The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are one of the most iconic and legendary teams in the history of college football. However, it looks like one of the team’s iconic logos will look a little bit different this season.
Notre Dame has two primary logos. The primary logo is its “ND” wordmark, which features an “N” layered on top of a “D,” which obviously stands for Notre Dame. The secondary logo has long been a cartoon Leprechaun with its fist up, appearing ready for a fight.
Ahead of the 2025 college football season, Notre Dame is making a significant change to one of those logos.
Notre Dame Changes Leprechaun Logo
On Thursday afternoon, Notre Dame officially announced that it would be changing its iconic Leprechaun logo for the upcoming football season.
The new logo features a more modern illustration of the Leprechaun holding a football with a serious look on his face while appearing to march across a football field. This is in contrast to the previous logo, which showed the Leprechaun in a fighting stance.
The storied Leprechaun tradition adds a new chapter ☘️ #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/QEtBNqz6Gg
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 21, 2025
This marks the first time that the iconic logo has been updated since it was introduced back in 1964.
The History Behind the Original Logo
The original Leprechaun logo originally debuted on the cover of Time magazine on Nov. 20, 1964, and it quickly caught on and became synonymous with Notre Dame football, which was at the height of its dominance in the years to follow.
Represented by the hostile-looking Leprechaun logo, Notre Dame has been one of the most dominant and consistent programs in the country, winning national championships in 1966, 1973, 1977, and 1988 while finishing as runners-up in 2012 and again last season.
Why Notre Dame Made the Change
In a news release, Notre Dame said that the new version of the iconic logo is “inspired by photo, fundamentals, and running styles from former and current student-athletes.”
Fighting Irish Football ☘️#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/NiDmBzSroX
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 21, 2025
“The Leprechaun represents the tenacious and determined spirit of the Fighting Irish, a relentless desire to seize every opportunity with unity, clarity and purpose [whether] the odds be great or small,” Notre Dame wrote in a graphic announcing the change.
“This logo, drawn from a legacy known around the world, represents Fighting Irish Football.”
Notre Dame will debut the logo on Sunday, Aug. 31, when the Fighting Irish take on the Miami Hurricanes in a season-opening showdown.
