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 State squad that ranks among the most historic in Black college football history. The Tigers have won 11 Black College National Championships -- including one in 2013. The program has also produced iconic players like Richard Dent and Ed "Too Tall" Jones. Former coach John Merritt is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
This meeting has been scheduled at a major moment in the history of HBCU football. Rival Jackson State pulled out of the Southern Heritage Classic against Tennessee State after more than 30 years, and likely will search for showcase opportunities against FBS opponents under coach Deion Sanders. However, Tennessee State landed the biggest fish imaginable by scheduling Notre Dame.
"TSU and Notre Dame are two iconic programs that have helped shape today's college athletics landscape," TSU athletic director Mikki Allen said in a statement. "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."
Notre Dame is scheduled to play Navy on Aug. 26, 2023, in Dublin, Ireland, the week before facing off with Tennessee State.
