ND Football Recruiting – Page 2

Marcus Freeman Linked To Alabama Job: Is He A Good Fit?

Freeman named as a potential Saban replacement – but is he a fit?

Every time things seem to settle down in the world of college football, the next big “thing” happens. The latest news is Nick Saban’s retirement from Alabama. This news is not a shock to me after I learned early last year of a mansion Saban purchased near the Tiger Woods compound in Jupiter, Florida.

I took this and the local Jupiter chatter surrounding it as a clear sign.

With more title rings than one hand can handle and a magnificent 206-29 record — six of those losses came in his first year — Saban’s reputation will live forever. But soon the attention will move to the future.

What direction will Alabama go in for their next hire? According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Marcus Freeman is on the candidate list. This is very interesting.

Let’s examine if Freeman would be a fit for Alabama.

Welcomed Pressure Awaits Freeman & Notre Dame in 2024

Year three tends to tell the story for coaches at Notre Dame. How will Freeman’s third year go?

Time flies doesn’t it folks? It feels like just yesterday we were discussing Marcus Freeman getting the head job at Notre Dame and now we are already discussing what year three will look like. A lot has happened. A lot has changed. There have been a lot of ups and downs in play as Freeman has tried to find his footing under the bright lights of Notre Dame Stadium.

For multiple reasons, justified ones, there will be a ramped-up level of pressure on the Irish to perform very well in 2024. It just feels like the time has come to start delivering. The fans and media are ready for it and it feels like the program is at a turning point. Let’s discuss this incoming pressure and why Marcus Freeman welcomes it.

Notre Dame Fans Want To Believe: Is It Justified This Time?

There is certainly hype – is it more real this time around?

2023 ended strongly for the Notre Dame football program.

A blowout bowl game win, a great offensive coordinator hire and successful runs in the portal and the early signing period have brightened Irish moods. The program really does feel like they are trending up.

The issue is Notre Dame fans feel like they’ve been here before. Living on hope and future promises never kept. Many are asking why they should consider this time will end any differently. The answer to me is simple. The program is being built differently than at any other time in the last 30 years.

Let’s examine the different ways this is the case in more detail.

Notre Dame Football: 2024 New Year Resolutions

A few resolutions for Notre Dame football in 2024

Notre Dame football is ushering in the new year riding a wave of momentum. They had a very successful early signing day, hired Mike Denbrock away from LSU, and blew out Oregon St. to close out the season. Notre Dame is trending up for 2024.

With the turn of the calendar top of mind and progress for the football program always there as well, let’s have some fun and go over 5 New Year Resolutions for Notre Dame Football to make for 2024. It feels like the program is close to “turning a corner”.

Are they?

What else needs to change before the Irish can be considered “elite”?

2023 Sun Bowl: End Of A Beginning for Notre Dame

There is still a game to play to finish up 2023!

In an odd twist of football fate, Notre Dame’s last few weeks have had more excitement than the last couple of weeks that featured actual games. All of the transfers, all of the opt-outs, and of course, the Mike Denbrock news. It’s been a lot to take in and process. But one thing is for sure, Irish fans are excited about the future.

But the Sun Bowl isn’t in the future, it’s in the present. Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman really want to notch win number 10 heading into what seems to be an ultra-bright future with the roster turning over to the plus side and a staff that breeds confidence on not one, but both sides of the ball. In a way, this game is the end of the beginning of the Marcus Freeman era. And Irish fans feel like they are really going to like what comes next.

Let’s talk about three keys to an Irish victory.

Scout’s view: Notre Dame’s newest commit, wide receiver Logan Saldate

Don’t let the recruiting ranking fool you, the Irish got a good one!

[autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] needed to find another wide receiver for their 2024 recruiting class and did that on Friday morning.

California’s [autotag]Logan Saldate[/autotag], flipped his commitment from Oregon State to the Irish, he needed just a day after getting his Irish offer to make up his mind.

No doubt that the Notre Dame coaching staff knew what they were getting, but looking at just his recruiting rankings you’d wonder why they’d go after a prospect ranked as the 961st overall prospect according to the 247Sports composite.

As we do with all the new Irish commits, it was time to break down Saldate’s film to see why Notre Dame accepted his verbal. After watching his junior highlight’s it was easy to see why it happened. Find out what I saw in watching Saldate’s film and what to expect out of the newest Irish commit.

Never A Dull Moment: Gerad Parker Leaving Notre Dame

Notre Dame was handed a gift when Gerad Parker was named head coach at Troy. Find out more about what that means now!

There’s never a dull moment in Notre Dame land. Just when you feel like things have leveled off for the Irish after a chaotic last couple of weeks, boom, more breaking news. This week the news is that Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker will soon be named Troy’s head coach.

Around and around we go.

As for the fan base, there are certainly some folks who were excited to see what Parker could do in year 2 at the offensive helm, noting that his offense did average over 39 points-per-game. But the larger majority felt as though the offensive numbers were padded against poor defenses and then the offense struggled to accomplish much against the top-tier defenses faced. So here we sit. For now, quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli will assume play-calling duties for the bowl game while the search for a replacement ensues.

Let’s examine some things to keep in mind regarding this dynamic.

Irish Fans Are In A Tough Spot

As the dog days of summer begin to die down, the Irish faithful are ramping up in terms of both anxiety and excitement. The schedule is challenging and all eyes locally and notionally are focused on Marcus Freeman in his second year at the helm. Can …

Can the Irish improve on their 4-loss regular season? What happens in the marquee 3? Can Notre Dame avoid having losses to teams such as Marshall & Stanford this year? How might recruiting shift in the season based on the game results? How much better is Notre Dame with Sam Hartman under center? In 5 more weeks, some answers to these questions will start to unveil themselves.

Irish fans are in a tough spot right now. Anxious to be elite after decades of not being so but yet trying to also be understanding of Freeman’s learning curve and be patient with him. Let’s explore just how tough walking this tightrope will be.

Notre Dame Football: Freeman factor re-engaged? Inside great week for Irish

What a difference a week or two makes…

Notre Dame fans have been on quite a roller-coaster ride this season.

From the ups and downs of a tumultuous regular season to the immediate exodus of offensive players that followed, there’s been anxiety. Is the program on the right track or losing momentum? How will the Irish replenish their needs and when? How does it all line up heading into next year?

Fast just a week and at least some answers have been provided. Notre Dame has a new quarterback and has added numerous cast members that have Irish fans feeling a bit better. If you look deeply, you will see the Irish program is modernizing, and Marcus Freeman deserves credit for it.

Let’s examine this concept in detail.

Notre Dame Football – As Season Ends, Questions Begin

Time for the Irish to get back to work…

It feels like just yesterday we were grinding through the dog days of summer begging for college football to start back up again. Just as fast as it all started, it’s now over, and Notre Dame has finished their regular season at 9-3 with more ups and downs than the newest roller coaster at your local Six Flags.

With the season complete, Irish fans are now asking what comes next. This applies to both bowl season this year and into next year as well. There are a lot of moving parts and I suspect more to come. This year featured lots of things to really appreciate and enjoy, it’s just unfortunate that in the big picture, the deficiencies that led to the 3 losses on the ledger weigh down the positivity, justifiably so.

Let’s examine the three big questions Irish fans have now that the regular season has concluded.