USATSI
Notre Dame has scheduled an FCS opponent for the first time in program history, as the Fighting Irish announced on Tuesday they will welcome HBCU Tennessee State to Notre Dame Stadium on Sept. 2, 2023.
Adding the HBCU power to the schedule comes just four months after Notre Dame hired Marcus Freeman as the second Black coach in program history. Tennessee State is led by College Football Hall of Fame running back Eddie George. Both Freeman and George were All-Big Ten players at Ohio State, and George won the Buckeyes’ sixth Heisman Trophy in 1995.
“We’re excited to bring a pair of great academic institutions that are steeped in tradition together in 2023,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said. “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.”
Notre Dame is one of just three FBS programs that has never played an FCS opponent since the Division I split into I-A and I-AA in 1978. UCLA is scheduled to come off the list in 2022 with HBCU Alabama State coming to the Rose Bowl on Sept. 10. USC will be the lone remaining FBS squad to never play an FCS opponent after rescheduling a matchup against UC-Davis in 2021 for San Jose State.
Scheduling the game is a significant moment for a Tennessee…
..
