Advertisement
football Edit

Engel: Marcus Freeman’s Hiring Said The Quiet Part Out Loud

Brian Kelly’s first answer to the question he initially didn’t entertain publicly came in his actions a week later.

Asked multiple times after a 31-14 College Football Playoff loss to Alabama about needed tweaks for Notre Dame to get beyond just making the playoff and its habitual spot below the sport’s titans, Kelly bristled. He didn’t want to disclose anything or address any need to.

“We’re going to keep getting here,” he said. “And we’re going to keep banging at it.”

Get a two months FREE using promo code Irish60

Advertisement
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman
Notre Dame stepped up to land Freeman over heavy LSU interest. (USA Today)

Not seven days afterward, he appears to have already knocked down one door and made a statement.

Notre Dame’s hiring of Cincinnati defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to the same position sure seems to indicate he is thinking with next steps in mind. Thinking the Irish can push a couple more buttons to reach even higher than 43-8 since 2017 and two playoff appearances in three years. Thinking of ways to shrink the chasm between Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and the rest of college football.

Notre Dame has been at the front of the pack among teams chasing those special few, but still seeing the taillights from the same distance. Though snagging Freeman is merely one step of many others necessary before Notre Dame is within reach of them, the way Kelly and the Irish scooped him up is an encouraging first one.

Kelly and Notre Dame's brass targeted a coveted up-and-coming defensive coordinator linked to several major openings and eventually found itself battling 2019 national champion LSU head-to-head for his services. The Tigers paid their 2019 defensive coordinator, Dave Aranda, $2.5 million per year before he left to be a head coach. They gave successor Bo Pelini a three-year, $6.9 million deal and paid him to go away after just one season.

On cue, LSU reportedly was prepared to pay Freeman around $2 million per year. It’s an attractive job that can lead to head-coaching opportunities – Freeman’s ultimate goal. It won’t be short on talent.

Yet Notre Dame won the race. What felt like a brewing Freeman-LSU match late Friday morning ended with a tweet depicting Freeman in blue and gold sent from Notre Dame football’s official account at exactly 6 p.m. ET the same day.

Kelly identified Freeman as the top priority and didn’t let him wrestle free. One had to wonder if the 2017 gut punch of losing former defensive coordinator Mike Elko to a wealthy SEC team became refreshed in his mind. Per a report from FootballScoop, Freeman’s salary is expected to exceed predecessor Clark Lea’s $1.6 million per year.

To beat the best on the field, it sure helps to beat them for coaches. Recruits, too. Whether Freeman can do the latter is as significant as his ability to keep the Irish’s defense at the level to which Lea brought it. One part of Kelly’s statement in announcing Freeman’s hire conveys the head coach’s complete confidence.

Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

“He is considered among the elite recruiters in the coaching ranks,” Kelly said.

Kelly’s comments before the 2019 Camping World Bowl about pushing into the top five of the recruiting rankings and residing safely in the top 10 stood out in their frankness and boldness. A good goal, in theory. One he and the Notre Dame faithful could agree on. A requirement if the Irish want to win the in playoff. Left unclear then were identifiable and tangible steps to get there.

In some ways, those are still to be determined or executed. But securing a coordinator with Freeman’s recruiting reputation makes the waters a little less murky. He had already landed a pair of commitments from four-star recruits to Cincinnati’s 2022 class. The Bearcats’ 2021 class ranks No. 34 nationally, 13 spots higher than the next Group of Five team. Its three highest-rated signees all play defense.

Of course, there’s the matter of running the defense. On that, Lea leaves a big hole and set a pronounced standard. As much as Freeman’s hire reverberated, this year offered a sobering reminder no coach is ever a certain success. Tom Herman, the flavor of the 2017 coaching cycle dubbed a home-run hire, will pocket north of $15 million to do anything other than coach Texas’ football team.

Sign up for Blue & Gold's FREE alerts and newsletter

Don’t think Kelly is missing the importance of the on-field competency and the immeasurable amount of trust he puts into the defensive coordinator. His first one (Bob Diaco) and Lea navigated Notre Dame’s defense to top-flight levels. The wrong hire (Brian VanGorder) nearly got him fired.

At the same time, Freeman’s track record is everything desired when identifying strong fits and a worthy defensive boss.

Cincinnati’s 2020 defense ranked fourth in yards per play, eighth in scoring, ninth in opponent completion rate, 11th in passes defended, third in the Fremeau Efficiency Index and sixth in SP+. The Bearcats are one of three teams to finish in the national top 25 in passes defended every year from 2018-20. LSU and Alabama are the others. Freeman implemented a 3-3-5 defense in 2019, but Cincinnati remained multiple in its fronts.

The questions around Freeman translating that production to Notre Dame won’t have clearer answers until an early September Sunday night in Tallahassee, Fla., and at least 12 other weekends next fall.

A small yet crucial part of the answer to a larger question, though, has already surfaced.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION IN ROCKNE’S ROUNDTABLE!

----

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.

• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

• Sign up for Blue & Gold's news alerts and daily newsletter.

Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts.

• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @Rivals_Singer, @PatrickEngel_, @MasonPlummer_ and @AndrewMentock.

• Like us on Facebook.

Advertisement