Bobref

When I was at St. Ed’s in the late 60s, several of the Brothers there had also taught at Cathedral.

Last night, the mighty St. Edward Eagles completed the “Drive for Five,” defeating Springfield 23-13 to win their 5th Div. I football championship (2010, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2021). Hail to the Green and Gold! Hail, our Alma Mater! Praise her with voices bold& With hearts that never falter. Hail, to dear Saint Edward High Keep her banners waving, Loyal sons in unity, Everlasting praise we sing. Like every other day, today is a great day to be an Eagle!

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.

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.

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

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

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.

It’s not a “problem” of any kind. There are certain admission standards. They are higher than NCAA standards. Some players meet NCAA standards, but not ND’s standards. ND can’t recruit those players. Some of those players are very good. That’s it in a nutshell.

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.

“The market” doesn’t care whether you’re a public or private employee. It sets the price. This is it.

Then there’s no hope, because that will never happen.

We have a coach!

I think for a select few people at the very pinnacle of their profession, the ability to compete for the ultimate achievement drives every decision, it outweighs all other factors. I don’t think there’s any question that, over the long term, LSU is more likely to be competing for a championship than Notre Dame, for reasons that are well known and have already been discussed. For BK, given all that he achieved at Notre Dame and still only got occasionally within shouting distance of the trophy, he has nothing left to chase except the trophy. So, he saw an opportunity to enhance his odds of achieving that goal, and he took it. And if that’s how you’ve ordered your life’s priorities, then he did the right thing.

The reign of The Chosen One is about to commence. And I’m not talking about Freeman.

Well, Swarbrick’s roll of the dice is officially underway. This represents a huge gamble for the Irish. Just hope the upside is worth it.

Probably elevate Mike Elston, currently D-line coach.

OK, I’m officially on the Freeman bandwagon. The alternative, I’m afraid, is a major reboot.

This could easily turn into a 5 yr. setback for a program that was a few players from competing with the ultra-elite programs. I think to have any hopes of salvaging what had shaped up to be the best recruiting class in years they will have to hire Freeman as HC, and hope they can talk Reese into staying at least a couple more years. Failing that, they need a home run hire of a well known name to try and stop the de-commits.

The problem with that, of course, is that means whichever one doesn’t get the job is probably gone. If neither gets the job, they’re probably both gone. Freeman might be the most valuable assistant the program has had in a long time.

And so it begins. It looks like the favorites are, in no particular order, Matt Campbell, Marcus Freeman, Luke Fickel. https://www.heartlandcollegesports.com/2021/11/30/matt-campbell-interested-in-notre-dame-job-report/

I believe Dan Devine left to Coach the Packers. So, a step down, @Irishman.

You do recall that he is Notre Dame’s all time winningest coach, right?

When I heard the news, I was just sick. But I’ve had some time to think about it now. Good luck to Coach Kelly. He gave Our Lady’s university a decade of his life. We got fair value for what he was paid. He and his wife became important members of the community. He is the winningest Notre Dame coach of all time. He will take his place alongside Rockne, Leahy, Parseghian, and Holtz. Most importantly, he is not leaving the cupboard bare. So, I think most ND people will wish Coach Kelly well, and move on. This is a great opportunity for ND to move into the next phase of the football program with a new coach. Luke Fickel is the name everyone is talking about. But don’t sleep on Marcus Freeman, the 1st year DC. He’s a sensational recruiter and a great defensive coach. I expect he’ll be elevated to interim HC for the bowl game. Conventional wisdom is that your first job as a head coach should not be Notre Dame. But he might be the exception..

Hard to believe.

Many, many years ago when I was also officiating college football, I went to a clinic in Los Angeles. It lasted several days, and we spent one afternoon working a UCLA scrimmage, and the next day a USC scrimmage. John Robinson was the coach at USC then. Their practice was unbelievable. I never saw so many people with $2,000 suits, designer sunglasses, $500 shoes, and weighted down with bling at a football practice before or since. It was like the Red Carpet on artificial turf.