Notre Dame announces woman will serve as Leprechaun mascot at football game for first time

For the first time ever at a Notre Dame football game, the Leprechaun mascot will not be a man. When the Fighting Irish take on Pitt this week, senior Kylee Kazenski will don the iconic suit.

Notre Dame made the announcement Friday ahead of the Week 9 matchup. The Fighting Irish are riding high out of the bye week, coming off a home victory over rival USC two weeks ago to get to 6-2 on the season.

“We’re making history in the House that Rockne Built!” the announcement read. “For the first time ever, a woman will don the green @NDTheLeprechaun suit to lead @ndfootball from the sidelines this Saturday. Say hello to Kylee Kazenski ‘24!”

We’re making history in the House that Rockne Built!

For the first time ever, a woman will don the green @NDTheLeprechaun suit to lead @ndfootball from the sidelines this Saturday.

Say hello to Kylee Kazenski ‘24!#GoIrish ☘️ #LoveThee pic.twitter.com/uMVHKpreMG

— University of Notre Dame (@NotreDame) October 27, 2023

The Leprechaun mascot has been a staple at Notre Dame since the 1960s. In 1961, the first Leprechaun stood on the sidelines and it became the official university mascot in 1965. Kazenski will be the fourth woman to ever serve as the Leprechaun after Lynnette Wukie became the first in 2019.

However, no woman has ever worn the suit at a football game. That will change on Saturday.

Kazenski is one of two woman chosen to be the Leprechaun throughout the school year, according to Notre Dame’s student newspaper, The Observer. After she was selected, she discussed what it meant to be in such special company.

“It’s a unique opportunity to inspire younger girls and women here to really go out there and make their dreams happen, no matter what’s typical of that role or perceived as typical,” Kazenski said.

Notre Dame is coming off a bye last week, which was the Fighting Irish’s first week off of the season. They played eight consecutive games, including a Week 0 game in Dublin and four straight in prime time. The last one was the biggest, though, as Notre Dame dominated Caleb Williams and USC en route to a 48-20 victory.

Now, according to Marcus Freeman, the goal is to continue improving the offense as Notre Dame tries to play its way into a New Year’s Six bowl game.

“We have to continue to build confidence and take shots,” Freeman said. “Especially playing the defense we’ll play this week, you’re going to have to take some shots and some play action shots. We’re continuously looking at the things we do. But the biggest thing is the execution. The challenge will continuously be we have to simplify so the execution is at the standard we need it to be. It’s not more, more, more. It’s clear, clear, clear.”