SOUTH BEND, Ind. — With Notre Dame’s highest-rated verbally committed recruit taking in Saturday the fifth Irish football practice this spring, ND head coach Marcus Freeman didn’t need to talk about the program’s rich history.

He simply let it come to life before five-star defensive end Keon Keeley’s eyes.

Perennial All-Pro offensive guard Zack Martin of the Dallas Cowboys, a four-year Irish starter at left tackle (2010-13), was giving pointers Saturday to burgeoning sophomore right tackle Blake Fisher and others while O-line coach Harry Hiestand and grad assistant Chris Watt took care of the formal coaching.

“It’s great, man,” Freeman said after the Irish hit the one-third mark of their 15 scheduled spring sessions. “It just shows the impact Harry Hiestand has had on the guys he’s coached. You got one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL coming back to really spend time with coach Hiestand, but also our players.

“So that tells you instantly the credibility that coach Hiestand has, and I think it’s been amazing that (Martin) has been around and he’s not the only former player to come around. And I think it’s great for our current players to really, really learn from the best, but also see the respect that the best in the NFL have for coach Hiestand.”

One of the most compelling facets to witness in Freeman’s growing into a college head coach on an unforgiving stage so far is discovering the pockets of innovation he’s brought to the job when growing pains would have been the more expected pattern.

Reaching out to coaching icon Lou Holtz. Having regular weekly meetings with Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis while he’s finishing up his degree work 29 years after he put it on hiatus to turn pro. Welcoming former players from the past to check out the present.

“They built this place,” Freeman said. “So for any person to come in here and act like this is about one person, you’re crazy. It’s about the people who have come and bled and that have built Notre Dame to the place that it is. So this is their home and it will always be their home.

“I want to make sure it’s clearly communicated that they’re always welcome back here. They're the reason we’re in the position we’re in. So, I only think it’s right that those guys know it’s an open door back here.”

More recent former ND players stuck around from ND’s Pro Day on Friday to watch the two-hour practice in pads inside the Irish Athletics Center on Saturday, with snow falling outside. That group included safety Kyle Hamilton, running back Kyren Williams, quarterback Jack Coan, nose guard Kurt Hinish and kicker Jonathan Doerer.

The impact of these kinds of visits from the past have been palpable from all accounts, including from the former players.

“Amen,” Freeman said. “ And that’s to me just a powerful network. The power of the Notre Dame network is you’ve got a guy like Zack Martin coming around for practice. Guess what, Zack Martin gives back to the current players.

“So, you’ve got the current players getting information from one of the best to do it. That’s what you want to create is that network of guys that have done it at the level that everybody in here wants to do it. Guys that are successful not only in football, but in business and life.

“They’re coming back, and they’re paying it forward to our current players.”

The perceived downside of Freeman hiring former Ohio State teammate and three-time consensus All-America linebacker Jim Laurinaitis for what was believed to be an analyst role was that analysts are banned from doing actual on-field coaching, per NCAA rules.

That’s in games or in practice, though they can have significant impact off the field.

During Saturday’s practice, it was apparent that the former Bronko Nagurski Award winner, former Lott Trophy winner and former Butkus award winner was doing much more than observing.

And legally.

Freeman noted Saturday that Laurinaitis is actually a graduate assistant, which enables him to coach the linebacker position group alongside new defensive coordinator Al Golden.

“It’s great,” Freeman said of the 35-year-old retired NFL linebacker, who left a sports radio gig to try his hand at coaching. “You’ve got a guy who can play at the highest level. He’s learning the off-the-field things in terms of computer stuff, but I think he’s also learning the teaching progression. Like how do you teach?

“But the credibility, he’s got it. It's right there, 'cause he’s done it. He can tell those guys things that he’s seen at the highest level, and I think he’s doing an excellent job with that group of linebackers.”

With starting center Jarrett Patterson (torn pec) and backup Pat Coogan (meniscus surgery) both out for spring and beyond, it was easy to pencil in senior Zeke Correll as Patterson’s replacement.

As far as a backup? The option wasn’t so obvious and still isn’t, though junior Michael Carmody is willing and improving.

The 6-6, 290-pounder played tackle last season and started a couple of games at left tackle after Blake Fisher suffered a knee injury in the opener. He also filled in as a reserve tight end after injuries depleted that position group’s depth.

His biggest adjustment seems to be the height of ND’s top two QBs — 6-1 Tyler Buchner and 6-0 Drew Pyne. The snap height Saturday would be perfect for, say, 6-4 former Irish QB DeShone Kizer.

“It’s good,” Freeman said of the Carmody experiment. “The more things he can do, the more value he brings.

“And so for a guy who was thrown in into the center position a week before spring ball, he’s done an excellent job. And he’s getting better and better. It just shows the versatility he possesses being a tackle, guard, center. He can do it all. It’s really good.”

Late in Saturday’s practice during an 11-on-11 period, sophomore receiver Lorenzo Styles — dominant throughout practice — lunged for a pass from Buchner over the middle that was out of his reach.

Safety DJ Brown then blindsided him with a jarring hit, and Styles crumpled to the turf.

It turned out Styles got the wind knocked out of him, and he eventually got up under his own power and walked back toward his offensive teammates, brushing off Brown’s attempt to apologize along the way.

A few minutes earlier, fellow wide receiver Joe Willkins Jr. hobbled off and had his knee checked by trainers. It turns out the pain was fleeting and there was nothing seriously wrong.

“Oh yeah,” Freeman said when asked if he held his breath.

The Irish only have only six healthy scholarship wide receivers this spring, and one of them — sophomore Deion Colzie — was off limits in contact periods Saturday as he emerges from concussion protocol.

Even at full strength in the fall, ND is projected to be at just eight in the position group — adding recovering grad senior Avery Davis and freshman Tobias Merriweather — unless the Irish bolster the position via the transfer portal post-spring.

“It’s a physical group that I’m trying to teach exactly how we want them to practice’ Freeman said of this team. “You can’t just tee off on each other all the time. And it’s hard, because I’m trying to push the competitiveness, but also taking care of each other.

“So that’s kind of where my mindset is right now. How do we practice really hard, really competitive, but be able to take care of each other? … I’m not going to make them soft. It’s just being smart.”

• Junior running back Chris Tyree sat out practice with a sprained ankle, that Freeman didn’t perceive as a long-term issue.

His absence meant more opportunities for the other three running backs, including sophomore Audric Estime, who was particularly impressive.

“Big diesel truck. Dude runs hard, man,” Freeman said of the 6-foot, 228-pounder. “Low center of gravity. He’s one of those guys where if I’m playing linebacker, ‘OK, you’ve got to buckle up really tight.'

“He’s a load. I think the thing I love about him is I’ve yet to see him put the ball on the ground. I think the running backs room has done a great job of ball security. And that’s the challenge I’ve had for them.

“Finish your run. The defense is trying to punch the ball (out) every play. I mean, coach Golden has brought an intensity to try and create takeaways, and the running back room has done a great job of ball security.”

Buchner and Pyne equally alternated reps with the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses on Saturday, with Buchner the more consistent and dynamic of the two, but Pyne looking like an improved version of his 2021 self and particularly adept at times in the red zone.

“It’s so hard sometimes to evaluate, man,” Freeman said. “As a defensive guy, you look for touchdowns and you look for interceptions, but it’s decision-making. That’s the thing I hear sitting with (offensive coordinator Tommy) Rees in meetings with those guys.

“OK, did he make the right decision? That’s the No. 1 thing. No. 2 is he taking care of the football? But it’s still starting with decision-making. And again they’ve got a lot on their plate, but I thought they did a really good job.”

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