Evanston (Ill.) High class of 2022 linebacker Sebastian Cheeks was considered a Notre Dame lean before Clark Lea left his post in South Bend as defensive coordinator to take the head coach position at Vanderbilt.
But then three and a half weeks later, Notre Dame announced that it had hired Cincinnati defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to replace Lea. The level of Cheeks’ disappointment in Lea’s departure was equal to his excitement over Freeman joining the Fighting Irish staff.
“Everything was all over the place when Lea left; it really hit me,” Cheek said. “People know how close we were when he was D-coordinator at Notre Dame. When he left and Freeman came in, it was a mix of emotions.”
Freeman offered Cheeks while at Cincinnati, and their connection has grown much stronger in the past couple weeks.