Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman met with reporters Monday inside Notre Dame Stadium for his first press conference ahead of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal played at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1 (8:45 p.m. EST on ESPN). No. 7 seed Notre Dame (12-1) will take on No. 2 seed Georgia (11-2).

Here's everything Freeman had to say in transcript form. Answers are largely verbatim. Questions may have been edited for brevity and clarity.

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Opening statement

Marcus Freeman: “Friday night was just a great win in a great environment. Again, I want to make sure to thank everybody who had a part in making that game day atmosphere special. As far as the game went, we knew a major key to victory would be we had to be able to run the ball versus a really good running defense and to be able to stop the run versus a really good rushing offense. And we were able to do that, which contributed to the success that we had on Friday.

“Overall, there was some good — a lot of good — in all three phases and areas, as always, of improvement. So, we'll evaluate it, get back to work and start to correct those issues with urgency. The players of the game on offense was Jordan Faison, defense was Xavier Watts and special teams was Jordan Faison. Then scout players of the week on offense were Matt Jeffery, on defense Armel Mukam and special teams Jack Polian.

“A couple of injury updates, just for this week, Charles Jagusah will be available. Rocco Spindler is questionable. We'll see how he progresses over the next couple of days. Kyngstonn [Viliamu-Asa] will be questionable. We anticipate him getting out to practice this week and trying to get to a return to play. Bodie Kahoun and KK Smith are both questionable, and then Riley Mills will be out for the remainder of the College Football Playoffs with a knee injury.

“Looking ahead to Georgia, as I told the team all week, last week, we had one guaranteed opportunity to earn one more. As we get ready for Georgia, again we'll understand we have one guaranteed opportunity as a football program to try to go and earn another one. We're excited, looking forward to playing in the All-State Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 versus a very good Georgia football team who's 11-2 and the SEC Champions. We all know the challenge that lies ahead. So, preparation will be as critical as it is every week as you prepare for an opponent.”

Q: How do you mix up your messaging so you know what you say still gets across to your team?

MF: “There's got to be a consistency and sameness in approach to every game. Part of that is some of those values I believe in. The only thing that matters is this game. One game, one life. That's why I say some of those things. Choosing hard is a lifestyle. Choosing hard is a trait that has to become who you are. Every week, there will be a part of the messaging that is specific for the upcoming opponent, but at the end of the day, there is a sameness in approach to the preparation for the upcoming opponent.”

Q: How are you a better communicator now compared to when you first walked in the door here?

MF: “I've always said there's no substitution for experience. I think in three years your messaging might be, it should be, better than it was in Year 1. But more than anything, it's the process that you have to getting the results that you want is hopefully enhanced more than anything.”

Q: What does your preparation look with Georgia playing a new starting quarterback in Gunner Stockton?

MF: “You evaluate, obviously, schematically, what they've done all season. Then you have a separate tape of what Stockton, the new quarterback, has done. I think we have 80-something plays of him playing quarterback. He can run their offense. He does some things a little bit differently. He can extend plays with his legs. He's a good athlete.

“The thing I probably noticed more than anything in watching those 80 plays is he's an ultra-competitive individual. You can just tell by the way he celebrates, by the way he goes and finishes plays. He's a competitor. I don't see it being tremendously different than what they've done all season, but we'll prepare for anything.”

Q: How do you move forward now without Rylie Mills?

MF: “You can't replace Rylie Mills. Yes, the production, but the leadership, a captain, very similar to the things I said about Benjamin Morrison when he was out. You feel awful for him as a person, a guy that decided to come back, improve his draft stock, be a captain. The value he provided this team is tremendous, and he's done an excellent job as a football player and a leader, but you have to replace the production. You got to replace what he did for our defense in different ways. We have capable guys that will step up, that have stepped up all year, that we're very confident in, and those guys will have a bigger role this week.”

Q: When you became a head coach did you saw you wanted to have an aggressive special teams approach or is that a product of Brian Mason and Marty Biagi pushing you in that direction?

MF: “I've always had a mindset as an individual, as a coach, to be aggressive. Even as a defensive coordinator of being aggressive. As a head coach, I want to be aggressive. I want our program to be aggressive, but I also want to make sure that we're doing things that are going to help us have success, too.

“When I feel like I'm very confident and being aggressive in special teams because of the preparation, because of how we've game-planned in the execution of practice, I'm willing to call it. I think that's a credit to the coordinators, to the coaches, to the players, for coming up with some schematic things that people would view as aggressive. But it still goes into do you gain conviction in practice that it was going to work in the game.”

Q: These decisions are being made with the game and season on the line. How do you have enough time and resources to devote to that? Do you count on the intelligence of your players so you don’t have to rep it as many times?

