Notre Dame advance to CFP Final, Does Marcus Freeman deserve the credit? | CFB | THE HERD

[@TheHerdOnFS1]

Watch The Joel Klatt Show now: bit.ly/JoelKlattShow

[@melroc8566]

I taught at ND a couple years ago and had two football players in my class who are now in the championship. They showed up for class and did the work like everybody else. They are getting degrees that are real degrees at the university. Notre Dame is the real deal when we say elite student athlete.

[@markfischer965]

@@melroc8566 They also have to meet academic standards for admission.

[@swedejohanson7739]

@@markfischer965 Very hard school to get in to.

[@DOLEMITEMF]

@melroc8566 thank you for your service 👏🏻

[@nevergiveupnevergivein7655]

There are basically two types of student athletes, when it comes to those looking at a school after high school: Those student athletes who get Notre Dame and don't want to be anywhere else. Those who don't get Notre Dame and want to be anywhere else.

[@IAmAMeateater]

😂😂😂😂

[@drinkmorecareless]

Hearing everyone praise ND for the first time in my life is super weird. Feels like I’m in a fever dream.

[@EWT123]

Early 2000’s they were praised constantly

[@BillyBats773]

@@EWT123he said first time in his life so I’m assuming he’s young. This is I guess you can say second time since I was a kid in 2000 and remember that praise and why I became a fan after watching with family, but this feels different now with all the social media ya know?

[@bigplayray1625]

They saved us from an absolutely unbearable Frames Janklin 😅👏👏👏

[@snerdterguson]

If you want some nostalgia, check out what Cam wagon said on first take today. Literally said that even if Notre Dame wins the title, they wouldn't have earned it.

[@BillyBats773]

@ hahaha now that’s a hilariously stupid take

[@kevstervegas]

Guys that go to Notre Dame want to go to Notre Dame, in other words it’s kids who want the Notre Dame college experience as a student athlete.

[@TravonLove-db3tv]

As a whole it's a awesome school

[@edsteadham4085]

Yeah i bet they dont get a dime of nil they only play for glory

[@manuelcaballero8565]

i attended as a student, difficult but great school, class of 2017

[@rutbuck121]

YES! i agree this NIL is destroying the integrity of the game IMO these 5 star athletes dictate where they want to go scholarship or not it needs to stop.

[@josephmclaughlin9404]

@@edsteadham4085but they NEVER went the bagman route!!!

[@philb.1502]

Great job to the young brilliant coach Marcus Freeman for getting Notre Dame to the championship game! He's definitely gotten the most out of this gutsy team! 👏

[@thegrandpencil4374]

Refs tried really hard to take this one away from ND.

[@vernonfrance2974]

[@jaybird9988]

Officiating was pretty solid. Dumb mistakes made this game close. PSU running all over us made this game close. They literally threw the game away. Happy we won, but we shouldn't break our arms patting ourselves on our backs. PSU looked like the better team.

[@MalakhiW]

Huh😂 penn state should’ve won they sold

[@fullbackdive41]

@@MalakhiWand humans should’ve been born with wings so we wouldn’t need cars but we weren’t, So no PSU shouldn’t have won.

[@Zonbachiru]

@@jaybird9988don’t forget the three picks Allar threw in the game, only one of which stood. Even though they were called holding and PI, all those were thrown so poorly they would have been picked either way. The announcers were right, PSU got bailed out several times and that final poor throw from Allar cost them the game. I grant you their run game was solid, but ND looked the better team in the second half and deserves to move on.

[@GoatedAtNFS]

this win alone questions me yet again why LSU didn’t move off Brian Kelly this year. this makes him even more on the hot seat going into 2025.

[@brandondixon1383]

Freeman wasn’t in the situation Kelly was in taking over ND

[@mattcarberry368]

always thought he was the most overrated coach in CFB

[@brandondixon1383]

@@mattcarberry368 how ?

[@moose4ku440]

LSU would owe him 70 million if they fire him

[@mattcarberry368]

@@brandondixon1383 fraud radar i guess.... always felt like one of those fake tough guys, never seemed to be a great schematic coach, was always just brash and screaming and stomping his feet, all bark no bite kind of guy when it comes down to it, nothing of substance about his character, nothing genuine about his leadership, then even when he showed up in LSU suddenly talking with a fake southern accent now wildly underachieving with all this 5 star talent..... do i really need to go on? lol also remember that kid on the scissor lift?

