Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman in 'constant contact' with players impacted by Hurricane Milton

In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton's direct impact on the Tampa Bay area, Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman said on Thursday that he has maintained "constant contact" with current players affected by the situation.

Freshman defensive tackle Sean Sevillano Jr. hails from Clearwater, Florida, and Clearwater Academy International. Walk-on junior linebacker Tre Reader attended Berkeley Prep in Tampa, where 2025 recruit Dallas Golden, a four-star cornerback, is currently excelling.

“We’ve been in contact with Tre and Sean and a couple other guys that have family members down there,” Freeman said on Thursday. “This situation is like anything with leadership. You have to be what your players need you to be at that time.”

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Notre Dame, who are ranked 12th in the US LBM Coaches Poll, is set to face unranked Stanford on Saturday at 3:30 pm at Notre Dame Stadium, reports South Bend Tribune.

Highly rated running back Justin Thurman, who also committed to Notre Dame in the Class of 2025, is a student at Tampa’s Jesuit High School. Meanwhile, Quarterback Noah Grubbs, a 2026 recruit, is a junior at Lake Mary High School near Orlando.

Others live in the most impacted by the hurricane, including wide receivers Kris Mitchell (Jacksonville) and Jordan Faison (Fort Lauderdale) who grew up along Florida ’s Atlantic Coast, where 2026 two-sport recruit Dylan Faison (Jordan’s brother) and three-star defensive line commitment Davion Dixon (Miami Palmetto High School) also reside.

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“If a certain player needs you to sit them in your office and talk about some things and get some things off their chest or cry or whatever it is, that’s what leadership is,” Freeman said. “That’s what we’ll continue to do with every member of this football program.

“We’ve definitely been in contact. We’ve been in communication with our players that are affected by the hurricane, and we pray for all those that have been affected by it.”

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