Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman held a Zoom call Monday with Notre Dame's beat media, addressing lingering questions from the regular season and looking ahead to bowl season, the status of his coaching staff and the opening of the transfer portal on Dec. 4. Here's everything he had to say. Answers are largely verbatim. Question are edited for brevity and clarity.
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OPENING STATEMENT
“As we review Saturday, I was really pleased with the overall performance of our team in all three phases. There was a lot of good. There were things early in the game we, obviously, can’t do, as I said to you guys after the game. We can't turn the ball over. And we gave them a couple big plays defensively, because of the different [offensive] looks that they gave. But I was really proud of the adjustments and the way we came out in the second half and really finished that game and were able to earn a victory over a good opponent, in Stanford.
“And so, recapping that game, the players of the game — on defense was Javontae Jean-Baptiste, offense was Audric Estimé, and special teams was Jason Onye and Javontae Jean-Baptiste. Scout teams players were Preston Zinter (defense), Andrew Yanoshak (offense) and Henry Cook (special teams).
“We’re getting ready to move forward. We do not know who our opponent is for a bowl game, but we'll take this week to have some exit meetings as we get ready to go on the road on Friday to recruit and then we'll get back and begin our bowl practice. We'll actually start bowl practice on Thursday and this weekend. So, with that I'll open it up for questions.”
Q: Do you anticipate any changes on your coaching staff or if you had your druthers, would everybody be back next year?
Marcus Freeman: “Yes, if it's up to me, as I just told the coaching staff in our staff meeting, I have a strong belief in the coaches that we have in this football program and would love all of them to be back. There's, obviously, places that we have to improve on all three phases. And the coaches understand that and definitely are up for the challenge. But the thing I've learned in this short time as head coach is that consistency is so important. I look at where we were last year defensively at the end of the season to where we are now. Yes, the personnel continues to improve, but the consistency in what we're doing, the consistency in our coaching staff, I think, truly impacts the performance. And that's why we've been able to improve so much on the defensive side of the ball.
“And as I look at our offensive side of the ball, this is the first year for this group to be together, and I've seen a lot of bright spots in places that we have to improve. And the biggest thing I told [offensive coordinator Gerad] Parker and his staff is that we have to improve our performance, especially those big games versus good defenses, because those are the type of teams that we have to find a way to beat if we want to be a championship program. But I believe that we have the coaches that will help continuously move this performance forward and enhance what we do, so that we do find a way to win those big games.
“I think back to my first year as a coordinator, and our staff, we had a great staff. And I think we finished, when I was at Cincinnati, 90-something in the country [in national defensive rankings Freeman’s first year]. And thank God, coach [Luke] Fickell didn't make a change, in that he gave me and the staff the ability to work through some of the deficiencies that we had and we were able to prove [ourselves]. And so, that's the same thing I've just reiterated to our coaching staff, is that I believe the No. 1 thing is the consistency in terms of what we're doing, so that our players can continue to play at a high level, play fast and be able to enhance as we move forward.”
Q: Where are you in addressing with the players who's opting out of a bowl game? Have all those decisions been made or have some been made?
MF: “As far as opt-outs, we got back about 6 in the morning on Sunday, and I gave the coaches and players off, and we'll meet as an entire team today at 2:40. And so, part of the discussions I had with the coaching staff this morning was that we do have to have those conversations with the guys in our room about the bowl game, about their future here. Do they plan on coming back? Do they plan on transferring? Do they plan on leaving? That's a part of college football, and we have to have those conversations. We have not yet in terms of who will and who won't play in a bowl game. Again, I don't expect every single person on this team to play in a bowl game. That’s just the trend right now in my previous two bowl games, but obviously in college football, too. But I do want our team to understand how important this bowl game will be to our football program. It's an important game, and we want to finish this thing off the right way. So, we'll have those conversations this week, starting today through Friday. Then we get on the road, and we'll figure out from there, our plans moving forward.”
Q: Health-wise, as you head into December, is anybody going to be compromised from the game against Stanford?
MF: “As far as health, I expect everybody to be back by the bowl game, other than those guys that have season-ending injuries. But guys with soft-tissue injuries, I do plan to get everybody back by the time we play in a bowl game.”
Q: How would you assess Gerad Parker’s first year as the offensive coordinator of this program? Obviously, it's probably the biggest job that he's ever had in coaching, and there are ups and downs, but reflecting on all 12 games, how would you assess his performance?
MF: “I think our entire offensive staff and coach Parker have done a good job of continuously trying to find ways to improve. And sometimes it takes setbacks to figure out what we need to do to improve, moving forward. I think the biggest thing that I've noticed, more than anything, as you evaluate the first 12 games is that we have to continuously find a way to perform better when we're playing better defenses. And they understand that, and they embrace that challenge. And we'll continuously work tirelessly to figure out a way to continue to have a better performance when we face really good defenses. But again, I don't want to put a one-word or one-phrase sentence on how I feel about the job they've done.