[@Warning55.]

Colin, do not forget that Freeman has two of the best assistants in college football today. Golden and Dembreck,

[@steveroach2959]

Marcus Freeman: “I decide who’s a five-star athlete”

[@angelzipporah]

Marcus absolutely deserves the credit! He’s a recruiting guru! He built this team! His players would run through a wall for him!

[@Tony-dk9sx]

Kudos to Cowherd for calling BS on the pass interference call against Adon Shuler, which took away an interception from Notre Dame at a critical point in the game. And kudos to him for lauding Coach Freeman, who has already won two national coach of the year awards.. But Coach Free isn't the only reason that ND is in the national championship game. ND's defensive coordinator, Al Golden, is a brilliant strategist/tactician. With Coach Golden running our defense, I feel that ND always has a chance to win... ☘🏈☘

[@irishron4861]

Al Golden is a boss. I’m glad they ponied up and paid him along with Freeman

[@MichaelKenny-w9n]

RBC man.....

[@Khaos348]

Yeah but you don’t get al golden without Marcus freeman…you don’t unlock Al golden unless he buys into Marcus freeman. But so many good coaches take jobs and never quite have the full buy in. You’ve heard Al golden say how much he buys into this program and Marcus freeman. Obviously the success isn’t all because of Freeman. But it’s time to recognize what he’s truly doing and he’s getting his coaching staff his players his entire program to buy into that mentality. And that’s where the kudos is going to. Now notre dame doesn’t get here without al golden and what he’s done and denbrock of course but I think just let coach freeman really get his flowers

[@michaelyoung2758]

Marcus Freeman is the best coach of Notre Dame since Lou Holtz and I think has the potential to be the best coach Notre Dame has ever had by the time he’s done.

[@volms2286]

100% Agree. The guy checks every box I want to see checked. Do NOT care at all what happened in his first season. Marcus is learning and getting better every year.

[@dashx1103]

The first call against ND to negate an INT was a good call. But Colin is right here on the second call ... that was atrocious. And it could have impacted the outcome.

[@jameskaiser4762]

They were both BS.

[@pstratos7]

It was crazy how fast the announcers jumped in to agree with the call

[@ronniethomas8780]

Not only that but the refs missed an egregious holding call by PSU on Christian Gray that resulted in a big play smfh

[@mtk412]

No it wasnt, theres absolutely a chance Warren gets a hand in there to break up the pick, a small chance, but a chance nonetheless.

[@zack6701]

Players love Marcus Freeman… players despise Brian Kelly

[@henrygettler339]

Why do we have to elevate a coach while demeaning another??? Can you not just say "Freeman, is an elite coach" and leave it at that!!!!! Nope you can't....stop this nonsense!!!!! And no M.F. isn't college version of Shaun McVay, Marcus.....is doing it his way....period and i respect that! He isn't like anyone else but himself! Be like Marcus, keep it real and authentic!!!!

[@yeahright3]

⁠@@henrygettler339yes you can praise a coach without demeaning another. But what he said was true

[@AnthonyAbbett]

​@@henrygettler339 agree 💯%. Well said.

[@snerdterguson]

But players did despise Kelly, largely because Kelly was an abusive asshole who screamed at his players, spitting in their face while he did.

[@johnmcgoldrick7085]

And alumni despised Kelly and love freeman. The amount of former players who are always around now, and people ask “why have you not been here in so long?” And they say “I wasn’t invited” or “I wasn’t welcome”.

[@travelnguy2002]

Marcus Freeman has made Notre Dame likable. I didn't think that was possible. 👍🏻

[@timmy1874]

Big Fax

[@scottfriery9091]

The last time they were likable was under Lou Holtz... a very long time ago.

[@kingtut859]

I've never rooted for ND. I did last night and will in the title game. I attribute most of it to Marcus freeman.

