Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman met with the media on Monday ahead of Saturday's clash between No. 16 ND (3-1) and 15th-ranked Louisville (3-0) at Notre Dame Stadium (3:30 p.m. EDT; Peacock streaming).
Here's everything Freeman had to say. Answers are largely verbatim. Questions may have been edited for brevity and clarity.
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OPENING STATEMENT
“We did some really good things as a team on Saturday. As you evaluate the film, there’s some things obviously that you have to clean up. I mean, it goes with every game that you play. But offensively, we didn’t start the way we wanted to, but I thought we did a great job of responding after the first couple drives and then picking up momentum as the game progressed. Really, as we got to the second quarter and throughout the rest of the game they really did a good job of driving the ball, field position, scoring. The one turnover — it can’t happen, but we really did a good job picking up momentum after the first couple drives.
“Defensively, played really well. Did a great job in the red zone. Couple of sudden-change situations. Defense really played well. They had a couple of schemed runs that went for more yardage than we would like, but all correctable things that we’ll attack in practice. I thought overall the defense did a really good job of tackling, for the most part.
“Special teams-wise, we punted as well as we have all year. James [Rendell] had a big game. I think we had around a 45-yard net, which is huge when you talk about the battle for field position. Muffed punt and the bad field goal snap can be detrimental, and we have to make sure we get those things fixed with urgency. Player of the game on offense was Riley Leonard. On defense Boubacar Traore, and special teams was Bryce Young. Scout team players of the week were: on offense CJ Carr, defense Ben Minich and special teams Xavier Southall.
“A couple injury updates: Cooper Flanagan will be out this week with a left ankle injury and Josh Burnham is still questionable as we go into this week. Jaden Mickey, I had a conversation with him. He’s decided to redshirt with the intentions of going into the transfer portal when it opens, and will get his degree here from Notre Dame in the spring.
“Saturday will be the ‘Irish Wear Green Game’ versus Louisville, a 3-0 team playing at a really high level right now. As you watch film, they’re good in all three phases. So, it’ll be a great challenge for our team.”
Q: How has Riley Leonard needed to be unflappable and how much did you see that coming out of Saturday?
Marcus Freeman: “As we meet and we talk, he understands what the position that he holds entails — the expectations — and he’s doing a great job of handling those things. ‘Continue to have joy with the people that sacrifice in that building with you.’ That’s what I told him. Don’t lose the joy of maybe the noise or outside things that could affect some other people. But he has been consistent, has really raised the energy and the play of those around him, and he’s doing a great job.”
Q: What can you tell us about the significance of the new RALLY NIL collective?
MF: “RALLY is our new NIL collective agency, in house, and was just unveiled today. It’s great, because it works as an agency for our student-athletes, and it’s going to be a great way, as college athletics continue to change, to put our student-athletes at a great advantage in terms of being able to capitalize off their NIL. So, it gives our fans opportunities to engage and reach out to our players, our student-athletes, directly. I think it’s going to be something very beneficial for our athletic department.”
Q: As you game-plan for Louisville and you take a look at what they’ve done so far this year, I'm curious if you've noticed anything that looked familiar from when you saw them a year ago that may have been problematic? And what are some of those areas that have your concern?
MF: “I think they’re an aggressive, attacking defense. They are going to challenge you, [going to try] to stop the run. That’s something that they take a lot of pride in doing and try to make you throw the ball over the top. They give you some different looks, and those are things that they did to us last year. Offensively, I think they take a lot of pride in running the ball. And what you do when you’re able to run the ball is create some opportunities to throw explosive plays down the field. And that’s something you’ve seen from their offense. And then in special teams, they’re aggressive. They’re an aggressive punt-block unit and they’re sound in their other units. So, a lot of similarities to who they were last year. It’s a good football team. Well-coached and, as I said, it’ll be a great challenge.”
Q: Do you remind your team about them beating you last year?
MF: “I think as you think back to last year, it’s not going to be a lack of motivation. They’ll be motivated. I think it’s an opportunity for guys that weren’t in this program last year to be able to reflect and understand that we lost to this team last year. But there’s a lot of great learning opportunities from that game, and that’s what I’m going to preach to our team. It’s not that I’m revisiting last year to motivate you. I’m revisiting last year to learn from those things that we have to learn from, that that game presented. It’s a lot like therapy. Sometimes you’ve got to revisit those dark places to kind of get out of it what you need to. So, we’re definitely going to revisit last year, but my intentions are to make sure we gain the wisdom and the learning opportunities that the film of last year will truly tell us.”