“I have a lot of confidence in that offensive staff, but I understand the expectations of a Notre Dame football program, is that no matter who you're playing, that you put [out] a performance that's worthy of winning on the field on Saturdays. And so, we'll figure out what we have to do to make sure that our performances continuously improve. I will never be OK with being status quo with being average. I want to be the best, and I believe we have a staff that has the same mentality, and we now have to continue to find ways to make sure when we play in these games, that we do have an output that is the best.”
Q: When you have some younger players, whether it's a Drayk Bowen or the two new guys on the offensive line or your receivers, how important is it to see them continuing to develop here late in the season and how do you help make sure they carry that over into bowl prep?
MF: “As far as the young guys, you never know when your number is going to be called and you never know when you're going to be thrust into action. And that's why we have to continue to develop those guys in practice — those guys that are with the 2s that have a chance to go into the game, because all of a sudden, something happens like what happened at Clemson, and you lose your starting center and your starting guard. And guys that were 2s are thrust into action, and they have to be ready to perform. And I can't be more proud of the performance that those young guys — really that Billy [Schrauth] and Ash [Ashton Craig] have performed on these big stages that they were thrust into action. And so, it's a credit to the development that they've had during our practice, but also the credit to them of actually when it matters versus an opponent, that they were able to get the job done.
“And Drayk Bowen is another example of a guy that maybe wasn't thrust in action because of injuries, but was thrust in action because of opportunity. And he's done a great job and he's gotten better. Jaylen Sneed is continuously improving, and so I'm very optimistic about our future and with these young guys and with these guys that have developed in our program. Bowl practices are going to be so important. You get a chance to get double-digit practices. It's almost like another spring ball in terms of being able to get young guys valuable reps [so] that they can continuously improve. And then we'll see what opportunities present [themselves] for some of those guys in the bowl game. But it is very crucial, as we move forward with our football program, that we get valuable practices and reps out of these young football players.”
Q: There was a report that indicated Notre Dame and reached out to Brennan Marion. Can you comment on that?
MF: “I have no clue who that is. I don't know who that is.”
Q: That's the UNLV offensive coordinator.
MF: “Oh. No, there's no truth to that. Not from myself or anybody in this football program. No, there's no truth to that.”
Q: You and some of the other coaches at Notre Dame have had discussions with the administration about admissions and transfer-portal policy. Have you seen movement on that front?
MF: “As far as the admissions movement, there definitely has been positive discussions with our administration, with admissions in terms of making sure that we have a timely manner in terms of getting a response in terms of can we get students admitted into Notre Dame. And that's the biggest thing we're looking for is the urgency of an answer. But I couldn't speak any more positively about the relationship this football program and our athletics program have with admissions in terms of we all want the same thing. We all want to make sure that athletics has an opportunity to acquire the talent that we need to have success but also uphold the standards that we have as a university in terms of the value of our education, in terms of understanding the type of students that will thrive here at Notre Dame. And so, I am very pleased with our relationship and our working relationship as we continuously move forward with transfers and student-athletes coming into Notre Dame.”
Q: How would you feel about playing against Brian Kelly, LSU and Jayden Daniels in a bowl game?
MF: “As far as who we play in the bowl game, the opportunity to play anybody, a great team like LSU, a great football program with the history that they have, obviously the history that Brian Kelly has with Notre Dame, what a great opportunity. For anybody we play, LSU included, the chance to go out there and play a quality opponent. We would look forward to any opponent we play. I know there will be some storylines with coach Kelly and the history of Notre Dame. It would probably get a lot of views. The bowl game’s going to be about this football program preparing over the next few weeks to play a tremendous opponent and the chance to go out there and compete and win is something that all competitors, especially the ones we have in this program, would look forward to.”
Q: How do you reconcile how good the offense was in yards per play and points across the whole season and how off it was in the four bigger games?
MF: “I don’t have the exact answer for in those games why we didn’t have the yardage and points that we obviously averaged in the other games. Other than the obvious, right? Better defenses are going to challenge you more to find ways to move the ball and score points.
“Is there things with personnel that we can enhance? I don’t ever want to make an excuse in terms of personnel. I believe we have great personnel. We’ll continue to improve our personnel as we continue to move forward.
“Schematically, is it something they did differently against us that we didn’t expect? The ability to create changeups. I’ll take a deep dive into just those three, four games that we didn’t perform to the level that we needed to to look for cause and effect.
“The biggest thing as I really studied the last two away games between Louisville and Clemson was how we started the game. We didn’t start the game the way we needed to on either phase, offense and defense. But there’s also things schematically that we know that their defenses presented. We didn’t do a great job of putting them in conflict.
“That’s the best answer I can give you right now as I look at the totality of the season. That’s the best answer I can give you. Hopefully as I get a little bit more time as we’re not preparing for just one opponent, I’ll be able to really dive deep into those three, four games and say, ‘OK, here’s what this defense did to us that we have to make sure we have an answer for.’”
