Notre Dame has hit a low that hasn't been seen in some time, but while Marcus Freeman may be the reason for Notre Dame's struggles, he is also the reason Notre Dame can reunite with its historic success.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
For Freeman, the road to redemption doesn’t start with a “coach speech” at a press conference after a loss. After suffering arguably the worst loss in program history, given the circumstances and what’s at stake this season, Freeman has to fix it and fix it fast, or suffer losing the fanbase. For a lot of fans, earlier losses to Marshall, Stanford, and Louisville were written off as “growing pains” of a first-time head coach, but now in his third season, losing these types of games is unacceptable. With a new twelve-team playoff, one of the easier schedules Notre Dame has played in a long time, and a top-tier defense in college football, expectations were very high going into this season. After beating an SEC team at one of the toughest places to play in the country to start the season, many were anticipating an easy path to the playoffs only to be let down when Notre Dame followed up with an abysmal showing against a G5 team. This has left fans wondering what Freeman is going to do to fix it, and if he is even the right guy for the job. I offer my opinion below.
Riley Leonard's Excitement Is Vanishing
There’s no denying the excitement that Irish fans had when it was announced that Riley Leonard hit the transfer portal and committed to Notre Dame. Many fans wondered is this finally the QB that can make a run and get Notre Dame over the hump? On paper, it appeared that Riley Leonard would be a great fit for a Mike Denbrock offense after passing for 4,450 yards, 24 touchdowns, and rushed for over 1200 yards for his career at Duke, but after two subpar performances that have led to zero touchdowns, many are now wondering: Is Riley Leonard the answer? Or will he just be another stop-gap transfer portal QB who has come to Notre Dame and underperformed? So far the jury is still out on that.
Should Freeman Move On From Riley Leonard?
There have been many reports over this past week that Riley Leonard suffered an injury against NIU. To the extent of the injury and how much it has or will affect Riley going forward, that remains to be seen. Many fans have suggested that Freeman should move on from Riley and let Steve Angeli or Kenny Minchey get a chance. I don’t think that is what has to be done this instant, but Freeman has to have a short leash when it comes to Riley Leonard with how he plays against Purdue. If he struggles out the gate to make throws, then Freeman is going to have to make a tough decision as he can’t allow this game against Purdue to get away from him.
Where Should Freeman’s Loyalty Lie?
In today's era of college football where NIL plays a factor in getting a big-name transfer to come to your school, it shouldn’t come with the price tag of ride or die with that player no matter what. There is no honor in sinking with the ship as college football is, whether we like it or not, a business, and must be run like one. If something isn’t working, you must make tough decisions and changes for the betterment of the company, or in this case the football team and University. As the head coach of any team, you have to put the best player on the field that is gonna get you the win. After all, that is what you are paid to do and ultimately what you are judged on as a head coach. Knute Rockne put it best when he said “As a coach, I play not my eleven best, but my best eleven.” This is the mindset that Freeman has to have going forward if he wants to return Notre Dame to its former glory.
What Changes Does Freeman Need To Make?
Freeman is at a crossroads here as the honeymoon appears to be over for many Irish fans when it comes to him as Head Coach. He has to make a lot of critical and tough decisions if he wants to turn this around. First, he must control the outside noise and not allow the negativity to affect the morale of that locker room. If he loses the players, he loses everything. Next, he has to find a vocal leader on both sides of the ball who can get this team going when the chips are down. I did not see this at all during the NIU game. Then, he has to lean on his coordinators who arguably are two of the best in college football. They have the experience and creativity to make this work but they have to all be on the same page at all times.
Following that, he has to put his players in the best situations to allow them to succeed which in turn builds confidence in them with him and his system. Afterward, he has to be able to recognize if something isn’t working and be able to break from it immediately. It’s okay to admit a certain thing just isn’t working and move on. Finally, he has to treat this like a business and put the best of the best on the field at all times. If a player did great all week in practice but is struggling in a game, he must be willing to pull them even if only for a series to get them back on track. These are some of the things I think will help Freeman get this back on the right track.
The Purdue Game Will Tell What We Need To Know
It’s easy to be loved and admired when everything is going great, but when it’s not it shows what type of leader someone truly is when adversity hits. How will Freeman respond? We’ve seen him respond before after a bad loss, but this is rock bottom as far as I’m concerned when it comes to Freeman’s tenure as head coach of Notre Dame. Freeman is a competitor at heart and I don’t see him lying down and accepting defeat. That’s not who he is or who he has shown us to be during his time at Notre Dame, but will he make the necessary changes to turn this around? We’ll get that answer on Saturday when they go on the road to take on Purdue. For Freeman, this is a must-win game if he wants to begin to rebuild his confidence back in the Notre Dame fan base.
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