Q: How does Jaden Mickey leaving change things for Leonard Moore and Karson Hobbs and your cornerback depth?
MF: It will increase Leonard Moore’s role. It will increase Karson Hobbs’ role. That’s why you’ve got to continue to have depth. So, those two guys are definitely capable of getting the job done. I still feel strongly about the depth of the cornerback’s room. Rod Heard has played corner before. Jordan Clark has played corner. So, if injuries occur in the future, we have plans. But I think the depth in that room right now just gives an opportunity for those younger guys to play some more.”
Q: With Rocco Spindler and Pat Coogan having such strong games in the starting lineup for the first time this year, can you evaluate their play and the play of the offensive line as a whole at this stage of the season?
MF: “I think to start the game, there’s a communication and gelling that it takes being out there to really happen. But I think as you look at the overall performance of that game, those two, in particular, played really well. I think the entire offensive line played well. I don’t know if it’s their highest grade. I’ve got to look at previously how high their grades were. But I know those two in particular played really well. I think the whole offensive line unit, for the most part, played an extremely good game.”
Q: What gives you the most confidence in Riley Leonard right now?
MF: “The performance that I see. The ability to rush the ball for about 150 yards, to throw it for 150 yards. I think we had almost 400 or 500 total yards of offense [428]. That gives me a lot of confidence in Riley Leonard as our quarterback. As you evaluate the film, we actually threw the ball down field really well. Probably the best we’ve done, but we missed some layups. And those are the ones that I’m sure everybody’s talking about. Everybody sees the layups, but those will be corrected in practice. We’ve got to continue to do movement throws. But I got a lot of confidence in Riley Leonard. And again, I don’t know what the outside’s saying, but it comes with the position. I said it after the game, there is not much difference between being the head coach and being the starting quarterback at Notre Dame. You have to be able to handle everything that comes with it, and he’s doing a great job at doing that.”
Q: What have you been seeing from Riley Leonard in practices during the week?
MF: "He's been doing a good job in practices. He's been practicing well at all the different things we're asking him to do. As I said, there are things you do well in practice. We’ve got to make sure we call the things you do well [in practice] in the game. But again, his performance, I'm really proud of him. He was the player of the game for our offense in terms of what he did. If you would have told me before the game Riley was going to run for 150, throw for 150 and lead this offense the way he did, I'd be pleased. I think he did a good job of being a quarterback for our offense. And there is always room to grow. We're never satisfied. We're greedy people. I know there are a couple plays he wishes he could re-do. Guess what? We'll have the opportunity to re-do it on Saturday."
Q: Is Notre Dame's red-zone defense being better the last two years than in 2022 the result of something intentional or just getting better over time?
MF: "It's both. I always say delayed gratification is patience plus strategy. It's not just patience. We just can't keep doing the same thing and expect it's going to get better over time. That's what I call waiting. There's some strategy that we have to make some schematic tweaks to, but also you have to be committed to the things you thought were sound. I think that's what you're seeing right now with our red-zone defense. There is a belief and a mindset. Put the ball down, we're right where we want to be. I hear coach [Al] Golden say it all the time — 'put the ball down; we're exactly where we want to be.' And that might be on the 5-yard line. It's a mentality that our defense has, and we showed it on Saturday."
Q: Can you compare the play and impact of an outstanding edge player in Louisville's Ashton Gillotte versus the one you saw opening night in Texas A&M's Nic Scourton?
MF: "They use Gillotte in a different way than A&M used Scourton. Yes, I know he lines up at the end, but they can move him inside and do some different things with him to try to create a mismatch. We have to be prepared for that. Where are they going to put him to try to create a mismatch on third down and certain passing situations? We have to be aware of him at all times. He is a dynamic player, a dynamic pass-rusher that could — if you don't know where he's at and have a plan for him, he can make it a long day for the offense."
Q: How have Notre Dame's defensive captains shown leadership with the younger players?
MF: "We voted for captains. I told them there are certain expectations that we have of our captains. Those guys met those expectations head-on and wanted the challenge. Not only are they playing at a high level, they're practicing at a high level. They're teaching young guys how to prepare the right way, and they're a confident group. They've been everything I expected them to be as a football player but also as a captain and leader."
