It took Notre Dame football 12 years for another national title shot. The next wait won't be that long
In the wake of heartbreak, there are no words to acutely snuff the pain.
Notre Dame football heads into an offseason of "what if's" after falling to Ohio State in the national championship game 34-23. A season with magical moments halted in Atlanta against a team that seemed to make its own magic at will.
In the wake of it all, there hasn't been an Irish team this close to breaking the three-decade cloud over this stories program. That team still came up short.
"It's just going to be a bloody wound for the rest of my life," tight end Mitchell Evans said.
"There’s not many words to say when everybody is hurting," head coach Marcus Freeman said.
It was a 12-year wait from the last time Notre Dame had a chance to win it all. That 2012 team had no shot against an Alabama team that was thoroughly better in every facet. The Tide left no doubt.
Twelve years later, the Irish still came up short. The Buckeyes had the better players, coaches and program. This time, though, it doesn't feel like the gap between Notre Dame and a championship is all that large.
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The shifts in the college football landscape helped move the Irish close, but Freeman's emergence as one of the best coaches in the game, and one of the best to succeed Lou Holtz as the last coach to win a title at Notre Dame, have brought the program as close as it has been since 1988.
The Irish won't have to wait 12 years until their next shot at a national title. But, they'll need to close the final gap when it comes around.
It could be as soon as the 2025 season; it's hard to deny that Notre Dame is set up for success.
A big reason why are the stars Notre Dame had this season.
Rylie Mills, Howard Cross III, Riley Leonard, Xavier Watts and Benjamin Morrison shined for the Irish this season. Watts was an All-American safety, too. They were an example of what's expected if Notre Dame wants to earn a shot at a national championship.
"There’s going to be a lot of guys, seniors, that this was their final game with Notre Dame football," Freeman said. "They’ve left this place a better place and very grateful to be on the journey with them."
It's one thing to talk about a chance to win it all, but it's another to see it come to fruition. Notre Dame did that with wins over Indiana, Georgia and Penn State where the best players created unforgettable moments.
Next year's team won't have to wait long to create more, and the 2025 Irish will know how to win.
The Irish open on the road against Miami and transfer quarterback Carson Beck, before returning home to host Texas A&M. These early-season tests are fit for a team that'll return 18 of its 22 starters from a squad that was so close to a championship.
Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Leonard Moore, Christian Gray, Charles Jagusah, Anthonie Knapp, Adon Shuler, Drayk Bowen, Jaylen Sneed, Jaden Greathouse, Jordan Botehlo, Bryce Young and Boubacar Traore are all expected to return. There's also a top-15 incoming recruiting class, plus ready additions through the transfer portal.
Star corner Benjamin Morrison could return, but he's a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 20: Head coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on after losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes 34-23 in the 2025 CFP National Championship at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgi
The Irish will miss Leonard, Watts, Cross, Collins and Morrison, if Morrison declares for the draft, but the returning number of talented players who know what its like to play at the highest level of college football.
If Notre Dame looked like it wasn't ready for the moment in the second quarter as the Buckeyes built their lead, these 18 returning players are the ones that can make sure they're ready the next time.
"I’m ready to get back to work right now," Greathouse told reporters after the game. "I’ve never felt a pain like this. I’m even more eager to get rid of it, so I’m going to be in the lab."
If each of the returning stars carries the same mindset that Greathouse has, then Notre Dame can finally close the book on a season centered around a loss to Northern Illinois.
The Irish can still use a loss to motivate the team if they want. This time, it could look at the loss in the national championship game. It has to be the measuring stick going forward for a program that isn't far.
The 2024 Notre Dame season had moments college football fans dream of, as well as nightmares.
The losses to Ohio State and NIU will hurt, but the sting of pain often fades in time or with the joys of more success. They also don't take away the wins over Georgia, Texas A&M, USC and Penn State. The semifinal win over the Nittany Lions is the kind of win that lives on replay over a decade later.
But, those moments can't be the high point. From what Notre Dame has done this season, and with the potential of what can come, it's hard to think this program won't go higher under Freeman's purview.
"I’m just proud of them and proud of what they’ve done," Freeman said. "I’m proud of who they are, the way they represent themselves, and it’s just an honor to be on this journey with them."