Recently, Next Up with Adam Breneman sat down with Marcus Freeman to discuss all things football, life, and his journey to become Notre Dame's head football coach.
The conversation between Breneman and Freeman covers a wide range of topics, from Freeman's playing days to his coaching philosophies. Here are a few noteworthy topics from the episode. A special thanks to Front Office Sports and Adam Breneman!
"In order to grow, you have to struggle"
There's no question Freeman has experienced his fair share of adversity during his tenure at Notre Dame, but that isn't where the conversation about adversity started. Instead, Breneman asked Freeman about his adversity during his playing career. Freeman dives into how failure occurs at every stage of life, whether that's not starting for Ohio State, not getting drafted as high as he hoped, getting cut, or eventually learning of a heart condition that forced him into retirement. The two then talk about how it is important to appreciate those adversities, as they have helped mold Freeman into the coach he is today. Freeman talks about how this is a core principle he preaches to his players, a concept he hopes drives them to learn from their failures so that they can grow into better players and men.
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Speaking of overcoming adversity, Breneman also brings up Notre Dame's embarrassing loss to NIU early in the 2024 season, a game that Breneman admittedly says has been brought up a lot on their run to the National Championship. Freeman talks about the whirlwind of emotions that loss invoked coming off a big win at Texas A&M. Freeman was able to take a valuable lesson from the loss, however. That lesson is learning how to handle success. Freeman admits that the team nor the coaching staff wasn't mentally ready for the NIU game, causing their lackluster play on the field. Not only did that loss teach the team how to handle success, but it also gave them that adversity to learn from. Freeman says his message to the team was to "keep the pain," so that they would always remember what poor preparation can lead to.
"What you love about coaching is impacting young people"
Throughout Breneman and Freeman's conversation, Freeman's love for coaching is apparent. He repeatedly mentions his love for coaching is the ability to impact young men's lives. And not just football, Freeman hopes the time he spends with his players helps them on and off the field for the rest of their lives. Freeman states that his love for coaching does not come from winning games or anything like that, it comes from pushing his players to be the best version of themselves. He believes this starts with getting players outside their comfort zone, allowing them to fully grow. At the very end of the interview, Breneman asks, "What's your why?" Freeman answers that his players are the reason he loves his job. He explains that it is the ability to prepare young men for their future that makes his job so rewarding.
It is easy to see Freeman's love for his players by the way he interacts with them on the field, but it is just as easy to see how much they care for him. Freeman perfectly fits the "player's coach" mold. This is easy to see in videos, like the one Breneman mentions, of the players embracing Freeman when he was announced as their new head coach. Freeman says it is important to maintain that relationship while also commanding a level of respect as their head coach. He explains he does this by letting his players see him as more than just a coach, but also by holding them all to a high standard on and off the field.
"We can be as good as any program in the country"
Coming off a season where Notre Dame fell just short of raising the National Championship trophy, Freeman is also asked about the things that are needed so that Notre Dame can one day hold that trophy. Freeman states that his past season proves that Notre Dame is right up there with the top teams in the country, but there is also more work to do. Freeman points out three areas that can be enhanced in the future to ensure that Notre Dame reaches its full potential. The first is talent; it goes without saying that great talent is needed to compete at the level Notre Dame wants to compete at. The second area is development. As important as it is to get talent, Freeman knows it is his and his coaching staff's job to develop that talent mentally and physically to be the best version of themselves on the field. Lastly, the third area that needs to be enhanced is culture. Freeman wants to not only find talented players; he wants to find talented players that fit the culture at Notre Dame. He explains that he wants unselfish players who are willing to put the team's goals ahead of their own. He knows at the end of the day, it is the entire program's job to promote that culture so that it continues to grow stronger.
Here's the full interview with Marcus Freeman, click below to watch:
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