Notre Dame Football: Top 3 offseason 2022 storylines to follow
By Dante Pryor
3. How does Marcus Freeman develop as the head coach?
The 36-year-old Dayton, Ohio, native has been one of the fastest rising stars in college coaching. The Irish hiring Freeman makes him one of nine African American head coaches in the Power Five and 14 in all of FBS. After beginning as a graduate assistant at Ohio State, Freeman has been on a meteoric rise up the coaching ranks.
Freeman’s maturation and development will be quite intriguing to watch this season.
His inexperience showed in the Fiesta Bowl when he was outcoached in the second half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys and veteran head coach Mike Gundy. However, how Freeman learns from that game is what is most important.
There is no doubt that Freeman can coach defense. He coached one of the most dominant defenses in the country while at Cincinnati. Players like Amaud “Sauce” Garner and Coby Bryant developed and thrived under Freeman.
Running a program is different, and there are no markers that one can point toward to say that a coach will or won’t succeed. That said, coaches who recruit well give themselves a chance to succeed. Freeman has proven to be one of the better recruiters in the country so far.
Freeman is extraordinarily sharp and willing to learn how to win at a place like Notre Dame. He was handed the keys to a program running well; hopefully, he can continue their level of success.