Five keys in recruiting leading up to NSD for Marcus Freeman
Marcus Freeman, 35, was officially named as Notre Dame’s new head coach Dec. 3, replacing Brian Kelly who left for LSU. With National Signing Day just 12 days away, the first-time head coach has to hit the ground running to keep the Irish 2022 class intact and close on other targets strong.
Here are five things Freeman should look to accomplish on the recruiting front right away.
1. Keep the commits locked in
This shouldn’t be too difficult for the staff, considering many of the commits have been vocal publicly about their support of Freeman. The continuity Notre Dame is keeping on its staff will only help keep momentum in recruiting.
Notre Dame’s defensive commitments are ecstatic with this news that all of the assistant coaches on that side of the ball are committed to staying in South Bend. There’s a tad bit more uncertainty on offense, but offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, running backs coach Lance Taylor and tight ends coach John McNulty being confirmed to remain at Notre Dame is big news.
Side note: Irish fans should be fired up to have Freeman recruiting on both sides of the ball now for Notre Dame. That is going to be exciting.
2. Get Devin Moore back in the fold
After Lincoln Riley bolted from Oklahoma to USC, the Sooners lost a half dozen commitments. Notre Dame only had one decommitment after Kelly left for LSU, and that was Naples (Fla.) High class of 2022 cornerback Devin Moore, who was a possibility to decommit even before the Kelly news broke. Alabama, Florida and now Kelly’s LSU Tigers are in pursuit of him.
Freeman is on board. Cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens and safeties coach Chris O’Leary are sticking in South Bend. Those guys, plus defensive director of recruiting Chad Bowden, have built very strong connections with Moore.
Will them staying at Notre Dame be enough to get Moore back in the fold? It’ll be tough to pull Moore out of the South, but he’s an elite talent and Freeman and Co. need to give it their all.
3. Work on the wide receiver position
With Rees locking in Notre Dame following the Freeman news, it’ll certainly be interesting to watch if Del Alexander returns to coach the receivers next season. If not, Rees remaining at Notre Dame may be enough to hold this receiver class together.
Vancouver (Wash.) Union’s Tobias Merriweather had Kelly at his house right before the initial news broke on Monday night. He’s been shaken up this week, and the speedy playmaker will likely stick with the Irish.
Ponchatoula (La.) High’s Amorion Walker has long been a flip candidate, and in recent weeks Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei’s CJ Williams has become more infatuated with the idea of staying close to home and playing at USC. Keeping both players will be important, but if they lose out on one or both Rees and Co. will need to go after other options quickly.
Rees had an in-home visit with Walker on Thursday night, and since Alexander saw Williams on Tuesday the staff won’t be able to see him again until Sunday at the earliest due to NCAA rules with in-home visits. But you can be assured that the staff will get out there soon.
4. Close on Billy Schrauth
Notre Dame had a productive visit with the Fond du Lac (Wis.) St Mary’s Springs offensive guard on Thursday morning, and BlueandGold.com has the latest on the four-star prospect. Notre Dame has a strong group of four offensive linemen committed already, but Schrauth is key to round out the group.
He has been a big Notre Dame target for a year and a half, and the staff has been close to landing his commitment on several occasions. We still believe the Irish hold the edge for Schrauth, but Wisconsin is looming.
5. Get Freeman on the road
Now that Freeman has officially been announced as Notre Dame’s new head coach and his introductory press conference has been set for 2 p.m. Monday, the focus will turn to him getting out on the road to meet with recruits.
Our assumption would be that Monday he will be on a plane heading to close out the 2022 recruiting class strong.
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