Quick-Hitters: Marcus Freeman’s First Notre Dame Press Conference
Marcus Freeman is finding the recruiting aspect of his job as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator to be an enjoyable new challenge.
Primarily a Midwest-focused recruiter in his time at Cincinnati, and Purdue and Kent State before that, Notre Dame’s national recruiting strategy has required him to reach out to prospects from all over, with no clear de facto home base.
“Every state is up for grabs for us,” Freeman said. “We’re going to evaluate every player across the nation. It’s nothing like I’ve ever done. … It’s a unique process in terms of you have to find the right guys that fit and what you’re looking to do at the University of Notre Dame.”
Freeman dove deeper into his recruiting philosophy, plans for the Irish defense and several other topics in his first media availability since his Jan. 8 hiring. Here are some of the highlights.
On His Defensive Scheme
“It’s going to be our scheme. I’m big on, ‘Let’s get the best players we can find.’ We can tailor our scheme around those guys. That’s the same thing I’m doing now with the staff. I’m not dropping a book and saying, ‘This is what we’re going to do.’
“Let’s evaluate our guys, find the best players on our defense and put them in positions to be successful. That’s how I’ve always been. I’ve never said, ‘You have to fit this position.’ What are his positive traits, what does he do well? Let’s make sure we tailor our defense around those.”
On Defensive Terminology
“The names, I changed them [for myself]. I would much rather put the pressure on myself and the coaches to learn different terminology than the players. They have on their plate. We will call it a rover, call it a vyper, we’ll call [the buck] a will linebacker.”
On Notre Dame CB Signee JoJo Johnson
"Extremely talented football player. Great family and I got to know him through the recruiting process. Halfway through the year, he reached out and say he’s going to decommit [from Cincinnati]. He’s one of the best players in the country at his position. He’s a great athlete. He’s a competitor and he’s extremely fast.
"Those are two things we look for. We’re looking for how competitive guys are, how athlete guys are, how intelligent they are, what type of leaders they are.”
On The Differences Recruiting For Notre Dame
“We have such a unique brand and program to sell. The things I have been telling recruits is anything you want in a program, it’s here. You can achieve it here.
"You have a chance to win a national championship — look at what coach [Brian] Kelly has done in the past four years, to be in the College Football Playoff two out of the last three years, not many teams can say that. To be developed into an NFL Draft pick — every kid we talk to has these goals. You can be developed here as well as anyone in the country. Now the difference is you have a chance to say you’re a graduate of Notre Dame."
On His Recruiting Style And Relationships With Players
“The first thing I do is I sell the University of Notre Dame and what this can do for you as an individual. It has nothing to do with me as a coach or anything else. You choose to come here because you want to be a graduate and be part of the university.
“Second, it’s about building relationships. You can’t have relationships with every kid in the country, but you try and develop them with the kids you can. It takes effort, time, getting to know someone. You can tell through conversations what’s authentic and what’s not. I try as much as I can to have authentic relationships and conversations with these kids. Hopefully they feel comfortable with me and the staff.”
On Why He Took The Job At Notre Dame
“The chance to be part of one of the elite programs in the country was what really, really intrigued me. I knew this place was special. I took another trip — what a blessing all these opportunities to be a defensive coordinator — my wife and I, we had the chance to go home and sit down, think about what we want for our family and what we want to be part of.
"There was no decision to make. To have a chance to be a part of coach Kelly’s staff and this program at Notre Dame is an opportunity you can’t pass up. Every day I’m here I realize more and more why this place is special.”
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