Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman are taking the Irish football to the next level after a breathtaking season. The college football final game appearance is, however, stinging like a sweet pain in their memories. Heading to his 4th year at South Bend, Freeman clearly has something to chase, something to defend. It’s not about being the face of the story anymore; it’s about being the story that the college football world turns its head to. The final finish line will be crucial. The off-season grind, the roster revamp, and the spring evaluation are all going in the right direction, but Freeman, once in a while, seeks some expert guidance for his team, and it’s never a misfire.
Notre Dame hosted a number of speakers and mentors for the team to feel more geared up before the regular season kicks off. Many of the guests are among the esteemed former players of the school. Former Notre Dame All-American Bobby Taylor stands as one among them. Taylor capped off five interceptions over two seasons with the Irish, earning consensus All-American honors in 1994. He was picked up in the second round (No. 50 overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent the first nine years of his career. He wrapped up his pro tenure with a season with the Seattle Seahawks.
His valuable insights were like a guiding light for the players who looked for a successful transition to the NFL. But it’s not just Taylor who graced the Irish stage. Freeman invited his former peer from Ohio State, Rory Nicol, as a chief contributor to the student-enriching session. They both played for the Scarlet and Gray during the early and mid-2000s, with Nicol leaving the team in 2008.
Freeman didn’t share any details on what Nicol preached to the players, but his story seemingly had a deeper impact on the listeners. Freeman took to his Instagram to pay a grateful ode to his old friend for doing him a favor and showing up for the young stars. “THANK YOU to my teammate, Rory Nicol, for making the time to share your story with our program! Hold The Rope!” the head coach said in the caption of a post featuring the speakers and the students.
Despite going all in with his effort to build an exceptionally skilled team at South Bend, Freeman keeps pondering over the disappointment of the 29th of January, 2025. Freeman knows where they lacked. Coming fresh off a 13-game winning streak, they got a bit comfortable in their skin, maybe. The 23-34 loss racked their momentum like no other. But despite these setbacks, Freeman is setting an example at South Bend that Kelly never did: winning big games. In just three seasons, Freeman bagged more top ten wins under his belt than Kelly.
But he is never content with his pace. He’s grooving for more, but not with a pent-up insecurity, though.
Marcus Freeman wants to test this roster’s potential before the crucial games
Freeman isn’t bothered about their season opener against Miami at all. He is not even trying to rush the quarterback decision as well. One of the major flaws of the Notre Dame camp this off-season is that they are taking too much time to choose between Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr.
With an early-season opener, this can be fatal to their fate. But Freeman dismisses the theory. As Riley Leonard has gone, no competing face comes up with the experience under the center. So, no matter if it’s Minchey or Carr, both will be exposed to some position challenge for the first time, and that will be the real test of their tenacity to run the offense further.
“We’re going to have whoever our starting quarterback is, it’s going to be their first time starting. So, as I look at this training camp,” Freeman said. “How many high-pressure situations can we put these quarterbacks in to make sure they can execute before we get out there down in South Florida. I think, for me, it’s looking at what your team needs. Not the opponent, as much as what your current team needs to make sure they’re prepared and have some of those questions answered before the real bullets get flying.”
It will be interesting to see how the Irish head coach will proceed with the Notre Dame legacy forward with the resources he has in the locker room.
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