Nick Saban Makes His Opinion of Marcus Freeman's Tactic Extremely Clear

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish got off to a good start to their 2024 college football campaign after they defeated the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field in College Station on August 31 to the tune of a 23-13 score. Before that game, Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman tried to rile up the crowd while his team was getting ready to take the field.

Freeman's fiery show of emotions before that contest got former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban's attention, and he admired the passion showed in that moment by the Notre Dame mentor.

“I don’t think there’s any question about it,” Saban said during Friday's appearance on 'The Pat McAfee Show ,' (h/t Spenser Davis of Saturday Down South ).

“I love Marcus Freeman. I think, to a large degree, your team sort of reflects your personality to some degree. And when you’ve got a fiery personality and you’re fired up and they know you’re fired up, I mean, that means something to players. Because they feel like you’ve got as much going into it as they do. And they want to play for you.”

The Fighting Irish reciprocated Freeman’s pregame energy with a solid performance on the field, as they outgained Texas A&M (356-246) and forced two Aggies turnovers.

Freeman is in his third season as head coach of the Fighting Irish, and he's looking to lead Notre Dame to a College Football Playoff appearance.

A win over a ranked opponent in No. 20 Texas A&M was a good sign for the Fighting Irish, who will next take on the Northern Illinois Huskies at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend in Week 2.

Related: Dynamic Between Nick Saban, Pat McAfee on ‘College GameDay’ Has Fans Crying Tears of Joy