Notre Dame 2021

[temptation]

Apparently on the plane ride down, Mr. Kelly's accent changed...

 

[Irishman]

13 minutes ago, temptation said:

Apparently on the plane ride down, Mr. Kelly's accent changed...

 

I was going to post that too...lol Reminded me of HRC doing that in multiple places. 

He must be from South Boston

[Irishman]

@Coach Nowlinhitting it out of the park with this one. 🤣

 

 

[WolvesOnTheProwl]

 

[Bobref]

It’s official. https://und.com/marcus-freeman-named-30th-head-football-coach-at-notre-dame/

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Marcus Freeman, one of the rising young stars in the profession and architect of the highly-ranked Fighting Irish defense, today has been named the 30th Dick Corbett Head Football Coach at the University of Notre Dame.

Freeman will be introduced on Monday, December 6 at a 2:00pm ET press conference and will coach the Irish in their upcoming bowl game.

“It is an honor to be named the head coach of Notre Dame Football,” said Freeman. “I am eternally grateful to both Father John Jenkins and Jack Swarbrick for giving me the opportunity to lead the exceptional men who make this program what it is. Notre Dame is a very special place and I look forward to pursuing a national championship with the most outstanding student-athletes, coaches and staff in college football.”

“Marcus Freeman has not only proven himself a superb football coach, he has shown–both in his time at Notre Dame and in my conversations with him this week–that he is a person of highest integrity who cares deeply about our student-athletes and is committed to their success in the classroom as well as on the field,” said University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.  “I am excited to welcome him as our new head football coach, and to have his wife, Joanna, and their six beautiful children in the Notre Dame family.”

“Marcus’ ability to connect with people, his fit at Notre Dame and the way he coaches young men set him apart as we went through our search process,” said University Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick. “I can’t wait to see how the culture created by these remarkable student-athletes continues to grow under the tutelage of Marcus and his staff.”

In his first season with the Irish, he led a transformation on the defensive side of the ball that includes a number of Top-20 national rankings. The Irish rank sixth nationally in interceptions (15) and defensive touchdowns (4), seventh in total sacks (40.0), 11th in turnovers gained (23) and scoring defense (18.2) and 18th in third-down conversion percentage (.329). The 40.0 team sacks is one shy of the program record of 41 from the 1996 season.

Freeman has overseen sophomore Isaiah Foskey’s breakout season as a starter on the defensive line. Foskey has tallied 10.0 sacks this year, fourth-most in program history for a single season. The depth of the Irish defense has been on full display in 2021 as 15 different players have recorded a sack and 21 different players have had a tackle-for-loss. The 15 interceptions are the most in a single season since 2014 when the Irish had 16. In November, the Irish had three-straight games without allowing a touchdown for the first time since 2012.

Prior to coming to South Bend, Freeman spent the previous four seasons as the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati. During his time with the Bearcats, he was named the 2020 247Sports.com Defensive Coordinator of the Year and 2020 Broyles Award Finalist along with a nominee for the Broyles Award in 2019 and 2018.

In 2020, the Bearcats (9-1) earned a bid to the Peach Bowl as the No. 8-ranked team in the nation and won the American Athletic Conference Championship, the program’s first outright league title since 2009, when Cincinnati’s head coach was Brian Kelly.

Cincinnati’s defense ranked in the Top-20 nationally in several categories for 2020-21, including being ranked 13th in total defense (324.6 yards per game) and eighth in scoring defense (16.8 points per game) among all FBS teams. In addition, the Bearcats were third in team passing efficiency defense (101.25), 14th in rushing defense (111.1 yards per game), 15th in red zone defense (0.735), 17th in fourth down defense (0.375 rate), 16th in team sacks (3.00 per game) and 10th in turnovers gained (21).

Freeman coached the Bearcats to back-to-back 11-win seasons in 2018 and 2019, the 2019 American Athletic Conference East Division Championship and consecutive bowl-game wins in the 2018 Military Bowl and 2019 TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl.

The Bearcats finished atop the 2019 AAC ranks in scoring defense for the second-straight season and ranked among the league’s top three in rushing and total defense. Cincinnati led the American in 2018 in rushing defense, scoring defense and total defense and ranked among the Top-15 in the NCAA FBS in all three categories.

Joined the Bearcats staff after a four-year stint at Purdue. He coached linebackers all four seasons and served as the Boilermakers co-defensive coordinator in 2015.

Prior to his time at Purdue, Freeman coached linebackers at Kent State from 2011-12, helping develop all-conference selections Luke Batton and C.J. Malauulu.

