Marcus Freeman’s Christmas Wishlist!
It’s that time of year again folks. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to each and every one of you. While in the holiday spirit, I thought it’d be fun to explore what items may be on Notre Dame Coach Marcus Freeman’s wishlist this Christmas.
After year 1 at the helm, this much is for certain. Freeman is certainly on the “nice list”. Even in challenging and frustrating times, he always stayed respectful and navigated issues with grace. Notre Dame fans all over the land hope Santa delivers on most if not all of the items on this list as a reward for being such a great steward of Notre Dame!
More Flexibility
Nov 5, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman watches an extra point attempt against the Clemson Tigers in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
I’m sure whether in private or possibly even stated openly to Jack Swarbrick, Freeman would like more flexibility in terms of admission for undergraduate recruits and transfers. Nothing extreme, but just a bit more leeway would go a long way to staying competitive. No, this would not tarnish the golden dome forever, unclutch your pearls please. Give some very hardworking players a chance to become Notre Dame men. This used to be the mission.
Also included in this dynamic would be decisions on admissions and the entire process being sped up so that plans can be made quickly for all involved in the fast-paced modern-day environment of college football. A tidy, quick, and fair process is perfectly reasonable to ask for.
Infrastructure (BK Style)
Oct 1, 2022; Auburn, Alabama, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly complains to an official during the second quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
By now it’s public knowledge that one of the things that led to a rift between Notre Dame and Brian Kelly was his persistent desire for new/modernized facilities, support & infrastructure that Notre Dame couldn’t or wouldn’t provide him in the timeframe he desired.
Kelly bolted for Mardi Gras and now Freeman is in charge. It stands to reason he’d desire many of the same modern amenities as Kelly, but unlike BK Freeman may actually utilize them all, such as a more robust recruiting operation. There is no reason Notre Dame should not have state-of-the-art everything regarding the football program. Period.
More NIL Leeway
Nov 26, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) runs the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Aiden Gobaira (91) during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Nothing hurts more than Notre Dame doing a terrific job recruiting a player, the player loves everything about the Irish, the staff, the vibe, everything. But then dollar signs start flashing. Judgment gets clouded by the allure of quick guaranteed money and rash decisions get made.
Nobody is asking for Notre Dame to cut corners or hand out blank checks, but it is fair to ask them to stay competitive in this area of the sport if competing for titles is still the stated mission of the program. Modernization is needed.
QB Stability
CJ Carr
Whether it be Buchner, Angelli, Carr, Minchey or a transfer to be named later the one thing the Notre Dame program would benefit more from now than anything else would be stability of the QB position. This position group has been a struggle for most of the past 25-30 years and it must end.
The Irish cannot afford to enter any more fall camps speaking of QB “potential” or “could breakouts” or “if things all line up”. Notre Dame needs a signal-caller they can rely on. A known high-level entity to build around. A guy like this is the tide that rises all football ships. If Notre Dame can find their “dude”, they become a real playoff contender soon.
Let The Man Work
Oct 8, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman signals for a timeout in the second quarter against the BYU Cougars at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Coach Freeman is likely much more mature than I am and is above this, but still. If I were him sometimes I’d want everybody to just back off a little bit and just let the man work. I’d get sick of people like me making content every day breaking down everything done and said. He knows this is just his practical reality, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get old at times.
Freeman’s biggest appeal to the fan base is he is a man of the people. And genuinely so. He wants to be. That matters. It matters a lot more at Notre Dame. In a world where it seems if you are anybody there’s always somebody actively trying to knock you down, it’s hard to find anyone with a truly negative thing to say about Freeman. Everybody seems to be pulling for him. I bet he’s feeling frustrated with this year and can’t wait to further shape the program through his vision and recruiting moving forward.
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