[@noelmoreno2173]

The ending was very similar to the NIU ending where Riley Leonard threw a late pick. NIU went down the field and kicked last minute FG for the win. I think Leonard and the team definitely learned from that experience and it propelled them to victory this time around. ND has an awesome coach and is incredibly likable!

[@billwalsh9149]

Leonard also got injured in the NIU game and played hurt. ND missed 2 field goals in that game.

[@noelmoreno2173]

@@billwalsh9149 Yes, The 2 blocked field goals definitely impacted the game.

[@AD25-h3v]

Agreed that PI call on a ball 5 yards under thrown was egregious. Yet ND still pulls off the dub. Go Irish!!!

[@akaglide3485]

Cowherd taking W’s this week

[@moose4ku440]

Colin Cowherd consistently talks about how great Brian Kelly is and said he was right to leave ND because ND can't reach a championship in the modern CFB. This is an extreme Colin L

[@supdall345]

He took a massive L last night on Twitter calling Riley Leonard the next Josh Allen.

[@Unknown26557]

A gentleman and a scholar lol

[@ricks03210]

Cowherd is trash, he has a ghostwriter and reads a teleprompter. One of the worst.

[@ryanolson2308]

Except he thinks Riley Leonard is good when he’s actually terrible

[@stingfan16ify]

This Irish Lover couldn't be happier with the current situation at South Bend. Hopefully, Ohio State will stumble and get upset, and we'll heal up a bit with 12 days off. This is a great time to be a fan of the Irish!!!

[@kallusbane2964]

He is a USC guy he hates Notre Dame he is just giving a honest take

[@alputz8637]

I love my daddy Marcus freeman

[@michaelkraus4135]

@@kallusbane2964 HE ..............HAD TO !

[@jameslecount1932]

Young men praising Jesus in public settings is the best part of this team God Bless!

[@chowsindahouse]

Marcus brought back the tradition of the team going to Mass before every game breaking bread with God is a very special tradition

[@irishron4861]

@chowsindahouse…another overlooked small reason why Freeman gets it where Brian Kelly didn’t. You also routinely see Marcus Freeman at different ND sporting events supporting those coaches and teams, sometime with one or two of his kids. You never saw Kelly do that. Admittedly you wouldn’t know that unless you were a local, but now you do.

[@justinkeaton7969]

Blue and Gold Nation stronger than ever

[@ericdaniel323]

As bad as that PI call was, the missed hold on the previous drive was even worse. Penn States last two TDs were aided greatly by the officials.

[@scottfriery9091]

Yep... 100%. Three of their drives were added by lack of holding calls. One of the ND players was even waving his hand right in front of the official... no call.

[@rlboozer56]

@@scottfriery9091Abdul Carter was held and facemasked consistently all game

[@aaronsmith8990]

ND been my team since i was 13 years old

[@mikebronicki8264]

I started at 10yo in 1968.

[@BigSurJay]

CHEER, CHEER FOR OLD NOTRE DAME 🍀

[@ericdaniel323]

What tho the odds!

[@braedenolson2810]

Wake up the echoes 🙌🙌🙌

[@beez7753]

Cheering her name

[@AndTheRoadGoesEverOn]

Shake down the thunder

[@MingoThePoet]

I live 2 hours from notre dame south , it’s nice to go up US 31 and visit it it’s a different vibe I swear , I’m glad they are good again and gotten this far , hope they bring the tittle back to northern Indiana go Irish ☘️

[@pdexBigTeacher]

"...you cannot win with only 1 5-star athlete.." But last year a team won with only 1 '5-star athlete'.......

[@vernonfrance2974]

💯

[@royhobbs785]

5 stars in HS not college

[@mitchkim6763]

Thank you for pointing that out!

[@run_lift_communicate]

Yeah, when I saw Marcus Freeman not taking pass interference from the refs and fighting with respect and all he’s got, I knew that he has got our back 1000%

[@seanlucero9506]

ND has more talent than he gives them credit for. Don’t fool yourselves. ND has NFL players all over the field.

[@michaelkraus4135]

2 yr's ago a ND writer was getting settled in the press box & he asked a UNKNOWN man what he does . He was a NFL SCOUT & he said he was there to SEE ONE PLAYER J. LOVE !!!