Freeman started his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Ohio State, in 2010 and the Buckeyes went 12-1 with a victory in the Sugar Bowl.

Freeman is just the third Notre Dame head coach to have been selected in the NFL Draft, and is the first since Ara Parseghian was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1947. He is the 23rd Notre Dame head coach to have Division I playing experience and the first since Tyrone Willingham.

During his playing career, Freeman was a four-year letterwinner for the Buckeyes from 2004 to 2008. He played under current Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell and earned second team All-Big Ten honors in 2008 while helping lead Ohio State to four conference titles, three BCS bowls and two trips to the national title game during his career.

He played in the 2009 Senior Bowl and was a fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, spending time with the Bears, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans before a medical condition ended his playing career.

Freeman graduated from Ohio State in 2007 and returned to the classroom to earn his master’s degree in 2011.

[Muda69]

How many universities have their head football coach position funded by a multi-million dollar endowment?  An embarrassment of riches I tell you.
 

[Irishman]

13 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

How many universities have their head football coach position funded by a multi-million dollar endowment?  An embarrassment of riches I tell you.
 

More than likely though, coaches are paid out of the revenue the sport generates for a given school....in fact, that revenue also pays for a lot of other programs and coaches that really do not generate much revenue at all. I am willing to bet when you look at what the LSU program earned in revenue is far more than the coaches salaries. 

[Irishman]

McAfee is always good for some comic relief, and this is no exception...careful though the language may not be suitable for work

 

[Irishman]

It's like the gift that keeps on giving

 

 

[Muda69]

Come now Mr. Doyel,  tell us how you really feel about Brian Kelley:  https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/columnists/gregg-doyel/2021/12/03/notre-dame-football-likable-now-marcus-freeman-replaces-brian-kelly/8851417002/

(Note:  link is behind a paywall)

Quote

It’s OK to like Notre Dame football again. Brian Kelly is gone, and defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman is staying, and finally the Irish have a coach to rally behind.

Hey, is it OK to admit I never liked Brian Kelly? Shouldn’t be that big a surprise. Five years ago, when the long list of problems in Kelly’s program suddenly included the unthinkable – NCAA violations stemming from academic fraud … at Notre Dame – I said he should be fired. Didn’t happen. The power of the pen isn’t nearly as mighty as the power of winning a lot of football games.

Kelly won a lot of football games. He won so many games, other issues you’d think would derail a man’s coaching career –  truly unthinkable issues like a student-manager falling to his death from a 50-foot hydraulic scissor lift after being sent up there on a frighteningly windy day; like a linebacker being accused of raping St. Mary’s College student Lizzy Seeberg, with Seeberg committing suicide 10 days after the alleged assault – didn’t slow him down. Didn’t humble him, either.

After the alleged rape of Seeberg in August 2010, after the death of Declan Sullivan two months later, Kelly was so humbled by it all that he decided the punishment in 2016 for academic fraud in his program, involving a student athletic trainer and three players, was overstated.

“Any negative criticism about me now is because we're 4-7,” he said in 2016, demonstrating his philosophy on coaching a big-time football program:

Bad stuff is bad only if we don’t win enough.

This guy is your problem now, LSU, but don’t stop reading just yet. I have a lot more to say about you.

But first, to cleanse my palate, to feel good again about college sports – to express my affection, finally, for Notre Dame football – let’s talk about Marcus Freeman, the man Notre Dame just hired to replace Brian Kelly.

Notre Dame loving Marcus Freeman already

Marcus Freeman married his college sweetheart, then went back to school in 2011 to get his Master’s degree. Does any of that prove he’s a wonderful human being? No. Does the reaction to the video introducing him as the new Irish coach – it's love at first sight – prove it? No.

But it’s a start. Right now all we have is a vague outline – who is Marcus Freeman? – but with his help, we’ll fill the gaps as we go. Please, Marcus, be who everyone says you are. Please. For Notre Dame’s sake, and ours.

 

This was a man with a plan, an elite football player at Ohio State whose NFL career was derailed by an enlarged heart, but a man whose charisma and intelligence were so large that his future in coaching was assured. So he got the Master’s, because he’d need that. He and his wife and their six kids started climbing the ladder.

Freeman was at Purdue there for a minute, coaching linebackers and spending one season as defensive coordinator under Darrell Hazell, whom he followed from Kent State. Hazell wasn’t good, but Freeman was, and he rejoined one of the men who knew him best – Luke Fickell, who recruited and coached him at Ohio State – as defensive coordinator at Cincinnati in 2017. By 2020, Freeman had been nominated three times for the Broyles Award, given to the country’s top assistant coach. He was named a finalist in 2020, the same year that 247.com named him defensive coordinator of the year.

