Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman met with the media on Wednesday at Notre Dame Stadium to wrap up ND's 15 spring season, including three practices stages after the April 12 Blue-Gold Game.
Here's everything the fourth-year Irish head coach had to say. Answers are largely verbatim. Questions may have been edited for brevity and clarity.
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OPENING STATEMENT
"I want to make sure to start off by thanking the fans and really those that were involved with the Blue-Gold Game, the fan experience, the operations. I didn't do it after the game, and I wanted to make sure that I opened up this press conference with thanking all those that were involved with the support. I don't know if it was the biggest crowd I've had in the three or four spring games I've been a part of, but it was really impressive. And again, you can't put a value on our players having the opportunity to go out there and have to perform in front of their fans and in a game-like environment, and I think it's important. And again, it's a chance for our fans to engage with our players and our players to engage with our fans. And so, I wanted to make sure that I start off today by addressing that.
"Overall, just to recap the spring, I'm really pleased with how the spring went, big picture-wise. We came into the spring with three main goals. No. 1 was us, as a program, chasing our full potential, but that goes down to us as individuals, truly chasing our full potential. And when you don't have an opponent, it's hard to measure that. And I consistently reminded the entire program: It's an internal battle. Your opponent is yourself, and I thought they did a good job. We all did a good job at really focusing on that.
"The second thing, we have to continue to build and elevate the trust that we have — coaches to players, players to coaches, and then players to players. I think that was extremely important to elevate the trust. I truly believe great teams have a trust amongst each other, a camaraderie amongst each other. And that was something we wanted to be intentional about doing. The football aspect of it, you build trust through consistent consistency. You build trust through doing your job or doing what you're supposed to do over and over and over. But there's also a choice to trust those around you that you have to make every day to have success. And I thought we did a really good job there.
“The third thing we wanted to focus on was just, again, the understanding that we have to work every day with the understanding that there's a delayed gratification. I think that was an important reminder for myself, and everybody in our program, that just because you work as hard as you can today doesn't mean that you're going to reach that goal or whatever it is that you're trying to achieve tomorrow. There's delayed gratification. I always say the greatest things in life take time. We understand that it takes time. You got to get lost in the work. You’ve got to work. And during that time you have to continue to choose the work.
"I thought all three of those things were things that were well-executed by our entire program in the spring. And looking back to when we started — about 35 days from when we started spring ball to where we're at now — we improved tremendously. Obviously, there's still room to improve, and we'll address that here in the offseason and as we get back together for fall camp. We ended up having 14 true practices, 14 out of 15, but all 35 days included work. You're not going to just improve by being on the practice field. There's intentional things you have to do off the practice field to continue to elevate as a program, and I was really pleased by what we did there. It was good to have some young guys and some new guys learning the new system, finding ways to develop as individuals. I thought they did a wonderful job there.
"Some older guys, some veteran guys have played a lot of plays and had to recover. But also [those] returning to play started getting integrated back into what we're doing spring ball-wise. I’m really pleased with our sports performance staff and how we phased those guys in, where we maybe put caps on them in certain practices to make sure we stayed healthy. And the coaches, how we tailor our systems and our philosophies to what our players do well. It's a different group. It's not the exact same group you had last year. And I truly believe that what great coaches do, you have systems and you have philosophies, but you tailor what you believe in to the talent that you have. And you call things and you demand things that they can execute well and at a high level. All those things truly got accomplished in the spring.
"Speaking of staying healthy, I want to give an end-of-the-spring injury report. I know I said Brenan Vernon didn't play in the spring game. He ended up having MCL surgery. He'll be out for a little bit, but he'll be back by July. Boubacar Traore, Kahanu Kia, Ashton Craig, Jordan Botelho will all be able to participate full go here in the summer. Guerby Lambert and Davion Dixon will continue to work into full-training activities during the summer as they return from surgery. And the only player that we don't anticipate being a truly full-go in the summer, will take a little bit more time in the fall and fall camp, will be Cooper Flanagan, who is still recovering from rehab after surgery that he had at the end of last season.
"What's next for our program? We'll finish up this week with some meetings, and they're lifting and some coaches/player exit meetings. And then we'll have finals in the upcoming week, and then they'll get about three weeks — go home, go study abroad, work on football development, have a couple weeks kind of to get away from here and reset as they return back in June to start our summer conditioning phase. And before we know, we'll be in fall camp. So, it goes fast. Seems like we were just here for a postgame press conference. So, it's been good. I'm enjoying the group. I like this team. I think we have a really good coaching staff, and it's a fun process to achieve the results that we want. So with that, I'll open it up for questions."