MF: “It's an accumulation of a lot of things. But we've got to rep it. We've got to rep it until we can't get it wrong. And rep things versus different looks. That's the one thing about aggression, especially as you look at some of the special teams fakes or reverses. You're trying to figure out how a defensive player will react.

“I've always been on the defensive side, but when you do some of these things on special teams, you got to try to anticipate a reaction out of somebody. That takes reps. It takes giving that unit some different looks and making sure you have answers for it.”

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Q: How have you seen your young linebackers develop, especially when it comes to their speed and physicality?

MF: “It was a talented group that was just inexperienced, like you said. What you've seen is them constantly improve through experience, through coaching. Coach [Max] Bullough has done an unbelievable job at developing that group.

“A lot of times, what you see as a group is a reflection of — they always say their head coach, but their position coach. Max Bullough’s done a wonderful job of having that group ready, rotating guys, and they're all playing at a high level.

“Those guys are physical, aggressive football players. They're smart, really instinctive. They do a good job of preparing for the offense, and they're playing really well for us.”

Q: What has Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa been able to do so far? What are you looking for from him to be able to play?

“Mostly, he's been rehabbing and obviously getting mental work in but hasn't been able to practice. Now, we want to see the progression in the practice and then build that confidence. He builds that confidence in himself, and also in his coaches, and the doctors that he can go out there and get his job done, which I think he will.”

Q: How helpful is it that Max Bullough has familiarity with Kirby Smart? How similar is what you do now to what you did at Cincinnati?

MF: “There’s some similarities, I would say, defensively. Some philosophies that, obviously, I had then and I still have now. Our defense here is different than what it was at Cincinnati. Again, I’m sure their offense is different now than it was in 2020. I haven’t gone back and looked at that game, but maybe I will now that you bring that up.

“The other point to your question of Max Bullough being at Alabama. Probably not something that we’re going to talk about much. What this Georgia program does is what Georgia does. We gotta continue to do what we do at Notre Dame really, really well and prepare. We’ll see what happens on game day.”

Q: What is the issue with so many field goals getting blocked and how can you get it fixed?

MF: “There’s a couple different things. The issue from Friday was not the issue from a couple weeks back. It was a low kick. Mitch [Jeter], we just gotta get a little more height on that. Early in the season was more protection issues than the actual kick. Just mishit it a little bit low. He really did some good things. Mitch did some wonderful things in that game. Again, his confidence level is high and mine is in him too.”

Q: How do you prepare players in a week take over for Rylie Mills?

MF: “You don’t prepare them in a week. They’ve been preparing every single day all season long. That’s why every rep you do in practice matters and is evaluated. Because you don’t know when that rep is going to be thrust against Georgia. You have to prepare in a way in practice that you’re, one, improving, but, two, you’re ready if your number’s called. We got a lot of guys that prepare that way and that will have a bigger role.

“Donnie [Hinish] has played at a high level. Gabe Rubio’s playing at a high level, and Howard (Cross III) is obviously back. We’ll get whoever that fourth and fifth guy is ready to roll. They’ve been preparing for this moment all season. It’s not something that you just do right now.”

Q: How have you been able to keep going after so many injury losses this season? How do you do it again?

MF: “The same way you do it after you lose to Northern Illinois. You find out the most about your team and yourself as an individual in tough times and the lowest moments. What I learned about this program in its lowest moments is that they’re resilient, they’re tough, they continue to battle, and they choose to find ways to elevate.

“That’s what’s going to happen now. You lose a captain, and it’s tough. It’s a terrible loss. But this program knows what it has to do to continue to prepare and perform at a high level. That’s what you gotta do. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. I feel sorry for Rylie Mills, because I love that guy and he’s a great person, a great player. But you don’t feel sorry for yourself. You own it and you say, ‘OK, how do we find ways to improve?’ That’s what we’re going to do.”

Q: Has Charles Jagusah been repping at tackle or guard? How do you reintegrate him?

MF: “He really hasn't been practicing much. This is going to be his first full week of practice. We’ll figure out what’s his best position as we continue to game plan and move forward. There’s a consistency in that offensive line. They’ve been doing a really, really good job. At the end of the day, we’re going to do what’s best for Notre Dame, but there’s a lot of confidence we have in the guys that have been there and with Charles coming back.”

Q: How do you balance the incoming and outgoing transfer portal and keeping the focus on this game?