[@randyrosado2446]

They really have more than 1 five star. Some guys were dropped outside of "5" Star status for zero reason late in the cycle. Kingston Viliamu Asa, Jaylen Sneed, Drayk Bowen, Charles Jagusah.

[@ChristianFoucrault]

So happy for Notre-Dame 🎉🎉🎉...one step to go

[@cdolan13]

Coach Freeman IS our MVP!

[@letsgetreal7429]

Notre Dame only having 1 5 star player but still doing what they do. They play as a team, for the team. They are selfless. Alot of these 5 star kids are only in it for themselves and the $$ they get.

[@GaganSingh-hk3zg]

Just say Marcus Freeman’s hot Colin.

[@thegrandpencil4374]

He didn't have to. You just did it for him.

[@kevstervegas]

Someone’s turned on 😂

[@alputz8637]

I mean he is

[@JP-oc5jk]

Best looking coach in cfb

[@irishron4861]

@JP-oc5jk…stop it you savage lol

[@paulgerhardt6499]

This is the same ref crew from the sugar bowl Both games they called against ND clearly This happens in college more than the NFL

[@stevehogan7843]

Great analysis of the ND Colin. Freeman is culture and will.

[@CarlCramer88]

Freeman also never had a real offensive CO. Now he got one and it completes the staff now. Makes all the difference

[@InCognito-sass]

I agree. Marcus Freeman coached up his team. He outcoached Franklin all game. ND will be a big underdog against OSU in the championship game but Freeman gives them a chance.

[@jamessylvestri5392]

About time a coach gets accolades for coaching.I noticed in prison it's all about players.Thus is the best football broadcast the herd.❤❤❤❤

[@scottfriery9091]

Brian Kelly had winners. Marcus Freeman has built a winner. The difference... Freeman has created a culture to go along with the winner he has built. That, alone, gives him all of the credit.

[@tommynufer316]

Thank you Colin! Nobody watching that game would’ve made that PI call

[@fischook1238]

All the Rich People at Notre Dame deserve the credit Colin. The game is no longer about coaching and recruiting. It is all about money. Who can afford to buy the best players. The talent on the field wins the games and not the coaches. Put Marcus Freeman at USC and he would do no better than Lincoln Riley. His hands would be tied by money. So the Notre Dame's Donors deserve all the credit and no one else.

[@jeffreyjoseph9009]

I think Cowherd underrates ND's talent a bit. ND doesn't get as many of the top 50 guys as they did 25+ years ago, but they do a good job of loading up on high-end 4 star guys. ND's recruiting classes are pretty much always top 10. You couple that with actually keeping guys in the program for 4 or 5 years, and you're looking at a pretty talented roster.

[@matthewschneider6100]

Yes that was awful pass interference call. Under thrown with 3 defenders there. Bogus

[@paulgerhardt6499]

Same crew called same pi call in Georgia game crazy sales refs sake call then no holding call on Penn state in red zone play And in Georgia game called a illegal shift on ND it was shown not be an illegal shift Took away a first down I. Red zone refs were set to not let ND WIN

[@scottfriery9091]

​@paulgerhardt6499 There were THREE holding penalties not called on THREE of Penn State's drives.

[@paulgerhardt6499]

@ I saw holding on ND I agree Just in key situations in red zone calls were really bad

[@Goffyuno]

Two ND interceptions were called back, which gave Penn State a huge advantage. If not, the final score would be at least 10 points spread. Notre Dame is unbreakable..

[@vernonfrance2974]

Until the next game.

[@scottfriery9091]

​@vernonfrance2974 who is going to break them?

[@vernonfrance2974]

@@scottfriery9091 Ohio State University football team.

[@jakeo5947]

Michigan last year only had two 5 stars and won it all, when all the players come together and do their job that’s when a team becomes great

[@seanragsdale5636]

LSU fans, do you think you have the right man?

[@tyriquehenry7611]

I never wanted to get rid of coach O

[@scottfriery9091]

We ND fans sure wanted to get rid of Brian Kelly.

