Quick-hitters: Marcus Freeman on Kyle Hamilton, Kyren Williams, Fiesta Bowl
Notre Dame’s postseason practices – and Marcus Freeman’s first on-field action as head coach – began Saturday afternoon, exactly three weeks away from the Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma State.
The No. 5 Irish (11-1) are saving heavy prep for the No. 9 Cowboys until a bit later this month. Right now, the focus is internal growth and Freeman finding his stride as the boss. His concern is less about the No. 9 Cowboys’ (11-2) schemes and more about what he calls “good-on-good” work.
“Me personally, it hasn’t been much,” Freeman said of his initial studying of Oklahoma State.
Furthermore, he spent last week on the road recruiting and this weekend with the cadre of prospects who were in town on official visits. His assistants, though, are already pouring over film.
“I told the staff, ‘I don’t want to slow you down,” Freeman said. “You guys start game-planning like I’m not here. I’ll be in here when I can. [Monday] will be a big day for us to get into game-plan mode. Those guys will put a good start to what we’re doing.”
Freeman also spoke with reporters Sunday for his first post-practice press conference. Here are some of the topics he addressed.
On Kyren Williams and Kyle Hamilton skipping the Fiesta Bowl and heading to the NFL Draft
“After I became head coach, both of them came to me and said, ‘We made our decision.’ They did it separately.
“It wasn’t a discussion on, ‘What do you think?’ What do I think? Come play. It was, ‘This is what I’m going to do.’ I told them I support them 100 percent. No matter what they decide, they’ll always has our support and they’re part of what we’ve done. Those are special guys.”
On Williams and Hamilton's involvement this month
“I told them, ‘Absolutely.’ When you decide to go pro, you’re really saying, ‘I’m moving on and becoming a former player.’ If a former player wants to come to a game, absolutely, we’ll allow it. We love those guys and what they’ve done for our program.”
“We have to continue to get this current team ready to beat Oklahoma State, but if those guys want to come to the game, they know they’re more than welcome.”
On running backs Logan Diggs, Chris Tyree and Audric Estime
“Logan has done a great job, being a freshman. I told him, ‘I don’t consider you a freshman anymore.’ He’s an experienced guy.
“Tyree, he has done a great job and brings an element of speed to the backfield. Even Audric, he has done a great job. He’s a big, physical running back. He was punishing a couple people yesterday.”
“It’s good to have that three-man crew going out there and sharing the load. It’ll be exciting. There’s only one Kyren Williams, and we have to replace his production. That has been the challenge. You don’t have to be Kyren Williams, but you have to replace his production.”
On using the Fiesta Bowl to get younger players ready for next year
“I’m going to rotate the guys in there who will help us win. I owe it to the seniors, owe it to the guys who this is their last game to put guys on the field who are giving us the best chance to win. This isn’t a charity game. This isn’t, ‘Let’s get the young guys ready for next year.’ This is, ‘What do we have to do so we’re prepared to win?’”
On the potential for further bowl opt-outs and draft declarations prior to Jan. 1
“I hope not. I think everybody who’s on the practice field is committed to doing whatever it takes to finish this season off as champions. I said in the first team meeting, if you’re in this room, we have one mission, to finish this season as champions. These guys have been committed and done everything we’ve asked.”
On safety Ramon Henderson (hamstring)
“He’s not full-go yet. We expect him to be full-go on Jan. 1. He’s getting there. He ran full speed in a training session, but he did not go full-go today. That’s very precautionary on our part.”
On replacing special teams coach Brian Polian, who left for LSU last week
“I’ve gotten with [defensive assistant] Nick Lezynski to really dive in deep to that role. He has done a great job. I know he met with Coach Polian before Polian left. Like I told Nick, it’s about simplicity. Let’s get lined up, make sure everybody knows what we’re doing and let’s play fast. He has done a great job diving in and making sure he can teach it the way they’ve been taught.
“I’ll be involved in special teams too. I’ve always been involved in special teams and been in every special teams meeting.”
On linebacker Marist Liufau (lower leg) and his recovery
“He just brings an energy to our entire team. He’s not ready, but it’s good to have him out there. He’s not doing any team reps. He’s doing some individual stuff. He’s not to the point where we would even think he could play, but it’s just good to have him out there and see the progression he has made.”
On quarterback Jack Coan
“He has that natural leadership, quarterback moxie about him you like. That’s the one thing I’ve noticed about Jack just being around him, especially on the defensive side. He had that leadership capability you look for in a quarterback.
“He makes good decisions. That’s the one thing talking to [offensive coordinator] Tommy [Rees] a couple times as the defensive coordinator – ‘What are your thoughts on Jack, on Drew [Pyne], on Tyler [Buchner]? Tommy just goes, ‘Jack will make the right decision. It doesn’t mean he’s perfect, but if you have somebody who’s going to make the right decision, it means you’re going to take care of the football.”
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