MF: “There’s time you gotta wear different hats. Up until Friday was preparation for Indiana. Saturday, you kind of put on a different hat and said, ‘OK, hey, let’s look at a couple different portal situations.’ Now, we’re back to preparing for Georgia. We try to eliminate as many distractions as we can for our current players and our program and what we’re trying to do. But we also know the transfer portal is a part of college football right now. Our current guys have been great. They’re ready to prepare the right way, and I haven't heard anything about a guy trying to go to the portal right now.”

Q: What did it take to get Jeremiyah Love on the field with him feeling sick?

MF: “We didn’t do anything for him. That was all him. He is a tough individual that had some flu-like symptoms and did what it took for him to go out and perform. Katy [Lonergan] showed me an interview. At least he kept his clothes on in pregame warmup, not like some of those wideouts. He’s a competitor, man. There was nothing that was going to prevent Jeremiyah Love from playing on Friday. He played at a high level, too.”

Q: What it’s like to be part of the CFP to know the difficult but awesome path ahead?

MF: “This is a first for me and really anybody in college football as you talk about a 12-team playoff. You almost prepared for this first round like it was maybe even a bowl game-ish-type opportunity, but then you realized once the game was over, you gotta go back to preparation. That’s probably what I’ve noticed more than anything.

“During the season, you know you have the next one. But in the playoffs, you gotta prepare in a way that gives your program the best opportunity to win. Put everything on the table. If you’re able to get the outcome you want, you gotta go right back to preparation. It’s been unique.

“You’re grateful to be part of this thing — to be a part of the last eight teams in the College Football Playoff. You’re grateful It speaks volumes about this football program, about our players, coaching staff and everybody involved and the work they put in. Continue to do that. Everybody knows it’s a big game coming up, but the approach, the preparation must continue to have some consistency in what we’ve done. But then there’s gotta be a little bit of elevation. As I always say every single week, we’ve gotta do it a little bit better.”

Q: How did your schedule adjust for Christmas? Will your guys get away at all?

MF: “Get away? Like go home?”

Q: Do the players get to go home at all?

“(Laughs) No. No. No. We’re going to celebrate Christmas together. I haven’t met with them yet; we’ll meet today. It’s an honor, it’s a privilege to be able to celebrate Christmas together with your football program, with your football family and to be practicing for a College Football Playoff game. There’s a lot of college football teams that would want to do that. We gotta make sure we understand that. Our guys do. None of those guys are thinking about going home — at least they won’t tell me if they are. We’re going to have Christmas together, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Q: Was the wide receiver position as productive in a big moment as its been all season?

MF: “They made some big catches, 50-50 balls in tight windows. The catch Jaden Greathouse made was so impressive. The throw was impressive, but the catch was impressive that he made in between two defenders. That’s what the expectation is out of that room. They’ve continuously gotten better. They’re getting better like everybody on our team’s doing. But it’s really good to see them make those big, contested catches in big moments because we’re going to need that as we continue to move forward.”

Q: With Jordan Faison, can you put into context just what the ankle injury at Texas A&M did to his season? Did that just sort of set him back beyond just a nagging injury?

MF: “Yeah, I think it delayed [it] — it’s often called delayed gratification, right? He plays lacrosse, and so he misses spring ball. Has a good training camp, and then he goes and he gets an ankle sprain versus A&M that kind of set him back for a couple weeks. And you're starting to see him get back to being the Jordan Faison we know we can be. I mean, the guy is always in the right position. He's always making the play. He's a gamer, who's also a great practice player, too. And it's just good to see him perform at a high level right now when it matters the most.”

Q: How does the history of the 1981 Sugar Bowl influence the team's preparation and mindset in this matchup?

MF: “Oooh, you’re going to have to give me a little history. I've been preparing for Georgia without the history of the 1981 Sugar Bowl.”

Q: Herschel Walker beat Notre Dame.

MF: “Herschel Walker beat Notre Dame?”

Q: Yeah.

MF: “I’m sorry I didn’t know that, but I know Herschel Walker was a great player. That’s what I can tell you about that. Is that the only time we played Georgia? No, I know we played in ‘17.”

Q: And ‘19 too.

MF: “No, I didn’t know that, I’m sorry.”

Q: And then planning for Georgia's defense, with a linebacker like Jalon Walker, with his versatility and ability to impact the game, how do you plan to go up against a guy like that?

MF: “Yeah, he is one of the — if not the best — linebacker we’ll face all year. He's a problem. He does some really good things in the run and the pass game. He's physical. [He’ll] strike. Good instincts. He's a really, really good football player. And you can't run around linebackers. You’ve got to go in. You’ve got to attack. And, so he;ll be a great challenge for us. I think he's a heck of a football player. Got a lot of respect for him.”