[@irishron4861]

@scottfriery9091…oh no I disagree, when it all transpired there were many upset people. Maybe they were happy going 9-3 or 10-2 every year with no big game wins. You even heard race cards being played because of the Freeman hire. Say what you will about the previous AD Jack Swarbrick, but he made the right move here. Along with the two BB team coaches as well. But to address your comment, I was done with Kelly after the 2016 season when they went 4-8 and not because of the record either, but because the way he publicly threw his kids under the bus all season long

[@carlmorris1959]

Unfortunately, I live in tarzana the San Fernando valley, LA area. And I was raised in Columbus Ohio. And I'm a disabled veteran and live on a fixed income. Very low and I can't afford cable network. I only get regular TV. And I can't watch my buckeyes tonight. Because it's on cable network. I think the college football playoffs should be on network TV like the NFL!

[@andrewmueller9986]

Thank for your service. If you can get internet there are gametracker

[@sunshot9757]

Go Buckeyes!!!!! God Bless! 🙏

[@RadicallyOptimistic]

Can people stop complaining about seeding? Both these teams are clearly top 4. In this age, you are what you do in the postseason

[@qwerty112311]

No, because seeding is bad.

[@pilarcabellojr2706]

@@qwerty112311how’s the seeding bad? Win the games that are scheduled that easy.

[@commodorezero]

In college football seeding means more than in any other sport.

[@seanswain3273]

Big fan, Colin! I always think you do great work. I just listened to your piece about your opinions on Marcus Freeman being a rockstar coach. I want to add something that you, nor anyone else in the media, is even mentioning. Everyone mentions the offensive line being banged up because that was the narrative at the beginning of the season, an offensive line with only six starts total going into Texas A&M. What’s even more impressive is during the course of this season Notre Dame lost both starting edge rushers, their best sixth year defensive lineman in Riley Mills, and they’re all American corner Who shut down Marvin Harrison Jr last year in Benjamin Morrison. The real story about what makes Marcus such a rockstar coach is the fact that they are making this run with second and third string defensive players who are stepping up in amazing fashion! And that is the primary reason why Marcus Freeman is such a rockstar coach!

[@Hunned1000Trill]

Hey Colin, youre a legend for that closed fist manoeuvre, salute 🫡

[@SenorJuan2023]

Go Notre Dame!!!

[@Justyouraveragetrashcan]

Wasn’t Colin shitting on notre dame a week ago on the volume about notre dame not being good and yet now he’s acting like the turnaround freeman and that team has had since week 2 is INSANE. Injuries all over the place, freshman playing everywhere and yet freeman and that staff has them playing with their hair on fire. It’s impressive honestly

[@TravonLove-db3tv]

Yeah a lot of people didn't think ND would go far in the playoffs

[@girlinred273]

Typical

[@irishron4861]

@Justyouraveragetrashcan…yep, no room on the ND bandwagon for that clown. This is one reason why I absolutely don’t watch any type of opinion based sports programming. Just gimme the games or 30 for 30 type documentaries. I recommend Catholic vs Convicts, a great watch

[@michaelkraus4135]

The HERD .................LIVES ON THE FENCE !

[@ericdaniel323]

James Franklin reminds me of Brian Kelly in two ways: 1) craps his pants in big games, 2) whines about it instead of learning from it. In fairness to Franklin, he doesn’t have a reputation for throwing his players under the bus, which has been Kelly’s trademark for a couple of decades now.

[@michaelkraus4135]

ERIC - You have a GRASP FOR THEEEEE .........................OBVIOUS !

[@BeerDrinker574]

Rams and ND fan, love my coaches

[@DatDudeCT]

Somebody better remind Colin that Notre Dame is USC’s biggest rival. 😎

[@docsavage6024]

Loved your narrative uncle Colin!

[@jamessylvestri5392]

You just read my mind in Stanford very tough to get in.

[@phil.2345]

Riley Leonard is Josh Allen is the most insane take ever

[@ariessmith4910]

He didn't say that 😂... Silly 🐰

[@phil.2345]

@ uh yeah he did

[@DirtMaguirk]

He’s more Daniel Jones. 1-2 read QB with legs.

[@Portuducks]

@@DirtMaguirkOn a scale of Tim Tebow to Alex Smith, Riley Leonard is somewhere in between. He has Smith's arm, Tebow's competitive fire and Christian faith, and both of their mobility.

