Notre Dame Plans Holtz Helmet Decal for 2026

Notre Dame will honor late coach Lou Holtz this season with a helmet decal featuring the name “LOU” and hand signals, to be worn on the back of the Golden helmets throughout the 2026 season. Holtz, who led the Fighting Irish to the 1988 national championship and amassed 100 wins at Notre Dame, died in March at age 89. The decal, described as a small round emblem, will debut during the season opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. In addition to the decal, Notre Dame has planned a broader slate of tributes, including video retrospectives and other events surrounding the Shamrock Series game and NBC’s broadcast coverage. Several articles note fans and media discussions of additional nods, such as historic uniform cues to evoke Holtz’s era, while the program’s current coach Marcus Freeman emphasized Holtz’s lasting influence on the program. Overall, the university is publicly commemorating Holtz’s impact on Notre Dame football with both on-field symbolism and media tributes as the team begins the 2026 season.