A rising star, this guy. Now, hiring a defensive coach is a risk in today’s football, college and pro, where offensive masterminds like Lincoln Riley and, yes, Brian Kelly, are all the rage. But Fickell’s background is defense, and he’s worked out for Cincinnati. We’ll see.

Hiring a coach without head coaching experience anywhere, especially at a job as enormous as Notre Dame, is also a risk. This job will crush Marcus Freeman, or he will crush it.

Here’s where I come clean, as if this will surprise any of you, and admit that I’d prefer the teams in the state of Indiana to do well. More than that, I’d prefer to like those teams, which starts with liking their coach. Does that make me a homer? Not in my head. Inside these ears, it makes sense to want to like the people I spend so much time with, and it makes sense to want the people of my state – fans of Notre Dame, Purdue, IU, Butler, Colts, Pacers, you name it – to be happy. It makes my neighbors happy when their teams win. I’m supposed to pretend not to care about that? Won’t even try.

So this is me, right here, saying I want Marcus Freeman to succeed personally and professionally. Most of us should want that. The football coach at Notre Dame, along with the basketball coaches at IU and Purdue and the leaders of the Colts and Pacers, are among the highest-profile people in the state, in any walk of life. It’s OK to want to like them.

Notre Dame football winning? What’s wrong with that? If I had it my way, the Irish, Boilermakers and Hoosiers would make the College Football Playoff every year, and join Butler in the Final Four.

That’s how I feel, today, with Marcus Freeman in charge at Notre Dame.

When Brian Kelly was there? Impossible to root for that guy. He’s your problem now, LSU.

Speaking of that.

LSU deserves Brian Kelly, Will Wade

Here’s what would be nice: For fans to be honest about who their coach is.

At LSU, they’re not honest at all. See for yourself. Go on social media and wonder aloud how Will Wade can still be coaching at LSU. See the reactions of LSU fans.

 

Wade was caught in 2017 on an FBI wiretap with the wannabe agent eventually convicted of bribery, Christian Dawkins, saying he’d made “a strong-ass offer” on “this Smart thing” – seemingly a reference to then-LSU freshman guard Javonte Smart, a five-star recruit – and joking that the player who’d received that “strong-ass offer” would be paid more than the NBA’s "rookie minimum.” Wade went onto say that he’d made deals for "as good of players as him" that were "a lot simpler than this."

The NCAA’s investigation into that continues, with Wade reportedly interviewing last week with the NCAA’s Complex Case Unit.

Unless – until? – the NCAA forces LSU’s hand, Will Wade remains the coach at LSU. Because he wins, I guess. And because LSU has no shame.

Like, hiring Brian Kelly. It’s the tragedies of 2010, and the academic fraud of 2016. It’s the way he singles out players on the sideline and, with national cameras rolling, berates them for their mistakes. It’s everything about the man, including the way he faked a Southern accent Thursday night when speaking to the crowd at an LSU basketball game, and it’s also this:

Notre Dame still has a legitimate shot at the 2021 College Football Playoff. Things have to happen elsewhere, namely UC losing Saturday to Houston, but weird things happen. LSU didn’t care, throwing a fortune at Notre Dame’s coach and then proudly hiring a man who would walk away from his team in the middle of such a season.

Think about that. LSU hired a man whose willingness to accept their offer should have disqualified him. But again, LSU has no shame.

And think about being Brian Kelly. Yes, $100 million over 10 years – that’s what LSU will pay Kelly in basic compensation – is a lot of money. He was already making a lot of money at Notre Dame, generational money, life-changing money for him and his kids and their kids. Now he’s making even more. And to some people, that justifies leaving your team in the middle of a potential national championship season.

Here’s the thing about principles: They’re easy to have, until you actually need to have them.

Brian Kelly is a man without principle. LSU has none, either. They deserve each other.

Back home in Indiana, Marcus Freeman is our guy. We’ll see if he’s an upgrade over the last guy as a coach. That bar is high. To be an upgrade over Brian Kelly as a leader, as a person? Much lower bar. Like stepping over a curb on your way to the news conference.

Watch your step, Marcus Freeman. You’re going to be loved here. Please deserve it.

Good comment by Mr. Doyel.  Were the Notre Dame fans really honest about who Brian Kelley was while he as the head football coach?  Or were they blinded by the wins, as many fans are?