Q: How would you summarize you conversations with QBs CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey after Steve Angeli decided to leave, and will you move Tyler Buchner back to QB?
Marcus Freeman: "Yeah, that's something we've discussed [regarding Buchner]. We'll look at the total number of arms, bodies that we have to practice, but it's definitely under consideration to be able to move Tyler back into the quarterback room as we look into the summer and fall camp.
"As far as Kenny and CJ, again — both, we believe, have the ability to be the starting quarterback. Both have done a tremendous job improving through spring practice. Every single quarterback has improved. It was awesome to see. It's just tough when you have limited reps to truly say somebody separated themselves. There were certain days they would get 12 team reps each. It's not many, and that's probably why I said it's hard to have a true three-quarterback battle in fall camp. Just not enough reps to go around.
"Both of them, it's going to be great, because you talk about two guys that don't have much, if any, real-game experience. The thing you can create when you have a competition — a true competition, where it's 50-50, you have to battle it out — is you try to put some of that pressure that a real game presents. And you have to perform in practice, because you understand, if you don't perform consistently, that other guy's pretty good, and he might take off with this race. I'm pleased that we're going to have a true competition that we bring into fall camp and try to create some pressure situations for those guys that they have to perform, so that the first time they feel that pressure isn't going to be when we play Miami, Florida."
Q: Coming out of spring, what’s your sense for the ceiling for this team in 2025?
MF: "I’ve matured a little bit since last year, when I made a comment that this is the most talented team I've been a — again, I really like this team that we put together, and we have. And I think it has a lot of potential. We have to expedite that elevation to reaching our full potential. But outcomes are driven from a lot of different things — outcomes of a game. The ability to say you win or lose a game. There's so many things that determine that. But when you talk about this team being a really good football team, we definitely have the ability to do that, and just got to continue to develop.
"We'll see what the outcomes are/ If you would have asked me after Week 2 last year, 'What's the outlook of this season?' ‘Whoo, I'm just trying to get ready for Week 3.' We'll let the outcomes kind of happen when we get to season, but I do believe we have a high ceiling, and we’ve just got to continue to elevate to reaching that level that we aspire to reach."
Q: What gives you confidence in CJ Carr or Kenny Minchey with such limited game experience for both?
MF: “There's a lot of things. Decision making. Are you making the right decisions is probably the most important thing. Delivering the ball, the ability to create plays, maybe when things are breaking down and taking care of the football. Those are things that we really, really evaluate and they've done a tremendous job at doing that. You've heard me say this before, I try not to be so outcome-driven. What's the completion percentage? Because so many things go into that. But hey, are we making the right decisions? Are we making the right checks? Are we eliminating self-inflicted wounds? And ultimately, are we taking care of the football? And I thought all of our quarterbacks really did a good job at doing that.”
Q: Are you open to the possibility that both quarterbacks could end up playing a role in games, given their different skill sets?
MF: “Yeah, I could see us utilizing two quarterbacks in different situations, but we're going to have a starter and then you'll have a guy that can help our football team win games. If that means we have a special package for a guy, we will. But I am not a huge proponent of having truly two starters. That decision is going to be made when they help us make that decision. And I don't ever want to put a timetable on that. Let's hope this is before the first game, but at the end of the day, I believe there has to be one guy that is the starting quarterback.”
Q: With so much uncertainty regarding roster limits, do you assume it’s going to be 105? And if that’s the case, how does that affect incoming and outgoing transfers in the days ahead with the portal closing Friday?
MF: “We have a plan for if it's 105, and we have a plan for if it's not. So, I don't sit and think about if it's going to be 105 or not. It's like, OK, if they cut it to 105, here's our plan. And if they don't, here's the plan moving forward. As far as the transfer portal, probably it's not affected by the roster limits. Again, we're not actively looking for additions to our roster. I mean, again, I don't ever want to say ‘never.’ There's something that pops up that we think could help us truly become a better football team, then we got to look at it and address it. That just doesn't mean talent, though.
“There could be talent that can add to your program. But if it's not right for the room, it's not worth it if it's not right for the big picture of your football program. But again, we will evaluate if there is a guy that is the right fit for the right room and make decisions here in the next week or so if there's something that pops up.”
Q: Have you had conversations with players who might not make the roster if it’s limited to 105 players?
