, 1 TD |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Kyren Williams | 13 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Michael Mayer | 8 receptions, 93 yards |

### At Virginia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 14 Fighting Irish | 0 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 32 |
| Hokies | 7 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 29 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| ND –1 | 47 |
| Statistics | Notre Dame | Virginia Tech |
| First downs | 21 | 21 |
| Total yards | 401 | 321 |
| Rushing yards | 180 | 134 |
| Passing yards | 221 | 187 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 28:36 | 31:24 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Tyler Buchner | 6/14, 113 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Kyren Williams | 19 carries, 81 yards, TD |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Kevin Austin Jr. | 3 receptions, 70 yards |
| Virginia Tech | Passing | Braxton Burmeister | 15/30, 184 yards, INT |
| Virginia Tech | Rushing | Braxton Burmeister | 10 carries, 49 yards, TD |
| Virginia Tech | Receiving | Tré Turner | 6 receptions, 80 yards |

### USC

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
| • No. 13 Fighting Irish | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| ND –7.5 | 60 |
| Statistics | USC | Notre Dame |
| First downs | 25 | 26 |
| Total yards | 428 | 383 |
| Rushing yards | 129 | 170 |
| Passing yards | 299 | 213 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:37 | 31:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| USC | Passing | Kedon Slovis | 27/37, 299 yards, INT |
| USC | Rushing | Keaontay Ingram | 24 carries, 138 yards, TD |
| USC | Receiving | Drake London | 15 receptions, 171 yards |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 20/28, 189 yards, TD, INT |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Kyren Williams | 25 carries, 138 yards, 2 TD |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Lorenzo Styles Jr. | 3 receptions, 57 yards |

### North Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tar Heels | 0 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 34 |
| • No. 11 Fighting Irish | 7 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 44 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| ND –3.5 | 63 |
| Statistics | North Carolina | Notre Dame |
| First downs | 28 | 26 |
| Total yards | 554 | 523 |
| Rushing yards | 213 | 293 |
| Passing yards | 341 | 230 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 30:15 | 29:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| North Carolina | Passing | Sam Howell | 24/31, 341 yards, TD, INT |
| North Carolina | Rushing | Sam Howell | 18 carries, 91 yards, TD |
| North Carolina | Receiving | Josh Downs | 10 receptions, 142 yards |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 16/24, 213 yards, TD |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Kyren Williams | 22 carries, 199 yards, TD |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Lorenzo Styles Jr. | 3 receptions, 74 yards |

### Navy

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Midshipmen | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| • No. 10 Fighting Irish | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 34 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| -21.0 | 48 |
| Statistics | Navy | Notre Dame |
| First downs | 11 | 21 |
| Total yards | 184 | 430 |
| Rushing yards | 166 | 150 |
| Passing yards | 18 | 280 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 34:33 | 25:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Navy | Passing | Xavier Arline | 1/2, 18 yards |
| Navy | Rushing | Isaac Ruoss | 22 carries, 73 yards |
| Navy | Receiving | Jayden Umbarger | 1 reception, 18 yards |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 23/29, 269 yards, TD |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Kyren Williams | 17 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Kevin Austin Jr. | 6 receptions, 139 yards, TD |

### At Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 9 Fighting Irish | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Cavaliers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| ND –9.0 | 62 |
| Statistics | Notre Dame | Virginia |
| First downs | 22 | 17 |
| Total yards | 423 | 278 |
| Rushing yards | 249 | 82 |
| Passing yards | 174 | 196 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 29:41 | 30:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 15/20, 132 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Kyren Williams | 14 carries, 70 yards, TD |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Michael Mayer | 7 receptions, 84 yards, TD |
| Virginia | Passing | Jay Woolfolk | 18/33, 196 yards, 2 INT |
| Virginia | Rushing | Mike Hollins | 9 carries, 44 yards |
| Virginia | Receiving | Keytaon Thompson | 9 receptions, 110 yards |

### Georgia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Yellow Jackets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • No. 8 Fighting Irish | 24 | 21 | 10 | 0 | 55 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| ND –18 | 58.0 |
| Statistics | Georgia Tech | Notre Dame |
| First downs | 11 | 23 |
| Total yards | 224 | 514 |
| Rushing yards | 128 | 212 |
| Passing yards | 96 | 302 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 30:39 | 29:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia Tech | Passing | Jordan Yates | 14/28, 96 yards, INT |
| Georgia Tech | Rushing | Jahmyr Gibbs | 12 carries, 58 yards |
| Georgia Tech | Receiving | Malachi Carter | 3 receptions, 89 yards |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 15/20, 285 yards, 2 TD |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Tyler Buchner | 5 carries, 67 yards |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Kevin Austin Jr. | 2 receptions, 89 yards |

### At Stanford

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 6 Fighting Irish | 7 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 45 |
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| ND –21.0 | 53.0 |
| Statistics | Notre Dame | Stanford |
| First downs | 26 | 11 |
| Total yards | 509 | 227 |
| Rushing yards | 168 | 55 |
| Passing yards | 341 | 172 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 34:10 | 25:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 26/35, 345 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Kyren Williams | 19 carries, 74 yards, 2 TD |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Kevin Austin Jr. | 6 carries, 125 yards |
| Stanford | Passing | Tanner McKee | 20/25, 172 yards, TD |
| Stanford | Rushing | Austin Jones | 9 carries, 35 yards, TD |
| Stanford | Receiving | Benjamin Yurosek | 5 receptions, 87 yards, TD |

### Vs. Oklahoma State (Fiesta Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 9 Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 17 | 6 | 37 |
| No. 5 Fighting Irish | 14 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 35 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| OSU –1.0 | 45.0 |
| Statistics | Oklahoma State | Notre Dame |
| First downs | 34 | 27 |
| Total yards | 605 | 551 |
| Rushing yards | 234 | 42 |
| Passing yards | 371 | 509 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 29:06 | 30:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Oklahoma State | Passing | Spencer Sanders | 34/51, 371 yards, 4 TD |
| Oklahoma State | Rushing | Spencer Sanders | 17 carries, 125 yards |
| Oklahoma State | Receiving | Brennan Presley | 10 receptions, 137 yards |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Jack Coan | 38/68, 509 yards, 5 TD, INT |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Logan Diggs | 9 carries, 29 yards |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Lorenzo Styles Jr. | 8 receptions, 136 yards, TD |