The 2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Brian Kelly and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. They competed as an independent.
The 2015 Fighting Irish squad was arguably the most explosive offense that Brian Kelly has coached at Notre Dame. During the regular season, the Irish were one of twenty-one schools in the country to average 200 or more passing yards and rushing yards per game. The Irish had fourteen plays of over 50 yards during the season, which ranked 13th in the country and was a school record. They also had two touchdowns of over 90 yards, (a 91-yard touchdown run by C.J. Prosise and a 98-yard touchdown run by Josh Adams). The Irish only had two in the previous 126 years of Notre Dame football. The running game was dominant. The 5.76 yards per carry were fifth in the country. They finished the regular season averaging 34 points per game, including a 62-point effort against UMass, the most points in a game since 1996.
The Irish were defeated by Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl by a score of 44–28.
Before the season
2015 NFL draft
Transfers out / departures
On May 19, 2015, QB Everett Golson announced he was transferring to the Florida State Seminoles football team to complete his college eligibility. Golson will be able to play immediately as he has graduated from Notre Dame. On June 11, 2015, sophomore defensive end Jhonny Williams announced his transfer from the university. Williams transferred to Toledo. Sophomore defensive end Kolin Hill transferred from the university, and headed to Texas Tech.
Transfers in
Avery Sebastian, a defensive back who previously played for the California Golden Bears, announced he would transfer to Notre Dame in June after he received his degree in May 2015. He would be enrolled in a graduate studies program while exhausting his final season of eligibility.
Coaching changes
The off-season brought a few changes to the coaching staff, as Notre Dame lost three assistant coaches to other opportunities: Kerry Cooks left the coaching staff to take the same position at the University of Oklahoma. Matt LaFleur departed to take the same position for the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL, and Tony Alford left the university to take the same position at Ohio State University. Also, outside linebackers coach Bob Elliott moved into an off-the-field coaching role within the program. To replace their losses, Notre Dame welcomed the addition of four new assistant coaches. Mike Sanford Jr. former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Boise State accepted the same position on the coaching staff. Todd Lyght, a former All-American at Notre Dame and cornerbacks coach at Vanderbilt, accepted the same position on the coaching staff. Keith Gilmore, previously the defensive line coach at North Carolina, accepted the same position on the coaching staff. Autry Denson, Notre Dame's all-time leading rusher and running backs coach at the University of South Florida, accepted the same position on the coaching staff.
Recruiting class
Brian Kelly received 24 commitments in his fifth full recruiting class including one five-star, Aliz'e Jones. The class included student-athletes from 13 different states.
During the season
On television
The 2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was featured in the miniseries, A Season With Notre Dame Football on Showtime, which premiered on Tuesday September 8, 2015. It followed Fighting Irish football players and coaches at University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Each episode reviews highlights of every football game played during the current season of Notre Dame football. The series was narrated by actor and Fighting Irish fan Barry Pepper. The tagline was "It's more than just a game."
Personnel
Coaching staff
Roster
Schedule
Game summaries
Texas
Notre Dame would start the year out strong by beating the Texas Longhorns by a score of 38–3. Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire finished the game 19 for 22 for 313 yards and three touchdown passes. The Irish offense outgained Texas 527 to 163 and had 30 first downs compared to the Longhorns who had 8.