Not going to sugar coat this, but with a 26 Act the admissions councilors would have a hard time admitting you even if you were a recruited athlete… most of the recruited athletes have to have at least a 29-31 (and GPA to match)to get help into the university.
If you’re set on Notre Dame, I would consider applying to St. Mary’s or Holy Cross and trying to transfer after a year. Those two schools have a particularly strong connection to Notre Dame, so with a really strong transfer GPA you may be able to transfer your sophomore year. You could do this from any school, but SMC/HC would give you the opportunity to try out for the Notre Dame Marching Band, and would allow you to join clubs on campus. If you want to try that, make sure to apply by January 1st which I think is the regular decision application date.