MF: “Yeah, I think the conversation with those guys is that, ‘Hey, there could be roster cuts to 105. We will have to make decisions to get our roster to 105, and there are going to be guys that have to be cut from the football team in terms of being a part of the active football team and practicing. There could not be. There may not be.’ And so as we tell those guys, we understand if you need to make a decision to get into the transfer portal and not knowing what the future holds. But to me, the date they really got to figure that out is by Thursday or Friday.
“Friday, the transfer portal closes. So by Friday, if they're one of those guys that, ‘Hey, maybe I'll be impacted by the 105, maybe I won't.’ That's a difficult day, because if you want to go somewhere and try to make sure you are assured an opportunity to play, we have to respect that and understand that. But the guys I've talked to, I said, ‘You don't have to make that decision until Friday or Thursday, and if there's a ruling here in the next 48 hours, then I guess those questions be answered for us.’”
Q: If the roster limit is 105, how many of those players will be on scholarship?
MF: “When we talk about actual scholarship numbers, I think we're probably around 95 if it gets to the 105 limit. But if we need to find a way to make sure there's more guys that don't have to pay for school, we have a plan to do that, too. But actual scholarship numbers right now, the plan would be around 95.”
Q: How have you seen the defensive line evolve this spring?
MF: “I'll start with the ends. With the exception of RJ Oben leaving, 90% of your production is back. And again, you got two guys with Boubacar [Traore] and Jordan Botelho that haven't practiced in the spring, but we understand that's production right there. I'm really confident in that room. In terms of the end position, they're practicing at a high level. Those guys that are practicing and the guys that aren't practicing right now, they've had a lot of production. And so it's going to be how do we figure out a way to play 'em all and give them opportunity to have success on the football field? It's a great challenge for us. We have a deep defensive ends room.
“The tackles — I've said this previously — you don't replace Rylie Mills and Howard Cross with two guys. Right now, we can't just replace those guys with two guys, but I believe we have five, six guys that can really go in there and perform at a high level, where we can replace their production with multiple guys. Not just with two guys, but it's about replacing production, not the person. And I think about guys like Donnie Hinish and how he's continued to improve, and Gabriel Rubio and Jason Onye, and I go on and on. Jared Dawson's been doing a good job, and Elijah Hughes and Armel Mukam and [Sean] Sevillano. I go on. It's a deep room, but you're not replacing Rylie Mills and Howard Cross with two guys right now. You're not doing that. You're going to have to do it with multiple guys. But we do have the guys, the depth of guys to hopefully get the job done that we need.”
Q: How is the team's leadership on the defensive side of the ball coming along after losing four captains there?
MF: “Well, I think when I think about some of our players that are leaders, I think the two things that stick in my head are, No. 1, they're problem-solvers. And no matter if truly it's their fault or not, or if they can solve the problem or not, they're looked to to solve problems. All those guys you mentioned, ‘Hey, you can solve the problem on the field, right? Solve the problem off the field. And we're looking at you guys as leaders and captains to be problem solvers.’
“And the other thing is that you have to make those around you better. I often say if you're a leader, the performance of those guys that you're around or that leading is the same when you're there and when you're not, you're probably not that great of a leader. And I believe we have multiple guys that are doing those things that are leading. They're solving issues, they're making those guys around them better, vocally, by the way, they practice, challenging guys. I do. And so at some point, we'll name captains, but I feel confident in the leadership of our defense and of our team, our offense, special teams.
“I feel confident that we have enough leaders to make sure that hey, we're taking care of the issues on and off the field, but also we're making those guys around us perform at a higher level.”
Q: Did you ever come close to naming a starting quarterback during the spring?
MF: ”No. It was never — if one person clearly showed that he was going to be the only answer to making sure we had the most opportunity to have success, we would have named one. Again, we had three guys who were performing really, really well for 14 practices and did a really good job. We’ll continue the competition with two guys as we move forward. I was never put in a situation where I felt we needed to do that because a guy clearly showed he was going to be the guy to give our offense the best chance to have success.”
Q: How would you assess your offensive line personnel, which has experience but is still on the young side?
MF: ”You have guys like Billy [Schrauth] and Aamil [Wagner], who have started multiple games, multiple years, who are really good players. Then you have a guy like Ashton Craig, who is coming off an injury, but was playing at a high level when he was starting for us. Charles Jagusah, a guy who was coming into the season as a starter, tears his pec, comes back and plays in two of the biggest games of our season. And then Anthonie Knapp, a guy who started as a true freshman and all of a sudden he gets hurt at the end of the season.
