Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman addressed how he handles reports and rumors when his name is connected to other coaching jobs with his team as well as a handful of other topics in his Thursday media call.
Marcus Freeman is a hot commodity. The Notre Dame football coach became a hot coaching commodity in coaching searches while leading the Fighting Irish through last year’s College Football Playoffs and into the national championship game, and he remains sought after as he and his team march toward another CFP appearance this season.
This year’s college coaching carousel began early when coaches were fired at high profile programs like Penn State, Florida and LSU. Freeman’s was a name of interest at all of those schools and reports said the New York Giants were the latest NFL team to have interest in the fourth-year head coach after they fired Brian Daboll this week.
Interest goes both ways, though. It’s one thing for outside parties to be interested in hiring Freeman but it’s another thing for him to desire leaving the Irish for a new job. Either way, Freeman has addressed the subject with his team.
“Just because the noise in somebody else’s head is one thing doesn’t mean it has to be your noise,” Freeman explained in his Thursday media call ahead of this week’s game at Pittsburgh. “So, as I’ve told them and I’m sure I’ve said before, just because somebody else might be saying my name’s up for whatever job or being considered, that isn’t the noise that I’m going to put in my head. That isn’t my noise.
“I can address it directly (or) indirectly,” Freeman explained. “If I’m going to spend time talking about something like that I’ve got to make sure it’s in a way that is beneficial for the players. Your time in front of the players is so limited. So, if I can use it as an example I will. But I also more than anything want to make sure that I can give them some type of message to make sure that they’re doing something positive for themselves.”
Confidence In Carr
Irish quarterback CJ Carr will make his tenth career start this weekend when the Irish visit Pitt. The redshirt freshman has been the starter since day one and he takes the No. 3 pass efficiency rating into Notre Dame’s fourth game against a ranked opponent this week.
Carr has thrown for 2,275 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions after winning the starting job at the end of training camp. Freeman was asked during his media call if there was a moment this season where Carr earned his teammates’ confidence.
“There's not one time,” Freeman remarked. “There's not like one moment. It just accumulation of moments where you see the confidence, right? I mean, it's just built and it's built over time. So, I wish I could tell you there's just one moment that I knew they were confident in the quarterback, but it's built through fall camp. It's built through success during the season, and it's ultra high, obviously, right now.”
Schmidt’s Routine
After being one of three Irish kickers to miss an extra point or field goal in a Nov. 1 win at Boston College, Erik Schmidt won all kicking duties against Navy in practices leading up to last week’s game. He made all seven of his extra point tries and all eight of his kickoffs were touchbacks. To get to that level of execution, Schmidt reworked his practice routine.
“I think some different things we did in the Tuesday practice,” Freeman commented. “Usually on Tuesdays, you have a field goal period where you kick just for that five minute period. We were intentional about kind of spreading some kicks throughout practice to simulate, like a game. You go out there with the field goal unit, you kick one kick and make it or miss it. You got to move on. We let him have some input in terms of the script, where he would be kicking the ball from. A lot of mental work with with Joey Ramaeker and Marty Biagi. Again, just trying to get his mind focused on the right things to reinforce habits that we want him to be able to have when it matters in a game.”
Satisfying Signing Day
Wednesday was national signing day for many college sports other than football. Freeman’s eldest son, Vinny Freeman, who is a senior at Penn High School, signed his national letter of intent to wrestle at Cornell University. It was the first time the Irish head coach got to participate in a signing day as a father and not a coach.
“It was different, right,” Freeman said. “Obviously, my first time being at a Signing Day ceremony for one of my children, and it was a proud moment. It's his moment. Sometimes you you wish you could be disguised because I want to make sure the focus is on him, because of what he accomplished and what he's giving his future. But it's as a proud moment as a parent, because a lot of hard work goes into that moment.”
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!