Freeman: 'Too late' for Notre Dame to add players

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  Adam RittenbergAug 21, 2026, 05:29 PM ET

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  College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.

Notre Dame won't be among the teams seeking players from the 2022 recruiting class who could be eligible to play this fall because of recent legal decisions.

Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman said Friday that Notre Dame's admissions process and academic calendar, which kicks off the fall semester Monday, make it "too late" to consider adding players from the 2022 class. A federal judge's ruling opened the door for athletes in the 2022 class who played four consecutive seasons to return for a fifth year, and even though an appeals court Friday granted the NCAA a stay in reversing the order, dozens of athletes who have received restraining orders in separate state lawsuits still can compete this fall.

Freeman was asked about defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka, who made seven starts in four seasons for Notre Dame and was among 15 players, including some in the NFL, granted a temporary restraining order by a Louisiana judge Wednesday.

"For us at Notre Dame, it's just too late [with] the graduate admissions process, and I don't think it would put a person in a good situation this late -- school starts on Monday -- to have success in the classroom and on the field, so that's been our stance on it," Freeman said. "... Our admissions has already done their admissions and cycles. That's where the university and the athletic program stands right now."

Shortly after Freeman addressed reporters, Tuihalamaka committed to LSU, his agent told ESPN's Pete Thamel.