Notre Dame to end streak of not playing FCS football program
Notre Dame will open the home portion of the 2023 football season against Tennessee State. It will be Notre Dame’s first game in program history against an FCS program.
I’ll have more thoughts on this later but initially I’m not thrilled. I will say that if it is ending that I’m happy to see it occur against a Historically Black College and University like Tennessee State is, but that aside, I was a fan of the Irish having never previously played an FCS team.
The Ohio State connection will be strong come Sept. 2, 2023 as Marcus Freeman will be coaching the Irish and the Heisman Trophy winning Buckeye eddie george is currently the Tennessee State head coach.
Related – Notre Dame football future schedule and opponents
The official release from Notre Dame reads as follows…
SOUTH BEND (Ind.) – The University of Notre Dame football program is set to host Tennessee State University (TSU) on Sept. 2, 2023 at Notre Dame Stadium and the game will be broadcast nationally on NBC, it was announced today.
“We’re excited to bring a pair of great academic institutions that are steeped in tradition together in 2023,” said University Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick. “None of this would be possible without Dr. (Mikki) Allen and Coach (Eddie) George’s vision for what this game can represent to our Universities. I’m thrilled we’re able to bring the Tigers and the Irish together for a weekend that will feature programs with over 20 combined national titles, the Aristocrat of Bands and the Band of the Fighting Irish.”
It will mark the first time in program history the Irish will face a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) when the Tigers make their trip to South Bend for the Irish’s 2023 home opener.
“TSU and Notre Dame are two iconic programs that have helped shape today’s college athletics landscape,” said Dr. Mikki Allen, TSU Director of Athletics.
“We are setting the foundation for long-term success under Coach George’s leadership. The goal is that TSU will be a destination program for the next generation of student-athletes to come.”
Prior to hosting TSU, Notre Dame will kick off its 2023 campaign on Saturday, Aug. 26, when it travels to Dublin, Ireland, to host Navy at Aviva Stadium.
