2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 2021 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their 12th year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Irish compiled an 11–2 record, outscored opponents by a total of 458 to 256, and were ranked No. 8 in the final AP poll and No. 9 in the final Coaches Poll. In three games against ranked opponents, they defeated No. 18 Wisconsin and lost to No. 7 Cincinnati, and No. 9 Oklahoma State, the latter in the Fiesta Bowl by a 37–35 score.

At the end of the regular season, Kelly resigned to become the head coach at LSU. Defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman was named the program's new head coach and took over for the bowl game.

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Jack Coan (3,150 passing yards), running back Kyren Williams (1,002 rushing yards, 104 points scored), wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. (888 receiving yards), tight end Michael Mayer (71 receptions), and linebacker JD Bertrand (101 total tackles). Safety Kyle Hamilton was a consensus first-team pick on the 2021 All-America college football team.

The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.