Q: With it being “Irish Wear Green” Day, will the team be wearing green jersey on Saturday?
MF: "I’ll meet with the captains at about 2 o'clock today. And so, I'm going to let them make the decision on if they want to wear them or not. I know it's an 'Irish Wear Green,' but I like to leave that into the hands of our captains. If they want to wear the green jerseys, then we'll wear the green jerseys on Saturday."
Q: Where have your wide receivers taken steps forward to in the last two games? Where do you need to see them improve even more going into this Louisville game? And how does Riley Leonard throwing the deep ball factor into that?
MF: "So much of their production is based off of if they get the ball thrown to them. They had some pass-interferences that they created. The one challenge that we've said in our meetings with [receivers] coach [Mike] Brown — and he voiced this — we have to continue to win the 50/50 balls. We won a couple of them in the game Saturday. Made some big plays. But there were a couple we didn't win. That's the challenge for those guys — when the opportunity presents itself, we’ve got to make sure we're winning. That's all they can control. You can run your route perfectly and be wide open, but if the play call doesn't dictate to throw you the ball or the quarterback makes another decision, then nobody really talks about it. But as we evaluate the film, our wideouts are playing at a high level. They're doing a much better job in terms of blocking on the perimeter. Stats are stats. What I'm looking for is wins. Obviously, we want to have positive production in our offense, and we're doing that. But it's hard sometimes when I'm sure you want the stats to back that up as a wide receiver. But they are an unselfish group. Credit to coach Brown and the job he's done with them to continue to put team glory in front of anything else. They just keep working and doing what they're doing and they're going to get the stats to back it up."
Q: With Cooper Flanagan injured, Eli Raridon played a lot of snaps at tight end. He’s fully healthy now, so what are you doing from Eli?
MF: "He's improving. Constantly improving. He's really working at the techniques and the fundamentals in the run game. Blocking, the angles. I've seen a tremendous amount of growth from Week 1 to Week 4 in him. He'll have an even bigger load on him this week. I expect him to perform at a high level, but he's been constantly improving."
Q: It wasn’t officially ruled as a fumble and recovery, but Aamil Wagner did cover the ball in the end zone on the Jeremiyah Love touchdown. Is that something you point out to the team in a film review session?
MF: "Absolutely, man. That play does not go unnoticed by our program, by our coaches. There were a couple of them down there, but to finish through the whistle, there might have been some guys that didn't play through it like he did on that play. But we're definitely going to point out that effort, that unselfishness. The ability to just play through the whistle is something we pride ourselves on. He's been playing really well. He's doing a really good job. Man, he's working. I'm glad we got him on our team."
Q: In a number of different ways, you have talked about relying on the strengths of your players, whether it comes to Riley Leonard and the plays you guys are calling for him, whether it's playing man defense a lot, because that's what your cornerbacks are good at. Is that a philosophy that has evolved as you've become more experienced as a head coach? Or is that something you felt strongly about when you became a head coach?
MF: "That's something I've learned throughout coaching with some of my mentors with teams that I've been on. At the end of the day, as smart as we try to be as coaches, it's really hard to just outsmart the opponent. Everybody works hard. Everybody game-plans. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to recruit at a high level and then you’ve got to get your best players to play at a high level. That's the challenge. How do we get our best players to play their best? If you can do that, then they win those one-on-one battles. Football, at the end of the day, a lot of it comes down to one-on-one battles. A block on the perimeter. An inside block. A 50/50 throw and catch. What we’ve got to make sure is we are getting our guys to win those one-on-one battles and to play fast. I believe a team that plays fast has clarity. And that means, ‘Hey, let's do what they do well.’ There is no question on what they’ve got to do, so they can play with velocity. That's been my formula and things that I believe in deeply."
Q: Are the throws to Mitchell Evans down the seam and on a slot fade to Jayden Harrison as significant for Riley Leonard as the touchdown pass to Beaux Collins?