Q: I know you didn't mention Bryce Young in the injury report, so I'm assuming he's good to go. What has his last couple days been like since that playoff game, and what did he actually do in that playoff game? With all of the injuries you've had on the defensive line, how big is his stability?

MF: “He played really, really well. He's played well all season. He's a difference-maker. To be a true freshman and playing at the level he's playing at, he's got some great genetics. Make sure you give Mom a shoutout too. But he prepares the right way and is performing at a high level, and he's a huge part of what we're doing defensively. And we're going to need another big game out of him as we get ready for Georgia.”

Q: Watching the Here Come The Irish documentary, we hear you talk about being a misfit. What does that mean to your program?

MF: “More than anything, it's a version of, it's a different way to say ‘choose hard.’ What you can't do — I tell our program all the time — is, be normal, make the decisions that normal people make. Make the decisions that you naturally probably want to make. And I don't think everybody wakes up every single day and says, ‘I want to choose hard.’ I don't think everybody wakes up every day and says, ‘I can't wait to go and just try to find a way to be the best version of me today in practice.’ I think that's a decision you have to make. And what I say is that we learn those valuable lessons in our lowest moments. We learn what it took to have success or handle success and prepare the right way after we were humbled. Don't lose that. And I call that the ‘misfit mentality.’ Like, don't lose that misfit mentality.”

Q: You’ve talked about guys stepping up, whether it's been Rocco, Coogan. Leonard Moore — guys who weren’t pegged as starters coming into the year, but have obviously produced a lot on the field. How does that set the tone for everyone else, especially in a moment like this where you're going to be counting on some guys who haven't played as much before?

MF: “I think it's a great reminder that the future is uncertain. So, you might not be a starter today or you might not be playing today, but the future is uncertain. Just continue to focus on improvement — individual improvement — and on Saturdays, continue to choose to put the team in front of yourself. And then, all of the sudden, you might be thrust into a meaningful situation with not even knowing or expecting it. I think that's more important than anything, is that we all recognize that the future is uncertain. The guys that are playing now, there's a lot of guys that are different than the guys that started the year off in fall camp and at Texas A&M. But we're going to need everybody. And that's so important, because you can't wait till you need somebody to, all of the sudden, make them feel like they have value to the team. Those guys that maybe aren't starting week 1, they know how much value they have to this football program. And your value isn't determined by your role on this team. And so. I think that's just, to me, when you bring that up about guys that weren't starting or weren't playing early in the season that now are being called upon, it's just a great reminder that: Don't make a decision today that's going to affect the rest of your career. Don't make a decision today because of a temporary situation that's going to impact your future forever. And so, just know that the future’s uncertain. Work as hard as you can to be the best version of you, and elevate, and let's see what happens in the future.”

Q: With Leonard Moore, what’s a favorite story or something that stood out when you guys were initially deciding to offer him a scholarship?

MF:" When [DBs coach] Mike Mickens says ‘I want somebody,’ I've learned to trust Mike Mickens. And that's through our time in Cincinnati, and our time here with Benjamin Morrison, our time here with Leonard Moore. He's a great evaluator. He is a great evaluator. And it was no different with Leonard Moore. He said, ‘This is a guy, I believe, that can help us, and will be a great football player. Nobody knew how quickly he would develop, but I remember doing a home visit with coach Mickens at his house, and spent some time with his mother and father, who are just some of the brightest individuals I've ever been around. And I think all those things help him develop into the football player he is today. He has God-given ability, athleticism, but he's a very intelligent individual and a very competitive individual that I think helped expedite that process of where he's at right now. And so, again, it's a credit to coach Mick for standing on the table for Leonard Moore and his evaluation, but also credit to his upbringing and how he was raised.”

Q: It goes back a few months, but some of the players remember well when you had Brian Johnson come in to speak to the team. What are some of the aspects of that talk about heroic potential that you still draw on, that your team might still draw on, and do you stay in touch with him?

MF: “I haven't talked to him too much as the season — I don’t talk too much to anybody as the season goes on, but I was introduced to Brian through General [Bryan] Fenton, who's a Notre Dame grad. I don’t bring in many speakers to speak to our team, but he was a guy that we did bring in and, basically [he said] become the best version of you, and different things that help you as an individual, have the right mindset each day. And so he came and spent some time with our players. But again, we're always looking for ways to improve as an individual. The only thing I can control first is being the best version of me. I can't worry about being the best head coach right now. I’ve got to be the best version of me, which is going to make me the best head coach I can be. It's the same thing with our players and our coaches. Don't worry about being the best at your position right now. You’ve got to be the best version of you, which is going to make you the best at your position. And so, just some different thoughts about that.”

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