 

[Bobref]

58 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

Come now Mr. Doyel,  tell us how you really feel about Brian Kelley:  https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/columnists/gregg-doyel/2021/12/03/notre-dame-football-likable-now-marcus-freeman-replaces-brian-kelly/8851417002/

(Note:  link is behind a paywall)

Good comment by Mr. Doyel.  Were the Notre Dame fans really honest about who Brian Kelley was while he as the head football coach?  Or were they blinded by the wins, as many fans are?

 

All of this is true … but much is not current. About 5 yrs. ago the administration - and I don’t mean the athletic administration - sat the coach down and told him that he was not representing the University appropriately. If he didn’t clean up his image, no amount of wins would be enough. So, he did. He’s been pretty much a model citizen since then. He and his wife have been pillars of the community. For example:

https://www.sjmed.com/find-a-service-or-specialty/breast-center/

But he’s gone now. So, I’ve moved on.

Edited December 3, 2021 by Bobref

[temptation]

13 minutes ago, Bobref said:

All of this is true … but much is not current. About 5 yrs. ago the administration - and I don’t mean the athletic administration - sat the coach down and told him that he was not representing the University appropriately. If he didn’t clean up his image, no amount of wins would be enough. So, he did. He’s been pretty much a model citizen since then. He and his wife have been pillars of the community. For example:

https://www.sjmed.com/find-a-service-or-specialty/breast-center/

But he’s gone now. So, I’ve moved on.

Freeman being lauded as a "player's coach."....yikes.

I've heard that phrase before and it often ends badly.

Have Belichick or Saban ever been given that label?

[Bobref]

12 minutes ago, temptation said:

Freeman being lauded as a "player's coach."....yikes.

I've heard that phrase before and it often ends badly.

Have Belichick or Saban ever been given that label?

I doubt it. But people like Mike Tomlin and Pete Carroll have. Everyone is different.

[temptation]

3 minutes ago, Bobref said:

I doubt it. But people like Mike Tomlin and Pete Carroll have. Everyone is different.

Tomlin - an NFL example

Carroll - one of the biggest con artists and dirtiest guys in the game

You might wanna rethink those comparisons.

Being a “player’s coach” often works in the pros because the players have all of the power, not so much in college…

Look, I get the attempt to put lipstick on a pig here.  You have no other choice.  But to pretend you are not concerned about handing the reigns of NOTRE DAME football to a guy with zero head coaching experience, is laughable.

[Bobref]

4 hours ago, Muda69 said:

How many universities have their head football coach position funded by a multi-million dollar endowment? 

You mean officially, or does that include “under the table” stuff? 😉

[Bobref]

12 minutes ago, temptation said:

Tomlin - an NFL example

Carroll - one of the biggest con artists and dirtiest guys in the game

You might wanna rethink those comparisons.

Being a “player’s coach” often works in the pros because the players have all of the power, not so much in college…

Look, I get the attempt to put lipstick on a pig here.  You have no other choice.  But to pretend you are not concerned about handing the reigns of NOTRE DAME football to a guy with zero head coaching experience, is laughable.

There are pluses and minuses to every hire. It’s a risk, no doubt. But the program is in really good shape right now, and is more risk tolerant than it might have been 10 years ago. It’s really a question of risk/reward, as always. I believe Freeman’s ceiling is higher than Kelly’s in that Brian was never going to win a championship at ND. But clearly, Freeman’s floor is a heck of a lot lower than Kelly’s in that the latter is a known quantity and a consistent winner. It’s a gamble, no doubt. Swarbrick is betting that with this dynamic young coach, a defensive guru and recruiting savant, ND can break through to that next level, and join the Ohio States, Alabamas, etc., as perennial favorites for the playoff and 5 star recruit destination. If it doesn’t work, the program is in great shape to absorb a correction. It’s sort of refreshing to have a guy at the helm who is willing to take the long view and tolerate some risk.

[Whiting89]

Marcus freeman also an irrelevant bear so as a huge bears fan I guess I have to cheer him on

[temptation]

8 minutes ago, Bobref said:

There are pluses and minuses to every hire. It’s a risk, no doubt. But the program is in really good shape right now, and is more risk tolerant than it might have been 10 years ago. It’s really a question of risk/reward, as always. I believe Freeman’s ceiling is higher than Kelly’s in that Brian was never going to win a championship at ND. But clearly, Freeman’s floor is a heck of a lot lower than Kelly’s in that the latter is a known quantity and a consistent winner. It’s a gamble, no doubt. Swarbrick is betting that with this dynamic young coach, a defensive guru and recruiting savant, ND can break through to that next level, and join the Ohio States, Alabamas, etc., as perennial favorites for the playoff and 5 star recruit destination. If it doesn’t work, the program is in great shape to absorb a correction. It’s sort of refreshing to have a guy at the helm who is willing to take the long view and tolerate some risk.