[@irishron4861]

@Portuducks…nonsense, dude will never play in the NFL. Riley Leonard is a good kid, great team player, but not near an NFL talent player. There were many before him and will be many after so nothing wrong with that. Besides if he can lead this team to a NC this season, twenty years from now if you mention 2024 people won’t remember who won the Super Bowl but they’ll damn sure remember ND was a champion and Riley Leonard was the QB that led them there

[@patrickhennessy8022]

There’s an epidemic of bad officiating in College Football. The playoffs are exposing them.

[@andrewmueller9986]

Yeah this season is the worst I've ever seen

[@carloscabrera7073]

Why wouldn't the head coach deserve credit for their team being successful?

[@MichaelJ843]

Was never really interested in ND until Marcus Freeman. He is an amazing leader.

[@jimbellamy5295]

Irish ☘️ Eyes Are Smiling Again…….So Proud To Be An Irish Fan

[@tmbarton1961]

I heard that Tom Brady addressed the ND football team before the game against Penn St. He also spent 20 minutes afterward talking to Steve Angelli, the backup QB. SA made the most out of his moment in the game and got ND it s first points of the game.

[@ril850_1]

What these playoffs have shown is that rankings don't mean anything, the top 4 teams have already been eliminated.

[@snerdterguson]

Seeding more like. Because Notre Dame was the number 3 ranked school in the polls.

[@ril850_1]

@@snerdterguson fair point

[@irishron4861]

@snerdterguson…yep but there’s nothing wrong with the seeding imo. Winning a conference must be rewarded and why ND cannot get a bye. But the extra playoff game acts as that 13th game so it’s a wash

[@JimSmith51]

I finally agree with you!

[@henrygettler339]

ND is full of 4 stars no 5 stars or elite transfers (we all get reminded), but they have an Elite Coach, that by itself offsets talent, period.

[@greeneibball36]

They got a couple 5 stars on the roster but yea mainly 4 and 3 stars

[@vernonfrance2974]

Who is the "Elite Coach?"

[@Dupree109]

They didn’t complete a pass to receivers because the freshman and sophomore duo in Leonard Moore and Christian Grey kept seatbelts available

[@irishron4861]

Yessir, them two kids should do a photo shoot dressed up like prison guards because they know all about the lockdown.

[@governorross5785]

They were the shhhhh back in the day. I remember the Rocket Ismail days

[@nickpoucher9067]

Who else would deserve the credit he is the coach of the team. These takes by Collin are the reasons why people don't take him seriously.

[@bryantyoung7197]

The truth is, Brian Kelly wasn’t up to the job at Norte Dame.

[@scottfriery9091]

He is not up to the job at LSU either.

[@bryantyoung7197]

@@scottfriery9091 😅

[@arrowguy_173]

Zero offense first half, and similarities to the low scoring vs Georgia through that part of the game. Irish are dinged up BAD and even the haters have come out and admitted they realize this and how impressive the team has been from a multitude of phases in every game. Irish were outstanding on 3rd down and few penalties. Bogus INT call when the ball was clearly underthrown, but WOW even with "the tree" #44 and an outstanding pass rusher in #11 to deal with, ND impressed everyone starting with Angeli's critical momentum-changing drive. Resilient and tremendous coaching all around. GO and win this thing. Been far too long for them. When ND is firing on all cylinders it is absolutely possible - we've all seen it.

[@philb.1502]

Most important is the heart and guts that this Notre Dame team plays with. They were down 10-0 in the game to Penn State and got off the deck to fight back. Team has heart!

[@jeffreysharp9925]

ND did not lose to Marshall in his first game. They lost to Ohio State and then lost to Marshall. That was bad but just wanted to make that clear.

[@nd_irish_fan744]

Just wanted to make this clear. Colin specifically said Freeman lost his first "home game" against Marshall, which is a correct statement. The Ohio St. game was played @ OSU, and the 2nd game of the season was against Marshall @ ND.

[@jeffreysharp9925]

@ I thought I heard him say that he lost his first game. I know he said first home game once but I thought the other time he said first game generally.

