When a coach leaves a program and another one takes over, it typically hurts your recruiting effort, especially when a signing period is closing in. The coaching carousel for Notre Dame saw Brian Kelly bolt to Baton Rouge, and shrewdly make the in-house hire of Marcus Freeman.
Yes, there were a few departures from the 2022 recruiting class during the past weeks early signing period, but the Irish still were able to maintain a Top-10 class, with some room to add on later as well.
As 247Sports Brandon Huffman reviewed how the teams who made coaching changes went during this time period, and bluntly put it that Notre Dame showed schools across the nation how to properly handle the situation.
If we learned anything, it’s that the only way to keep much of your class intact would be to go the Notre Dame route, which promoted Marcus Freeman from within. The Irish’s 2022 recruiting class ranks No. 7 in the country after the early signing period. Freeman’s staff stayed in South Bend and Notre Dame didn’t miss too much of a beat.
Hat’s off to athletic director Jack Swarbrick, for identifying his target early, Freeman, and not waiting to make the move. Many of us, including myself, thought this was the right move and already, paying off for the Irish.
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