For Notre Dame to take the next step in becoming an elite program, we know that the Irish need to start winning more recruitment battles with elite programs. Friday night the Irish did it and then. Notre Dame has officially appointed Marcus Freeman, one of the hottest names in the football coaching college, as their next defensive coordinator; wins a showdown with SEC Power Station, 2019 National Champion LSU.
Wow. No, look. It does not happen in the Notre Dame, or at least it has not happened in the Notre Dame since I started working with Kyle on this site in 1999. Notre Dame has hired well in the past, but they have never been able to tap the next emerging coordinator over a football factory like LSU like this. Usually, if a program like LSU wants someone, they get him because they are willing to throw more money at coaches.
This is a stark contrast to what happened in Notre Dame just four years ago. After one successful season as defense coordinator at Notre Dame, Mike Elko leaves for the same position at Texas A&M and a lot of money. While it was the Irish, made a counter-offer which Elko accepted to use only for the further negotiation with the Aggies; in the end, Notre Dame still loses its defense coordinator to another program in a sideways move.
However, that’s not what happened here, people. Notre Dame only coached the next defensive coach and appointed him to replace Clark Lea, even though he was LSU’s first target to fill their vacant role in the defense coordinator. After an interview with Notre Dame earlier this week, Freemen flew to Baton Rouge to conduct an interview with the Tigers, only for the Notre Dame to announce that they had hired him shortly thereafter.
Notre Dame not only gets an elite “x’s and o’s” defense coordinator with this hire. They also get an elite recruiter who can help them attract the kind of 5-star talent that Notre Dame has mostly eluded over the past two decades. Freeman has already helped Cincinnati secure commitments from two 4-star defensive players for the 2022 class. Landing 4-stars in a place like Cincinnati is basically the equivalent of 5-star talent in one place like Notre Dame.
Freeman’s recruiting prowess was explicitly mentioned by Brian Kelly in the release of Notre Dame in which he announced the lease.
“While we were looking to find someone to defend us, it was important to find the right fit for our program, and Marcus and his family are exactly that,” Kelly said. ‘He has achieved great success on the field, both defensively and in his direct work with his lineouts. In addition, he is considered one of the elite recruiters in the coaching ranks.
It should also be noted that Freeman is the first African-American coordinator appointed under Kelly and the first not hired by Notre Dame at all since Charlie Weis hired Corwin Brown.
This is not a house rent from Brian Kelly and Notre Dame. This is a damn grand slam. For those worried that Kelly would follow the safe path of replacing Clark Lea – Notre Dame’s most successful defense co-ordinator since the Lou Holtz era – fears could be allayed. Kelly pulled in just the best defense on the market and aimed aggressively at him.
When Notre Dame lost Clark Lea, Kelly was tasked with replacing one of the most successful helpers of his time at Notre Dame. It will take nine months until Freeman calls up a defensive game for the Irish, but if he does not at least keep where Lea left off, it is the upset of the off-season. There is no such thing as ‘can not miss rent’, but it’s about as close as you can get to a coordinator.
On and off the field, it’s a statement hired by Notre Dame. This is the kind of hire that shows that the rest of the university football world is indeed serious about doing what the Irish need to do to take the final step to becoming an elite program – the kind of program that not only reaches the College Football Playoffs not, but do something more than wage a good fight.
It’s been a tough week of news for Notre Dame with numerous departures to the NFL, but Friday night’s announcement should have Notre Dame fans very, very excited for the future.