Notre Dame players have had a few days off from practice this week to focus on final exams. Given the way the first two practices under new head coach Marcus Freeman went, the break has been welcomed — even if it has meant more time studying and taking tests.
Saturday and Sunday's sessions on the field were just as taxing physically as this week has been mentally for the Fighting Irish.
"The practice style is a lot different than coach [Brian] Kelly's," junior cornerback Cam Hart said on the Inside the Garage podcast. "It's a lot of go, go, go, compete, compete, compete and not a lot of sitting around and waiting. It's efficient for sure, but at the same time it's a lot going on which will take some getting used to."
Walk-on wide receiver Conor Ratigan said of the 13 periods in Sunday's practice, 12 were team-oriented. That means position groups aren't sticking to themselves in individual drills. Wide receivers are up against defensive backs. Offensive linemen are up against defensive linemen.
Iron sharpening iron.
"It's definitely tiring," Ratigan said. "You definitely get the most out of the hour."
"I really like the practices, honestly," senior safety KJ Wallace added. "What's crazy is you talk about 13 periods being an hour, an hour 10 or 15 [minutes], but because you're doing so much team [stuff] you don't think about how long you've been in practice at all.
"You're so tuned into what's going on and you're like, 'I've got to get ready for this next rep. I've got to get ready for this next set of reps.' You're not even thinking about what period it is or what we've got next. You've just got that next play, that next rep."
All-American safety Kyle Hamilton did not practice over the weekend because he opted out of the Fiesta Bowl to focus on the NFL Draft, but everything his teammates have told him about Freeman's practices have given him the itch to suit up and get back on the field.
"I'm just like, 'Dang, how about this timing?’" Hamilton said.
Hart especially likes Freeman's 'opener', which is a one-on-one competition drill that pits an offensive position group against a defensive position group right after the team's dynamic warmup. Whichever side of the ball gets bested by the other has to run a gasser before the first official period of practice.
The offense has lost both sessions so far. That has made the defense want to keep its streak alive when practice resumes Wednesday and has put a burden on the offense to get off the schneid.
Just by starting practice in a simple yet unique manner, Freeman has naturally enforced his "Golden Standard," which is comprised of three pillars; 1. challenge everything, 2. unit strength and 3. competitive spirit. Both units are challenging their side to be better. They have to come together as a unit to do so. And the spirit of competition speaks for itself.
"I really appreciate his coaching philosophy," Hart said. "Throughout the season and throughout practice, it's easy to lose sight of your competitive spirit, just get the job done and then on Saturday bring that competitive spirit, but Coach Freeman's philosophy is built around competitive spirit.
"During practice you're going against the best receiver, you're going against the best group of guys, and there is no way to lose sight of who you actually are or what you're actually playing for. That's probably the most appreciable part of his coaching style. You can't lack. There's no way to cut corners or take periods off or anything like that."
Hart said there was a moment in Sunday's practice when cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens allowed the corners to take a knee for a quick water break. Graduate senior defensive lineman Kurt Hinish walked through the circle and looked at Mickens.
"You let them take a knee?" Hinish asked.
"Yeah, this is what I'm going to be doing from now on," Mickens replied.
"This is so different from what I'm used to," Hinish said and walked away.
"That just goes to show the difference from what we're used to and the Freeman era," Hart said. "The coaches we were used to previously wouldn't let that fly. But the fact that our load per minute is up so high, we have to have it."
Hamilton hasn't experienced the changes firsthand, but everything his teammates have told him have made him realize that things are a lot different in South Bend than they were just a few weeks ago.
"I feel like our old practices got too methodical at times," Hamilton said. "There was a lot of standing around. This sounds very fast-paced and more game-like. I think that will help a lot of people who don't get a lot of game reps who might be thrown into the fire."
Freeman's practices themselves equate to being thrown into the fire.
"In this practice, if your mind isn't right by the end of the warmup, you messed up," Wallace said.
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