Tag: Marcus Freeman

Is new Notre Dame assistant a UCF head coach candidate?

Marcus Freeman hasn’t even called his first defense as Notre Dame’s new defensive coordinator, but could he already be on his way out of town?

Marcus Freeman hasn’t even called his first defense as Notre Dame’s new defensive coordinator, but could he already be on his way out of town?

Before you overreact or freak out (or both), be aware his name was mentioned by a national college football writer as a potential candidate for the new vacancy at Central Florida (UCF).

Also, know that this same national writer also mentioned 24 other names as potential candidates in addition to Freeman.

The writer?

Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports.

The 25 total names

So yes, Marcus Freeman was named by a well-respected national writer as a potential candidate to take the UCF job that is now open.

And many expect Freeman to one day be a college head coach, something Notre Dame fans should be hoping for too, as it’d mean he accomplished some great things in his current role.

But ask yourself this before you worry too much:

Do you really think UCF, who has averaged no fewer than 523 yards of offense per game over the last four seasons, would be seriously considering hiring a lifetime defensive player-coach the keys to its program?

It’s certainly possible, but I wouldn’t be losing much sleep over it, Notre Dame fans.

Related:

10 fast facts about Notre Dame’s new defensive coordinator

Reasons for Notre Dame fans to be excited about Marcus Freeman

Notre Dame’s Del Alexander offers Tennessee star ‘22 wide receiver

After a call with Del Alexander, Tennessee wide receiver Taylor Groves receives a offer from Notre Dame.

It is offer season and the Irish are in full bloom. It seems to me like the staff has gotten around to reviewing multiple prospects in the 2022 class and the Notre Dame staff has been quick to offer those prospects. Today, after a conversation with wide receiver’s coach Del Alexander, Tennessee wide receiver Taylor Groves got his Irish offer.

Standing six-foot-three-inches Groves weights 190-pounds and is a rising prospect in the ‘22 class. Previously Cincinnati had offer, with Marcus Freeman potentially letting Brian Kelly know that Groves was worthy of an offer.

Groves isn’t just a big body, as the tweet above shows that he has elite speed to go along with a fantastic frame. Aside from Cincinnati, Groves also sports offers from LSU, Penn State, Texas A&M and others.

It seems as if Notre Dame is going after a large amount of bigger receivers, as the majority of the current offers are out to players who stand over six-feet-one-inch. When you pair the size and speed that Groves has, it’s not surprising that plenty of teams are in on his recruitment and now the Irish have put their hand in it as well.

Did Notre Dame make the cut for elite 2023 Florida defensive end?

An elite Florida defensive end dropped his top 10 schools, find out if Notre Dame was one of them.

There is so much positive Notre Dame recruiting news happening right now, that when we see/hear some bad news, it more of a shock. Well unfortunately for the Irish, that’s what we saw from 2023 Florida defensive end Derrick LeBlanc.

The Irish missed the cut for the elite defensive end, as he will choose from a who’s who of current collegiate football powerhouses. What does need to be said though is that LeBlanc’s timeline to signing day is extremely far away. Could Marcus Freeman and Brian Kelly somehow work their magic and wiggle their way back into the good graces of LeBlanc’s recruitment?

That question remains to be answered, but at the moment the Irish have to look elsewhere for a difference maker along the defense line. Guess you can’t win them all.

Could Notre Dame flip an Ohio State ‘22 cornerback commit?

According to a report by Andrew Ivins of 247Sports, Jyaire Brown, an Ohio State commit has been talking with Notre Dame and could flip.

Growing up in Ohio, playing for Ohio State and later coaching at Cincinnati, it’s an understatement to say that new Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman has deep roots in the Buckeye state. According to a report from 247Sports Andrew Ivins, Freeman is going hard after Jyaire Brown, an instate Ohio State commit, who made his verbal pledge last April.

Brown told Ivins that although he is committed to the Buckeyes, that hasn’t stopped him from speaking to other schools. The five-foot-eleven-inch and 165-pound cornerback has continued contact with LSU, USC, and Georgia but the Irish have caught his attention more than the rest.

Freeman certainly has Brown thinking about flipping as “he was recruiting me at the University of Cincinnati and when he went to Notre Dame, he hit me up and said he’s not going to take his foot off the gas. So he’s going to keep recruiting me.”

Not only that, Ivins found out that Brown and Freeman had a virtual meeting one week ago. “Notre Dame is a great program. Like I said though, I’m just chilling. So I got to listen to what they got to say and see if the interest is really there and if they love is really there.” Brown did say that he is still solid to the Buckeyes, and if he was to change his mind, it would be in the coming months.

Even if he doesn’t ultimately flip to the Irish, Brown gave a glowing assessment of Freeman saying “I think he great coach man. I think he’s a great family man. With him it’s like love. You are going to get love out of him. He was obviously doing great things at UC and he’s about to go do great things at Notre Dame.”

Only time will tell if Freeman is able to get in Brown’s ear enough and get the Ohio State commit to flip to Notre Dame, but this is only good news going forward. Brian Kelly’s hiring of Freeman has turned out to be grand slam.

Freeman at it again as Notre Dame offers 5-Star Outside Linebacker

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman spoke with Texas 5-Star outside linebacker Harold Perkins and then received an offer.

