Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman Talks College Football Playoff & More with Rich Eisen | Full Interview

[@tkaki6029]

No way he leaves. It’s really a perfect fit ND and Freeman

[@joenolan4917]

I think teams leaving conference regionality are learning how hard it is to do the notre dame travel routine from the last 100 years, going coast to coast week to week

[@RTSComp]

Amen, Joe. Perfectly stated!

[@Jared.rock138]

Absolutely. In fact, the one thing that worried me going against USC, was going from one coast to the next. USC is a very talented team and had they started Maiva at the beginning they would have probably been vying for 9-10 wins.

[@goldensmitty]

I forget what the exact numbers were but the record for teams traveling more than 2 time zones was awful

[@justsayin3846]

Freeman factor. 40 years old. Never felt closer to the natty.

[@GriffinClarkkcmo]

Dude got lined up right before the interview 😂😂

[@goldensmitty]

You'd be hard pressed to find any interviews or pictures of him not being lined up tight especially over the last year and half

[@kevinehret7110]

Go Irish baby 🍀🍀🍀

[@mrktarheel31]

Play like a Champion today ☘️☘️☘️

[@KenKen2t]

I appreciate you for calling him COACH and recognizing his position. Too many people call him Marcus and feel kind of disrespectful.

[@parkerfinnigan1895]

Marcus always has the drippiest drip and no one else can get it :(

[@BigMonty686]

Right……! Missing out on a SERIOUS sales/marketing opportunity!

[@Jdozens]

​@@BigMonty686 SOUL GLOW 🎶

[@BigMonty686]

@@Jdozens LMAO!!!! 🤣

[@BigMonty686]

@@Jdozens somebody said “Juices and berries!”

[@TG3Podcast]

Seriously under armor designs suck compared to his custom fits

[@bobhaas5948]

Even Eisen knows the questions are uncomfortable but they are valid Coach handled it perfectly

[@TheJgibbons]

That "do" is something else.

[@gamutprogramming3164]

That boy wash his hair in juices and berries. “Who are you slick?”

[@renenunez9895]

Lmao

[@BigSurJay]

Notre Dame being an independent program just means they have to be that much better. Not playing in a conference championship isn’t a negative at all. It only forces perfection.

[@DannyHerron]

Thats a weird filter added to Coaches video feed

[@MrBlpete]

I'll tell you what, he keeps a clean cut. I cant stand ND but I root for this guy

[@wingedbuffalo4670]