“I like that they all have big-game, big-moment experience. They’re all really talented football players — high-ceiling guys. But there are still guys who have maybe played 2-3 games, so they have to continue to develop, too. I really am excited because they are high-ceiling guys.
“Billy and Aamil are probably as close to the ceiling as you can be, and they still have room to grow. And then you have three guys who haven’t — Knapp probably played more than anybody — but again, young guys who really have room to continue to improve, who have all started for us. That’s what excites me.
“Those are five guys. We would assume those are your five starters, and then the depth of the room is really impressive. And credit to [O-line] coach [Joe] Rudolph for the job he’s done in recruiting. We’ve had some really good young guys and guys who maybe haven’t played who had a great spring. I think about a guy like Joe Otting, who took a lot of reps with the 1s. Sullivan Absher and Guerby [Lambert] until he got hurt. I’m sure I’m missing some guys, but the depth of that offensive line room is really impressive.”
Q: Outside of personnel, what are some of the changes you’ve noticed in the defense under Chris Ash this spring?
MF: ”We haven't had a long discussion on whether he’ll be calling the defense from the field or the press box. He’s done them both. That might be something that is a little different. Any great team still is going to be led by great players. Any great football program is led by your great players. Head coach wants to take all the credit — it ain’t the head coach, because we have great players leading and doing great things.
“I don’t like to compare. He’s authentic to who he is. Chris Ash has his own leadership style. What I love most is watching the results on the field. They’re practicing at a high level, practicing with energy, practicing with effort and a lot of production. The camaraderie and the trust that’s being built with that defensive staff, I think we have a tremendous defensive staff. Everyone knows the Max Bulloughs, Mike Mickens and Al Washingtons, but even some of our new support staff like Andy Buh and some of the younger guys we’ve added to our defensive staff have done a really good job. It’s ultimately up to the leader to make sure that we can utilize all those great minds and great skill sets to really produce the outcome we want.
“That to me is a sign of a great leader. I think he’s done a really tremendous job of doing that. Everybody coaches and stresses certain things. I think there’s a philosophy in coaching defense that we all believe in — the fundamentals, how hard you play, takeaways and being great at tackling, but there’s also little skill sets or ways you execute defensively that could be coached differently.
“Do I want to re-route? Do I want to zone drop and spot drop and play quarterback vision? Am I blitzing? Am I going to time it up or am I going to be an early guy? These are all football terms where you guys might go, ‘What the heck is he talking about?’ All those little things depending on the leader can be coached and taught differently and still produce a really good outcome. I really like the progression of our defense from when he’s gotten here and not just through spring, but when coach Ash has gotten here to where we are today. I know it won’t stop.”
Q: What did you learn about fatigue and load management playing a 16-game schedule last year and will you push this summer?
MF: “When you look at a 16-game season, I’m most pleased about really the preventable injuries that we were able to decrease. That, to me, is the telling sign: Is your team in shape and are you practicing the way you need to practice? Are you keeping guys healthy, especially with preventable injuries? There are some non-preventable injuries. It’s the game of football.
“The other thing was that our guys who were backups were ready to go. That, to me, is something when I think of last year is the amount of guys who were thrust into important action who were ready to go. You think of a guy like Charles Jagusah, who didn’t play all year because he was hurt. And when his number was called, he was ready to go. I think of a guy like Tosh Baker. When his number was called, he was ready to go. Rocco Spindler. I’m just using offensive line right now, but when your number is called, you have to be ready. To me, that’s part of the physical conditioning, the weight room and not just the football preparation.
“As I look to this summer, you can’t cheat the preparation. There is a physical preparation into making sure your team is ready to go week 1. You guys heard me say this enough, the future is uncertain so for us to preserve for an uncertain future is crazy — a future that you might not ever get. We have to make sure we are ready to go the minute that first game and there’s a physical preparation that you have to go through to make sure you’re ready.
“We have a great team to come up with our plan. We have a foundation of a couple years of this is what our plan was and how do we make it better? I’m not a guy who just says this is what we do. Challenge everything. Is there a better way to do it? We’ve done that this year in the spring and we’re going to do it this year in the summer. Is there a better way to do it? If there is, we’re going to try it and figure it out. Our guys are going to work their tails off. They have to. You can’t be ready to play this physical, demanding game of football without being prepared the right way.”
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