There is a different feel to the Marcus Freeman era, specifically on the recruiting trail. With the prestige of the Notre Dame program, it’s given the new defensive coordinator a lot more pizzaz on the recruiting trail. That showed this evening when Texas’ Harold Perkins spoke with Freeman and subsequently received an offer.

Perkins checks in as the 19th best player in the country and the best outside linebacker according to the 247Sports composite. Standing six-feet-three-inches and weighting 200-pounds, this offer is significant.

There seems to be a changing in philosophy regarding who the Irish give out offers. Freeman has been going after high level players like Perkins, certainly a difference from when Clark Lea was making the offers.

There obviously was a difference in talent levels when the Irish ended up losing their final two games of the season to Clemson and Alabama. Perkins has the ability to play for any school in the country. Now the Irish have put their offer into the mix and a changing of the guard has been made. Only good things can come from Freeman and Brian Kelly in their newfound recruiting philosophy.

Breaking: Griffith has change of heart, will stay at Notre Dame

A veteran in the Notre Dame program, defensive back Houston Griffith, has changed his mind and won’t transfer after all.

It was big surprise when defensive back Houston Griffith put his name into the transfer portal and was looking to finish his career somewhere other than South Bend. According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, Griffith had a change of heart and will finish his career with Notre Dame.

Recruiting isn’t just about the high school athletes, often coaching staffs have to convince players to stay in the programs when the NFL or other opportunities arise. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side and it seems like Brian Kelly and Marcus Freeman did a great job at rerecruiting Griffith.

The transfer portal doesn’t always yield great results for every prospect who enters. By getting Griffith to return to South Bend, it makes Freeman’s job that much easier. He will have a player who has plenty of experience and should be able to quickly grasp the new defensive scheme. Griffith was surely welcomed back with open arms.

Irish stay busy on recruiting trail, Notre Dame re-offers ‘22 Texas athlete

With a coaching change a star athlete in Texas wasn’t sure of his status with the Irish, last night it all got cleared up with Jarred Kerr.

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Former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea had offered Texas star athlete Jarred Kerr, six-foot-one-inch and 185-pounds, but when he left to become the head coach at Vanderbilt, Kerr wasn’t sure where he stood with his replacement Marcus Freeman. Well, things were cleared up yesterday as Kerr tweeted out this good news.

Texas is a powerhouse state for high school football and Kerr could end up at multiple positions when he arrives to a college campus. You have to assume that the re-offer from the Irish staff has to be on the defensive side of the ball, as there were no big changes to the offensive staff.

Kerr is an impressive athlete, who could play wide receiver or running back if it doesn’t work out of the defensive side of the ball. What we do know is that Freeman is having an early impact out on the recruiting trail and hopefully this is a step in the right direction in ultimately landing a commitment from this phenomenal athlete.

Irish stay busy on recruiting trail, Notre Dame re-offers ‘22 Texas athlete

With a coaching change a star athlete in Texas wasn’t sure of his status with the Irish, last night it all got cleared up with Jarred Kerr.

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Former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea had offered Texas star athlete Jarred Kerr, six-foot-one-inch and 185-pounds, but when he left to become the head coach at Vanderbilt, Kerr wasn’t sure where he stood with his replacement Marcus Freeman. Well, things were cleared up yesterday as Kerr tweeted out this good news.

Texas is a powerhouse state for high school football and Kerr could end up at multiple positions when he arrives to a college campus. You have to assume that the re-offer from the Irish staff has to be on the defensive side of the ball, as there were no big changes to the offensive staff.

Kerr is an impressive athlete, who could play wide receiver or running back if it doesn’t work out of the defensive side of the ball. What we do know is that Freeman is having an early impact out on the recruiting trail and hopefully this is a step in the right direction in ultimately landing a commitment from this phenomenal athlete.

Defensive Back Recruit Cooper Barkate Gets Offer From Notre Dame

Much of the hype surrounding Cooper Barkate has surrounded his receiving skills.

Much of the hype surrounding Cooper Barkate has surrounded his receiving skills. After all, there are a few videos out there celebrating that aspect of his game. However, he is equally valued while playing in the secondary. Brian Polian and Marcus Freeman recognize this and want him at Notre Dame, where he could team up with Kyle Hamilton if Hamilton stays in South Bend through his senior season.

Barkate, who hails from Santa Ana, California, and plays at Mater Dei after spending his first two football seasons with St. Margaret’s Episcopal, has received plenty of offers already. Notre Dame is the 18th school to offer him an opportunity to suit up. Six of the eight Ivy League schools have reached out to him, so he obviously has the smarts to go to a prestigious college. The other offers he’s received are from Purdue, Nebraska, Kansas, Utah, Oregon, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Hawaii, UNLV, Arizona State and Illinois State.

 

Notre Dame football 2022 defensive recruit wishlist

A look at which defensive players with Notre Dame offer that would be great additions to the 2022 recruiting class.

A few weeks ago, I took a look at which Notre Dame recruits on offense who currently held offers and could potentially join the growing 2022 class. Realistically, some of them could join, some of them might end up elsewhere, but one can wish right? We’ll, it’s time for the other side of the ball, my ’22 defense recruit wishlist for the Irish.