MF: “I think there was one more. Maybe the Faison big post — I can’t remember if it was Faison or Kris Mitchell that got called for pass interference. Those are confidence boosters for coaches, for players. I hope Riley feels that belief that we have in him to throw the ball down the field. I know we all want a catch, but those PIs are huge for our offense to continue to move the chains. Listen, teams have to account for him to run the ball. Coming from a defensive side, you have to say, OK, we’ve got to get an extra hat in the box. In case he runs the ball, we’re out numbered. If teams are going to do that, we have to have the ability to throw it over the top.”
Q: Why is Riley Leonard so hard to tackle? CJ Carr said he looks slow, but no one catches him. What makes him hard to deal with?
MF: “He’s 6-3, 215-plus and runs probably a 4.5. You might look at Riley and say, ‘Oh, how well does he run?’ He can roll, and we saw that in practice. A couple of our guys on defense were lucky he was in a red jersey and I would call him down. He’s strong, and he’s fast. He’s not J-Love in terms of shifty, but when you’re that big and strong and fast, it’s a challenge to bring you down. He’s showing it. To rush for 150 yards, to break away and run away from defenders is something that’s a challenge for any defense to face.”
Q: What strides have you seen Anthonie Knapp and Sam Pendleton make since week one?
MF: “The comfort. For Knapp, he’s 18, 19 years old, first game ever starting at Notre Dame is down at Texas A&M. Now you have four games under your belt and four weeks of constant improvement. Of seeing really what an opponent’s like in a game. Those guys have really progressed. Sam’s playing well. I know he’s mad about the two false starts, as am I, but we’re gonna work on that. We’ll attack it, and we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen. They’re just working at it, and they’re getting better.”
Q: Where is Mitchell Evans compared to the version we saw from him last year before the injury?
MF: “He’s as good as we expect him to be. He’s really playing at a high level. I know his production might not be as much or where it was last year, but he’s doing some really good things. We’ve got to continue to use him in the run game and some other things and get him to continue to progress there. Mitch is a threat for us. We can put him in the box. We can flex him out. He’s going to be a mismatch for a lot of defenders.”
Q: The one-sided exchange you had at the end of the first half with Adon Shuler, that’s about as mad as I can remember seeing you?
MF: “No, it was two-sided. It was two-sided for sure.”
Q: What can you share about that conversation? How do you choose, in the moment, to do old-school coaching?
MF: “It’s funny. My dad texted me. He said, man, you kind of got into No. 8. But I told my dad, I don’t know if they saw what happened after that. I told him I did what I thought probably how I was raised. I was upset because we had the momentum. I had a strong feeling if we were able to — we called two timeouts — get the ball back, we had a great chance to go down and score before half, which would have been huge. We pride ourselves in being a disciplined football team. Every Friday we watch clips of other teams making mistakes, and we say we gotta learn from the mistakes of others. We have a rule around here to hand the ball to the official, and he didn’t do that and was called for a personal foul. I lost my temper a little bit, but the first thing he said was, ‘Yes sir. I own it. I shouldn’t have done it. My bad. It won’t happen again.’ And when a young person, a coach or anybody, when you own your mistakes, now we can fix it. If you make excuses, and you say it’s somebody else’s fault, it’s hard to fix that until you own it. And he owned it. Right after it as we were running at halftime, I said, ‘I appreciate you owning it. I love ya. Let’s learn from it, and let’s reload and get ready to come back in the second half.’ I love that kid. He’s a great young man. I hope I would treat my son the same way. When you make a mistake sometimes that you need a reminder of a selfish action you made, it’s not always going to be lovey and kind. Love sometimes is tough. Love is tough sometimes. That was an example of tough love. But he owned it. It was my job to remind him after he owned it that I love ya, let’s get back to work and let’s go have a great second half. So that’s kind of how that whole situation happened.”
Q: This group has been through a lot with Jaden Mickey. How tough is it to see him make that decision to redshirt and transfer?
MF: “Everybody’s gonna have an opinion, myself included. But it’s not our opinion that really matters. Jaden Mickey made a decision that he felt was best for him. So for me to do anything other than support him, it’s selfish. I’m not in his shoes. I don’t know what’s going on in his life. This is what he said is best for him and his future, so it would be selfish of me to have selfish thoughts and opinions about the decision he’s making. I wish him the best of luck. I love him. He’s a great young man that’s been through a lot. He’ll go and do great things. It’s not our position or anybody else’s to make an opinion about what type of decision Jaden Mickey made. It’s a decision that he wanted to make for him, and I support him in his next endeavors.”
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