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Former Irish captain, NFL LB Drue Tranquill celebrates Marcus Freeman hire

Former Notre Dame team captain, and emerging San Diego Chargers star linebacker, and a high school recruit of Marcus Freeman to Purdue eight years ago, Drue Tranquill admitted Thursday in an exclusive interview with BlueandGold.com to being surprised last week when his former college head coach Brian Kelly traded ND’s blue and gold for LSU’s purple and gold.

Surprise aside, Tranquill also called the hiring of Freeman as Kelly’s successor the smart and proper move to sustain the winning culture that this impactful player very much helped build and improve during his time at Notre Dame from 2014-18.

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Drue Tranquill recorded 292 career tackles at Notre Dame
Drue Tranquill recorded 292 career tackles at Notre Dame (Bill Panzica)

“[Kelly leaving] was such a shock to a lot of people, and I think it would shock a lot of programs,” Tranquill said. “Instead, it seemed pretty seamless, from my standpoint.”

Tranquill and his family got to know Freeman well in 2013 when this underrated three-star player was being recruited out of Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, Ind.

So well, in fact, that Freeman — a Purdue linebackers assistant under head coach Darrell Hazell at the time — helped get Tranquill to verbally commit to the Boilermakers.

“I remember feeling really comfortable during the process, feeling really excited about what I could bring to the table at Purdue,” Tranquill recalled of those recruiting interactions.

From one standout linebacker to another — Freeman was a fifth-round NFL Draft pick (154 overall) for the Bears in 2009, Tranquill was a fourth-round pick (130th overall) for the Chargers in 2019 — these two eventual masters degree graduates hit it off.

“Intelligent, engaging, he was a fantastic recruiter,” Tranquill said of Freeman. “He really connected with my mom, dad and I.”

A late scholarship offer from Notre Dame, and a personal desire to fully challenge himself both athletically and academically — Tranquill graduated early with a degree in mechanical engineering — led this long-shot recruit to flip his commitment.

Recruiting rankings be damned, Tranquill became a three-year starter at Notre Dame and recorded 292 total tackles, including three straight seasons from 2016-18 with at least 79 stops, with more to come.

Last Sunday in a 41-22 Chargers upset win at Cincinnati, Tranquill tied for his team’s lead with 10 tackles, the third time during his three-year NFL career that this versatile and overachieving 6-foot-2, 234-pound linebacker tallied double-digit stops.

“[Freeman] struck me as charismatic, a really smart guy, who understood the game of football,” Tranquill explained. “Being a former player, I think he is able to connect with us players in a way that some coaches aren’t necessarily able to.

“I’m excited to see Notre Dame take on Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl!”

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