Curious why Freeman’s ceiling is higher in your opinion.

How can you say for sure Kelly wasn’t going to win a title at ND?  Though blown out on three occasions, he took them to the precipice, something that hadn’t been done in over 25 years…

They are on the door step of another playoff appearance if things break their way this weekend and I don’t think that any of the four playoff teams this year are viewed as unbeatable.

Such a weird take and statement to attempt to present as a fact.

[DE]

42 minutes ago, Bobref said:

I doubt it. But people like Mike Tomlin and Pete Carroll have. Everyone is different.

If both coaches Tomlin and Carroll (assuming they were both college coaches and my son actually played football and was good enough to play at that level)  were recruiting my son, I’d have ZERO issue with him playing for Coach Tomlin.  Would LOVE it!   Coach Carroll?  Not a chance. 

[DE]

7 minutes ago, temptation said:

Curious why Freeman’s ceiling is higher in your opinion.

How can you say for sure Kelly wasn’t going to win a title at ND?  Though blown out on three occasions, he took them to the precipice, something that hadn’t been done in over 25 years…

They are on the door step of another playoff appearance if things break their way this weekend and I don’t think that any of the four playoff teams this year are viewed as unbeatable.

Such a weird take and statement to attempt to present as a fact.

I say UGA is unbeatable this year. 

[BTF]

48 minutes ago, Bobref said:

I doubt it. But people like Mike Tomlin and Pete Carroll have. Everyone is different.

Mike Tomlin is the most overrated coach in football. His one Super Bowl was a result of a team put together by Bill Cowher. Tomlin should have 4 titles with the talent that the Steeler organization has given him. 

[Bobref]

4 minutes ago, temptation said:

Curious why Freeman’s ceiling is higher in your opinion.

How can you say for sure Kelly wasn’t going to win a title at ND?  Though blown out on three occasions, he took them to the precipice, something that hadn’t been done in over 25 years…

They are on the door step of another playoff appearance if things break their way this weekend and I don’t think that any of the four playoff teams this year are viewed as unbeatable.

Such a weird take and statement to attempt to present as a fact.

Don’t get me wrong. Kelly’s record speaks for itself. But he’s had 12 yrs to win a championship, and we’re still talking about “breaking through” to the elite level. If you’re happy with 10-11 wins every year, getting to the final four every 4 yrs. or so, filling the stadium, etc., Kelly did that. But the evidence is that he’s taken the program as far as he can. As I said, the program is in great shape and ready to assume a position with the elites … except in one area: recruiting. Just compare the number of 5 stars at Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State with the number at ND. As much as anything else, we need a superstar recruiter as the face of the program. By all accounts, that describes Coach Freeman.

If you aspire to championships, and what you’re doing is very good, but won’t get you there, you either try something else or change your goal. I’m for trying something else.

[temptation]

29 minutes ago, Bobref said:

Don’t get me wrong. Kelly’s record speaks for itself. But he’s had 12 yrs to win a championship, and we’re still talking about “breaking through” to the elite level. If you’re happy with 10-11 wins every year, getting to the final four every 4 yrs. or so, filling the stadium, etc., Kelly did that. But the evidence is that he’s taken the program as far as he can. As I said, the program is in great shape and ready to assume a position with the elites … except in one area: recruiting. Just compare the number of 5 stars at Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State with the number at ND. As much as anything else, we need a superstar recruiter as the face of the program. By all accounts, that describes Coach Freeman.

If you aspire to championships, and what you’re doing is very good, but won’t get you there, you either try something else or change your goal. I’m for trying something else.

Get ready for that lower floor you spoke of.  Gotta be careful when you get spoiled.

Countless examples of coaches who left or who were ran of town for winning 8-10 games a season and have never recovered or took tons of time to recover.

Texas, Nebraska, Tennessee, Michigan , etc..

Edited December 3, 2021 by temptation

[BTF]

3 hours ago, temptation said:

Get ready for that lower floor you spoke of.  Gotta be careful when you get spoiled.

Countless examples of coaches who left or who were ran of town for winning 8-10 games a season and have never recovered or took tons of time to recover.

Texas, Nebraska, Tennessee, Michigan , etc..

Don't forget to private message me.......5:1

 

[temptation]

5 hours ago, DE said:

I say UGA is unbeatable this year. 

We will see tomorrow.  Bama an underdog for the first time since 2015 and knowing they NEED to win to keep their season alive.

Not betting against Saban.