Notre Dame are getting some huge upgrades ahead of the 2026 College Football (CFB) season.
The Fighting Irish have enjoyed a very busy week.
Not only did they announce a jersey patch sponsorship with SoFi worth $20 million annually – the biggest deal in college football so far – but they also unveiled a new practice facility.
Named the Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall, Notre Dame’s new home cost north of $100 million to complete.
It is a statement facility which puts them up at the top with some of the very best football programs in the country, such as Michigan and LSU.
The team unveiled their new look with a four minute-long video showing drone footage of all its key attributes, and is well worth a watch in its entirety.
It was also a huge signal of intent to the rest of college football that in the modern age, needing to join a conference is overrated – at least in their own views.
Two-years in the making, the new 150,000-square-foot facility boasts a plethora of state-of-the-art features, including “an advanced training room; a stand-alone sports medicine facility; an equipment facility with body scanning and fabrication technology.”
It also includes “a new and expanded locker room; meeting rooms, including a two-level, all-team auditorium and an augmented reality walkthrough room; media innovation spaces, including recording studios and photo studios; academic support spaces; and a new player nutrition area.”
It is estimated to be 50 percent bigger than the Guglielmino Athletics Complex – more commonly known as “The Gug”, which opened back in 2005.
The Gug is expected to be renovated later down the line, serving as a performance center for student-athletes across Notre Dame’s 26 varsity sports, according to the university’s Athletic Director, Pete Bevacqua back in 2024.
As for Notre Dame football, should they reach the National Championship game next season, they stand to make north $129 million.
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This is made up of their $50 million TV rights deal with NBC, $10 million from their Under Armour apparel deal, $20 million from their jersey patch sponsorship, $17 million from their ACC scheduling agreement, and up to $20 million from the College Football Playoff.
This sum doesn’t even include any additional revenue that they stand to make from ticket sales, other partnership deals, and merchandise sales.
Notre Dame renew rivalry with USC
Notre Dame vs USC is one of the greatest rivalries in all of college football, stemming back to 1946.
Typically the two teams meet in October or November in what has been called “the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football.”
However, the two teams will not face each other in 2026, and instead, will have to wait until 2030, with the two teams having agreed to a four-game home-and-home series through 2034.
Negotiations between the two sides became difficult once the Trojans joined the Big Ten in 2024, with USC not wanting to play non-conference games after September, leading to the series hiatus.
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“USC’s historic rivalry with Notre Dame holds a special place in the history of college football, and we are happy to resume a series that means so much to the entire Trojan Family,” athletic director Jen Cohen said in a statement.
“It remains important for us to play this game early in the season, as it allows us to schedule competitively with our Big Ten peers and takes into account the health and best interests of our student-athletes and program.
“We are excited for our fans, and we look forward to more memorable matchups and unforgettable games between the Trojans and the Irish.”
The teams will meet in Week 1 of the 2030 season, with the 2031 season seeing the storied matchup take place in Week 2 of the campaign.
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According to USC head coach Lincoln Riley, staging the contest for the early weeks of the CFB season was integral to successfully brokering the deal.
“We’re part of a conference. You know, we have a conference schedule to answer them to. We don’t choose our own kickoff times,” Riley said.
“I just wanted it to make sense for our team in terms of playing the rest of the Big Ten and Big Ten team travel. And again, we just don’t have the same flexibility in our schedule. It is what it is.
“Our desire to play this game — this game’s part of our history, our college football history — has never been questioned, never will,” Riley continued.
“I think this benefits everyone. You know, I guess it benefits USC. I think it benefits Notre Dame. I think this benefits college football.”