Perhaps you ought to consider revising your stance that you "can't stand ND" then. If you like, respect, and "root for" Marcus, how can you separate embracing "him" the individual from the school when, in many very real senses of the term, HE IS "Notre Dame?" By that I mean that Marcus AFFIRMATIVELY CHOSE to become part of the wider Notre Dame community and to lead ND football over other opportunities. Brian Kelly wanted Marcus in the worst way to be his Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator (DC) when Kelly jumped ship to LSU. Kelly also attempted to raid -- and raided with some success -- other ND coaches. And, yes, while the DC job at LSU could NEVER stack up against a HEAD COACHING job at such a major school with storied tradition, the three-fold facts of the matter are: 1) Marcus knew he would SOON have MANY HC opportunities/offers (perhaps as soon as after just one season as LSU's DC) if he chose to work as Kelly's DC for only the second year; 2) Marcus is EXTREMELY well-grounded, humble, and intelligent ... Deep-down, Marcus KNEW that he was still VERY young in the profession and still had MUCH to learn before becoming truly qualified to serve successfully as a Head Coach -- especially at a high-visibility, high-demand, high-pressure university -- and that taking a VERY GOOD job and developmental opportunity at LSU -- which also happened to be the "safer" professional route of continuing deeper development as a DC in another job in a challenging conference and different environment (e.g., where athletics, "having fun," and "what schools can get out of" their players hold much greater priority and focus than does ND's harder intentional paradigm of GENUINE student-athlete academic effort/achievement/success and character development) -- would probably lead to "more likely immediate success" and then set him up better for both short-term and long-term success and "staying power" in the coaching profession; and 3) In light of the first two facts, Marcus had to recognize that taking the ND Head Coaching job -- while no doubt exciting and flattering annd personally fulfilling -- also carried GREAT RISK ... if he failed in that job (especially if he failed miserably), he might be viewed as the "next Gerry Faust" and never recover the opportunity to become a major head coach (or if he did, it would take MANY years of working his way back up the coaching ladder to re-position himself for another chance) YET Marcus CHOSE Notre Dame. WHY didhe do so -- when merely waiting another year would open the door to nearly guaranteed longer-lasting and eye-watering wealth ??? Clearly, he not only believed in himself and took a "leap of faith," but he also MOST CERTAINLY saw, experienced, and valued intangible aspects of Notre Dame ITSELF as an institution that made the place "special" and worth the risk. Some, BUT NOT ALL, of the "special" and "unique" features that set ND apart from the vast majority of most other "high-visability" schools included: a) the fact that academic achievement is GENUINELY emphasized and demanded of ALL (including student-athletes) at ND; b) the fact that there are NO separate "athlete-only dorms," or separate watered-down "athlete-only classes;" c) the fact that certain values and ethics, along with personal spiritual development and collective faith to use one's talents/gifts to serve the world as a "force for good" are supported and continuously cultivated; d) the fact that THIS school's administration will provide a coach ample fair opportunity to succeed and will support him against all "alumni pressures" to fire him quickly if his won-loss record is disappointing -- as long as he coaches with integrity, honor, and fair effort; e) the fact that -- contrary to the "usual suspect" "football mill" schools -- ND has always regarded athletic grants-in-aid (a.k.a. "athletic scholarships") to be an UNBREAKABLE 4-year commitment from the university to the student-athlete. Technically, and "legally speaking," the "grants-in-aid" are merely ONE YEAR SEVERABLE CONTRACTS subject to ANNUAL RENEWAL -- NOT a unitary 4-year contract. (This means that, technically, a university can dump a player after any year if their performance is lacking, and they can redshirt or greyshirt them however they see fit). ND on the other hand, has NEVER deviated from honoring its 4-year commitment to a full 4-year degree-earning scholarship to the student-athlete -- even if the student-athlete sustains a career-ending injury or has to leave the athletic program for any reason. ND continues to do this even though it may mean they have less than the full compliment of NCAA-authorized scholarshop players active on the team roster or dressing for games. And there are multiple other factors/examples that set Notre Dame apart from other school athletic experiences. This is the environment and these are the higher/harder self-imposed standards associated with Notre Dame. Marcus Freeman and his family obviously wanted and chose this harder path. It doesn't mean ND is "perfect" by any stretch of the imagination (nor does it claim to be); but Notre Dame IS "different" and makes no apologies for its elevated expectations and standards. Accordingly, it just seems to me that if you consider it to be worthwhile to "root for" and "value" Marcus Freeman, his judgment, his standards, and the way he carries himself, then perhaps fair-minded consideration would regard the same appropriate for the school Marcus CHOSE to love and value too. Food for thought ...

[@Oliver-km2sf]

Me too! Both!

[@BigMonty686]

@@MrBlpete Come on over…..! We got room for you fam!!!☘️

[@kubrickedup405]

​@@wingedbuffalo4670 your ideas are good but man, this was hard to read. lots of room for stylistic improvement. fewer parenthesis, fewer quotation marks, fewer dashes, less all caps please!!

[@gjezik]

I’m happy for him that he is succeeding. I’m afraid of Ohio State pulling him away

[@joj164]

Why does it feel like Chris Long hasn't been on in forever?

[@StephenSSTiger]

GO IRISH!!! ☘☘☘

[@SeveredLegs]

Oh great another question about Notre Dame joining a conference!

[@Jdozens]

Dat boi done shellacked his head 😮

[@TucPlayer3]

SMU!!!!!

[@davidlittlefield1327]

3rd season Rich...

[@UDPride]

Weird interview with weird questions a coach cant possibly know the answer to. The football coach doesnt have squat diddly to do with leveraging whether ND is allowed to be Top-4 and gets a bye or must play in the opening round. Freeman has more control over the South Bend weather.

[@johnoconnor4984]

I don’t think ND can play with the Tide. Milroe is the wild card though.

[@brodyl.801]

Notre Dame would be favored over Alabama.

[@brodyl.801]

Notre Dame would be favored over Alabama.

[@Ndfourlife]

Vandy and OU didn’t have a problem.

[@randychester2754]

Depends on which Bama team shows up - the one from the 1st half of the GA game or the one that got destroyed at Oklahoma. But this ND team is good, should be competitive with anyone.