[@mattcaplis3045]

I think he said their first home game, which would be correct.

[@mitchkim6763]

Team with one elite 5 star recruit is unheard of? Haven’t you heard of Michigan? If I remember correctly, JJ McCarthy was the only 5 star recruit. That entire squad was built on 3 star recruit and player development. Also, academics of Notre Dame is on par with Michigan, Duke, Vanderbilt, Cal, UCLA, Stanford, USC. The hardest school to succeed as a student athlete is Stanford, and that’s because that’s the only college where EVERY student has to get accepted into the college FIRST before they can accept athletic scholarships. ALL students at Stanford, regardless of athletic ability, has to get into the program purely based on academics alone. That’s the NOT the case for other colleges.

[@jp9323]

sure

[@MMApizza]

Notre Dame didn’t cheat tho

[@sliglusamelius8578]

Stanford has had some very good football teams, they've beaten ND a few times over the years. When they had Walsh (?) as head coach, he flat decimated Lou Holtz with his brain, and Lou is not stupid by any means.

[@K.A.TaylorWoodworking]

Not gonna lie, when I saw Riley Leonard on the sideline after NDs final punt and he was all smiles, I couldn't believe it. I've noticed it during every playoff game hes been in. No matter what the situation is, how poorly hes been playing, or what terrible play may have just happened, he seems to believe that he and his team are gonna get the job done. If a team in the the league takes a chance on him, I think he could be something special based on nothing more than he mentally seems to be bothered by nothing.

[@edwardbargiel1428]

Disagree with Penn State making up their last drive. Almost every team tries a run first and if they gain enough yards then they try and win the game. That’s football 101 Colin.

[@mynamesdillan]

Underthrow? Absolutely. Catchable for Warren? Absolutely. It was the right call no matter how much you dont like it in that spot. Dude got to warren 2 seconds before the ball got there, its a fair call

[@andrewmueller9986]

Yeah. It was unfortunate for notre dame but I can't honestly say it was horrible. Not impossible he comes back and catches it if not bumped into

[@nathantrimner2705]

Is Marcus Freeman the coach? Then yes. He deserves credit.

[@Bunnahabhain66]

so true!!!

[@QuanPookie]

Not gonna lie but I’m just a fan of the coach.

[@nevergiveupnevergivein7655]

I haven't liked a lot Colin Cowherd's Notre Dame takes over his many decades in the business. That said, this take is 100% spot on. He gets Notre Dame and that Marcus Freeman is just a different breed from other coaches who have come through Notre Dame. He's more Notre Dame than the Northeast Irish Catholic who talked about dreaming of coaching at Notre Dame one day.

[@Blueeyesitaly46]

Marcus Freeman can recruit. Mark my words now with the success we are having we will start landing some big 5 stars but we will stay away for the “Me guys”. The rest of the college football should be scared because they can’t negative recruit. Without the 5 stars he’s still landing big time players. According to rivals, 2022 we were ranked 6, 2023 ranked 11, 2024 ranked 9th, and currently 2025 12th. But this will definitely change because there is so much to sell.

[@poundtrader1414]

5:54 marcus furman 👀👀

[@Bob_Oxnard-sp1gr]

Awesome analysis. Subscribing now.

[@jameskaiser4762]

Thank you Colin for acknowledging the BS PI call. No one else is.

[@TimRay-d5g]

Where colin was: a fancy, suave LA cocktail lounge. What he didn’t watch: the game.

[@tamarabrown1220]

Yes, he does. He out-coached both GA and Penn State!

[@pmmcrobb]

James Franklin is 1-15 against Top 5 teams. Say whatever you want about the QB being bad. But if you’re constantly shrinking under the big lights, and all those losses have one person in common. Your ex’s aren’t the problem, you are.

[@jm12green31]

Colin is right believe in yourself the rest is up to you BUT... please don't go chasing waterfalls folks haha

[@jamessylvestri5392]

I agree .