Q: What did you learn from the transfer portal quarterback market last season? Do you have to have evaluations on quarterbacks before they get into the portal?
MF: “You’re always evaluating the top quarterbacks in the country. If you wait until every quarterback enters the portal to say, ‘OK, let’s evaluate him,’ it’s going to be too late. The timeframe of when a young man enters the portal to when they decide what school they’re going to, every second counts and every second matters.
“We’ve evaluated a lot of quarterbacks. We’ve evaluated a lot of different positions that could possibly enter the portal that we know would have another year. As those guys enter the portal, we have to be able to make a decision right away, is this somebody that we feel fits our program?
“That’s in terms of athletic ability. The other side of that is going to be is their personality fit what we want here at Notre Dame. That’s what’s going to X a lot of guys off the list as you continue to talk to them and do research on each individual. We have to make sure we bring in the right guys to our football program, too.”
Q: Sam Hartman said after the Wake Forest game that he had two more games left. Has he given you any indication on what his decision might be yet?
MF: “I plan for Sam to play in the bowl game. Obviously when he said that, I think that’s where his head is too. We’ll have to have a meeting to make sure it’s still there. But that’s what these conversations are for. Unless I hear otherwise through a conversation, my plan would be for Sam Hartman to be our quarterback for the bowl game.”
Q: In your experience has the bowl or the opponent factored into player decisions on playing in the game?
MF: “As far as does the bowl we play in matter, I would hope it doesn’t. The reality is is that some people say, well, we’re not playing in the playoffs or for a national championship. Why would I play? I’m pretty sure after the Louisville game there was an understanding we probably aren’t going to make the playoffs with two losses. I appreciate these guys that continued to commit to this football program and to their teammates to continuously finish out this season.
Q: That’s my message to all of our players as we’ll meet. Game 13, for us, is really no different than any game after we lost to Louisville. This is about finishing off this season with your football team. That’s my message to them. If it was only about a national championship, then you had that decision you could have made earlier in the year.
MF: “Now, every individual is different. Every individual has to make a decision that’s best for them. As the head coach, I love these guys. I’ll always support them. But it’s my job to give them my opinion on the importance of this bowl game and finishing this season off the right way too.”
Q: How much did the criteria change from last year to this year on making the decision to pursue a transfer portal quarterback?
MF: “Not much. Last year, throughout the season, once Tyler [Buchner] got hurt, we had three quarterbacks at that point on scholarship. My thought was that adding a fourth would make sure that we at least have three if somebody decides to transfer after the spring or when we decide to bring in a fourth. If we didn’t bring in a fourth and then somebody transferred when I named a starter at spring, now you’re left with two.
“That’s kind of my thought process as we continuously move forward is that, OK, having four protects you if somebody decides to leave from the end of the season till throughout spring. That’s the real reason why even last year, I thought about this, and then this year when I made the decision after the bye week, that we needed a fourth quarterback on scholarship.
“That’s the real reason. It isn’t that I don’t have a belief in the guys we have here. I have a strong belief in Steve [Angeli] and Kenny [Minchey]. Then, obviously, we’ll have somebody coming in. But it’s more so if somebody decides to transfer, we have to make sure that we have at least three scholarship quarterbacks left.”
Q: Is there anything that needs to change with your road game routine for the upcoming bowl game or next year to prevent those slow starts?
MF: “Every game is different. I don’t think the result of the first half performance was based off a mentality. I think our guys approached this game the right way. Our guys had the right mentality. We just turned over the ball. And we can’t do that. We can’t turn over the ball, no matter if it’s home, away, the start or the finish of a game. So, every game is different, right? Every single one is different.
“We haven’t had a huge issue on turning the ball over this year. If I thought that was going to be an issue, obviously I would have structured things differently to make sure that we had even more of an emphasis on not turning the ball over.
“I thought the two previous road games for some reason, no matter if it was the crowd, it was the night game at Louisville in terms of the distractions, or maybe were we not ready mentally for the challenge that we thought Clemson was going to present. I wanted to make sure we had the right mentality going to this game versus Stanford of attacking and being aggressive early in the game. That wasn’t what hurt us earlier in the game. It was taking care of the football. That is something that we have to be able to do.
“To be able to score 21 points in the second quarter, to be able to really refocus and say, ‘OK, hey, guys, take care of the ball and continue to execute the way we know how.’ I was proud of the way our guys overcame those early turnovers and really finished out that first half the way we needed to.
“I’m always going to evaluate everything we do. I don’t want to be so reactive to make a change that negatively affects us. I want to make sure that we have the right preparation and mindset to give us the chance to be successful in every game we play. But I will evaluate everything we do. And that’s in terms of how we prepare for a game, what we’re doing on all three phases. That’s the job of the head coach and on everybody on this staff is to evaluate everything we do and always find ways to enhance. So, that’s what we’ll do continuously as we move forward.”
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