The Independent: A Notre Dame Football Podcast
Two veteran Notre Dame beat writers give insider analysis on Fighting Irish football, from roster strategy to the sport's national landscape.
This is a high-level conversation between two deeply-sourced beat writers who have covered Notre Dame for a combined total of more than three decades. Episodes toggle between granular team analysis (roster moves, spring practice notes) and national-level topics that affect the Irish, such as playoff expansion, conference realignment, and NIL spending. One host is often reporting on-location from events like ACC meetings, providing real-time intelligence from athletic directors and coaches.
“The hosts' longevity and combined experience on the Notre Dame beat is the show's defining feature. Unlike many fan podcasts, their analysis is grounded in decades of reporting and access to program insiders, allowing them to contextualize current events with historical precedent.”
Who hosts this show
The Independent is an essential listen for Fighting Irish football fans, hosted by Pete Sampson of The Athletic and Matt Fortuna of The Inside Zone. With a combined 35+ years covering Notre Dame, they offer deep analysis of the program twice a week. Sampson is a long-tenured staff writer for The Athletic who has covered the team for over two decades, while Fortuna is a national college football writer who founded The Inside Zone after stints at ESPN and The Athletic.
Credentials & credits
- Pete Sampson: Staff Writer, The Athletic
- Pete Sampson: Former Editor and Co-founder, Irish Illustrated
- Matt Fortuna: Founder, The Inside Zone
- Matt Fortuna: National College Football Writer (formerly ESPN, The Athletic)
- Matt Fortuna: Former President, Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)
- Pete Sampson: DePauw University Graduate
Other ventures
- Pete Sampson: The Shamrock (podcast)
- Pete Sampson: Irish Illustrated Insider (podcast)
- Matt Fortuna: The Inside Zone (Substack publication)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01Notre Dame is No. 1 in ESPN’s Future Power Rankings with Adam RittenbergJun 27, 2026 · 32 min
- 02
- 03
- 04Notre Dame Blue-Gold spring game recap, takeaways and moreApr 25, 2026 · 53 min
- 05
- 06Notre Dame players in THE BEAST + more NFL Draft talk, spring ball updates and moreApr 10, 2026 · 40 min
- 07Marcus Freeman updates Notre Dame midway through spring ball and much moreApr 2, 2026 · 49 min
- 08Notre Dame Opens Spring Football, Pro Day Reactions and much moreMar 27, 2026 · 42 min
Notable episodes
- 01Notre Dame is No. 1 in ESPN’s Future Power Rankings with Adam Rittenberg
A prime example of their interview format, breaking down a major national story with the author himself and showing how they use guest expertise.
- 02Notre Dame at ACC spring meetings. Why the Irish are in favor of a 24-team Playoff and more!
Demonstrates the show's on-the-ground reporting, with one host providing intel directly from the ACC meetings in Florida.
- 03How much does Notre Dame's roster cost? Plus, Leonard Moore on CFB27 cover and more
Highlights their ability to analyze the financial and strategic side of modern college football, specifically Notre Dame's NIL strategy.
What you'll be asked on this show
When conducting interviews, the hosts structure the conversation around the guest's recent work. They often open by asking the guest to defend or explain the central thesis of their article or ranking. Follow-up questions are informed and specific, drawing on the hosts' deep knowledge to probe methodology, get behind-the-scenes reactions, and connect the topic to broader trends in college football.
The show is a conversational two-host format, occasionally featuring a guest journalist for a focused interview. The hosts blend insider reporting with informed debate, often referencing specific conversations with coaches and administrators. The tone is authoritative and journalistic, but with the familiar rapport of long-time colleagues.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
8 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
controversy
1- Q.01
“Can you defend your position on this ranking/story?”
This is often the opening question, immediately asking the guest to justify the core argument of their work.
process
1- Q.01
“How much time went into this, and what was your process?”
The hosts use this to explore the methodology and effort behind the guest's analysis.
personal
1- Q.01
“Given your history covering this team, how does the current situation strike you?”
This question leverages the guest's long-term experience to provide historical context for the present moment.
craft
1- Q.01
“How did you balance [modern trend] like the portal against traditional factors?”
This probes how the guest's analytical framework adapts to contemporary complexities in the sport.
industry
2- Q.01
“What has the private feedback been from the staff or program?”
This seeks behind-the-scenes insight on how the subjects of media coverage react internally.
- Q.02
“What's your take on how the sport is handling a major issue like playoff expansion?”
This zooms out from Notre Dame to get the guest's expert opinion on a broad, national topic.
future
1- Q.01
“How will we know if this team is truly elite, given their schedule?”
This question challenges the premise of a team's strength by examining the quality of their opposition.
backstory
1- Q.01
“What are you hearing about the [specific player/situation]?”
Used between the co-hosts to share insider information and fresh reporting with the audience.
Signature segments
- · Thanking 'friends of the show' during sponsor reads
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are typically national media figures, like ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, who are booked to discuss a specific piece of work (e.g., an article or power ranking) that is directly relevant to Notre Dame.
- Adam Rittenbergon Notre Dame is No. 1 in ESPN’s Future Power Rankings with Adam Rittenberg
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
Sponsors like Obvious Shirts and Rhoback are presented as personal endorsements, with the hosts referring to them as "friends of the show" during ad reads.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch this show
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People also ask
- Who are the hosts?
- The hosts are Pete Sampson, a staff writer for The Athletic, and Matt Fortuna, the founder of The Inside Zone newsletter. Both are veteran college football journalists with decades of experience covering Notre Dame.
- What is the format of the show?
- It's a twice-weekly conversational podcast between the two hosts, analyzing recent news and trends. Occasionally, they will interview a guest, typically another journalist, about a specific story.
- Is this an official Notre Dame podcast?
- No, it is an independent podcast produced by the hosts, who are journalists for separate media outlets.
- Is the podcast still running?
- Yes, the podcast is active and releases new episodes twice a week, especially during the football season.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on major platforms like YouTube, iHeartRadio, and other podcast apps.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]About - The Inside Zonetheinsidezone.com
- [02]The Independent: A Notre Dame Football Podcast - YouTubeyoutube.com
- [03]Pete Sampson's Profile | The Athletic Journalist - Muck Rackmuckrack.com
- [04]Pete Sampson Q&A - Scholastic - University of Notre Damescholastic.nd.edu
- [05]The Independent: A Notre Dame Football Podcast | iHeartiheart.com
- [06][AMA] I'm Matt Fortuna, The Inside Zone & co-host of The Independent podcast. - Redditreddit.com
- [07]Notre Dame Football: A Conversation with Pete Sampson | myNotreDamemynotredame.nd.edu
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