[@irishcole3516]

Colin probably was that kid that everybody disrespected growing up. 😂

[@TheTeamOden]

and look at him now, on national tv talking sports and making bank 😂

[@guildguitars6349]

Freeman is a good coach, but the main reason ND win last night was in spite of Freeman. He felt it necessary to get a QB from the portal for this season, and while Riley has been doing pretty well overall, ND loses to Penn State if not for Steve Angeli. The offense was doing nothing, and even when Steve came in he barely had time to set his feet, and on two occasions did not. Despite that, he was 6-7, and he put his team in position to kick a field goal and go into the locker room only down 7. This gave the entire team confidence, and they then played much better in the second half. The knock on Steve was that all of his prior production was in garbage time against backups. He has now proven, against one of the best defenses in college football, and on one of the biggest stages, that he is more than ready to lead this team. Steve has earned his place leading this young team, and either he will be their leader next season, or he will lead another team, and nearly any other team in the country. Let’s hope Steve plays for ND next season rather than against ND.

[@snerdterguson]

Ummm, who do you think recruited Angelli and coached him, and had him come into the game, and who called the plays... You act like Freeman had his team and then some random guy showed up and came onto the field..he's been being groo.ed as the future starter. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but did Angelli not just score 3 on his drive while Leonard led drives to score 24? The drive by Angelli WAS big, I'm not diminishing it. But it was big for a momentum shift. It isn't enough information to show he would have done anything beyond that.

[@scottfriery9091]

This is still a move made by the COACH. But, go ahead and ramble on.

[@michaelkraus4135]

ANGELI has NO POCKET PRESENCE . He is a GREAT ND KID.

[@guildguitars6349]

@@snerdterguson Tommy Rees recruited Steve. And to correct you, ND was down 10-0 when Steve entered the game, and until then, and even on the drive that knocked Riley out, Riley had done nothing of consequence. Steve came in and immediately moved the ball down the field. He did benefit from an ND fumble recovery after being hit from behind by an unblocked defender while starting to throw downfield, but was due to no fault of his. After getting the 3 points going into the locker room ND had confidence, and had he played the second half probably would have won by at least two scores. Also remember that Riley threw not one, but two interceptions. The second should have lost us the game, or at least forced overtime had Penn State not made that ridiculous decision to throw down the middle of the field under pressure allowing Gray to make a great pick. I like Riley as a person, and he is a good game manager, but Steve was clearly more decisive and accurate with his passes, he gets the ball out on time, he reads defenses better, and he can run better than average. Riley is clearly the starter against OSU, but I have more confidence with Steve behind center, and with a very young and talented team around him, next season should be impressive.

[@semi6544]

I'm glad Freeman is getting his props today but after that loss to N. Illinois these same analysts weren't very nice.

[@mikeyryan4152]

PLEASE stop comparing Riley Leonard to Josh Allen.

[@Dimezprod]

@@mikeyryan4152 For real.

[@dashx1103]

It probably isn't fair to Leonard. But in fairness, Josh Allen in college was NOT the Josh Allen that we've come to know. So, let's see what happens.

[@ShantyIrishman]

Josh Allen hasn't won three playoff games in a season.

[@edszewczyk]

Maybe the modern version of......Knute Rockne?

[@nickatano9086]

Let's not get carried away here. Freeman has a way to go before any comparison to a coach luke Sean McVay. As a lng time rabid ND fan I'm obviously pleased. But the pattern of slow starts particularly this season may indicate that a better quality of pre game prep is in order. Yet I can't take away from how the ND coaching staff made adjustments at the half. I share your further assumption that Freeman is a developing coach and may turn out to be a good coach if not a great coach.

[@seminolefantodd4736]

My great-great-great grandparents immigrated to the States from Ireland during the potato famine and I don't like Notre Dame. However, I do like Marcus Freeman; he's a good dude. Looking forward to the National Title game.

[@The_Grey_Wanderer99]

52-3

[@earlthompson7172]

They coming Ohio State, Fighting Irish have heart.

[@StevenSpates]

If you're going to blame the head coach for losing, you have to give him credit when he wins.

[@IamRa-18]

So glad he recognized how bad of a call that second interception pass interference. I thought so live, and then the announcer said it was a good call and I was like 🧐

[@haneefahson973]

Shout out to Christian Gray and Future first round pick Leonard Moore🍀🍀🍀