Is Marcus Freeman Moving Notre Dame Past the Mistakes of Brian Kelly?

By Alec Nederveld

Since 2010, the first year of Brian Kelly , Notre Dame has been one of the top programs in the country. They have made two playoff trips, a title game appearance, and finished in the final AP Poll 10 times while averaging over 9 wins a season. Yet another perspective shows an 0-5 record in BCS/NY6 bowl games, a lack of results in rivalry and big games, and a coach who willingly left for another college job.

Kelly’s departure was shocking at the time. LSU was expected to hire Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley while Notre Dame just finished a successful 11-1 regular season, only losing to playoff-bound Cincinnati. Additionally, LSU is about as big of a culture shock imaginable for Kelly. He's from Massachusetts, raised in an Irish/Catholic family who had never coached further south than Cincinnati, Ohio. Yet that was justified for what he thought to be a better chance to win a National Championship.

This led to the promotion of Marcus Freeman . He shares being a defensive head coach with Midwest coaching ties, but not much past that. Freeman was a linebacker for Ohio State and had a brief NFL career before becoming a coach. He went back to the Buckeyes as a GA in 2010, moving to the Kent State LB coach the following year, and eventually the Cincinnati LB coach and DC in 2017. He was hired for the same role at Notre Dame in 2021 and took the head coach job after Kelly's exit.

Now 38, Freeman is one of the youngest coaches in the country. He has adopted the Notre Dame culture, converting to Catholicism in 2022 . He’s also adopted similar success on the field, with a 19-7 record in his first two seasons. He also started his tenure in a fitting way to Kelly, losing the Fiesta Bowl and blowing a 28-7 lead to Oklahoma State. It's a result Notre Dame fans know too well in a marquee matchup.

Freeman's Already Changing the Narrative in Big Games

Notre Dame has not had the best reputation in big games and for good reason. From 1997, the first year of the BCS through Kelly’s final season in 2021, Notre Dame was 3-20 against top-five opponents. Kelly himself went 1-6, only knocking off a Clemson team without Trevor Lawerence in 2020 (who returned the favor 34-10 in the ACC Championship). Through two years, Freeman is starting to change that reputation. He's 1-2, blowing out No. 5 Clemson 35-14. Versus top 10 teams, he's 2-3, additionally blowing out USC 48-20 last year. Much better than Kelly’s career 3-9 record against those same teams.

Notre Dame’s independence gives the Irish the ability to play many historically significant rivalry games. They play Navy, Stanford (although subject to change after the 2024 season), and USC annually, with on-and-off series with Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue. Kelly dominated the overmatched  Navy, going 9-2, with Freeman following the trend, so far going 2-0. The series with Purdue and USC has also been dominant, Notre Dame is up 6-0 and 9-4 respectively since 2010.

Notre Dame controls a sizeable 4-2 lead over the Spartans of Michigan State, although it’s been a while since they’ve last played. However, the Irish have lost more than they’ve won against Michigan and Stanford. That includes an upset by the 1-4 Cardinal in 2023, David Shaw’s final road win in his lengthy career. These records aren’t bad, but you have to consider Notre Dame has generally been better than the other rivals, yet aren’t playing like the premier program they fancy themselves as.

Another disappointment has come from high-profile home-and-homes. Since 2020, Notre Dame has had four massive ones - Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, and Ohio State. They split with both of the new SEC schools and got swept by both Georgia and Ohio State. Now there’s no shame in losing to any of those teams, especially the Bulldogs and Buckeyes, but at some point you want to see your team win a big game. It particularly stings when you lose on the final play with only 10 players on defense. Luckily, Freeman will have another critical home-and-home, one that looks to be more winnable.

There's a Lot to Like About the Irish in 2024

To kick off 2024, Notre Dame will be making the trip to College Station for a high-profile game. Texas A&M is bringing in a new head coach, Mike Elko, the former Aggie defensive coordinator who spent the last two seasons rebuilding Duke. They again have a talented roster, supplemented with a strong portal class, but plenty of uncertainty like all first-year coaches.

This game reminds me of the 2021 Notre Dame opener with Florida State. It was Mike Norvell’s second season, not first, although his first game with full attendance in a similarly hostile environment. In addition, it was the first game after legendary coach Bobby Bowden retired, giving something else for the Noles to play for. In the end, Notre Dame escaped 41-38 in overtime after Florida State came back from down 18 in the fourth quarter. I could see a similar result with a Texas A&M team that probably wants it more than Notre Dame, but one that has similar flaws to Florida State.

While none of Duke’s 17 transfers followed Coach Elko to Texas A&M, he knows all about two of Notre Dame's new players. EDGE RJ Oben and QB Riley Leonard are with the Fighting Irish after tenures with the Blue Devils. Leonard in particular is interesting to watch in both this game and the season.

He was a massive part of the Duke resurgence that got nine wins in 2022, a season-opening upset over Clemson, and a visit from College Gameday against Notre Dame. Unfortunately, Leonard suffered a season-ending ankle injury that game, one that now looks to be healed up . It’s the fourth season in a row for Notre Dame with a one-year quarterback, and the third with a transfer, joining Jack Coan, Drew Pyne, and last season’s Sam Hartman.

Leonard is more of a running threat than the previous passers, and that is a welcomed change for a team losing RB Audric Estime. He was Notre Dame’s leading rusher in the past two seasons, going for 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns a year ago. The loss of both tackles, Blake Fisher and unanimous First-Team All-American Joe Alt will also make things more difficult.

Luckily, the Irish always recruit and develop offensive linemen well and have other stars on the roster. One of which is Senior TE Mitchell Evans , who was Notre Dame’s leader in receptions and second in yards a year ago. Additionally, RBs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price should pick up the slack and perform well in more of a running back-by-committee approach.

Notre Dame and Freeman’s defense has always been good and they may have the best defensive backfield in the country this fall. S Xavier Watts , the defending Nagurski Award Winner is elite and so is CB Benjamin Morrison . Incoming transfers Rod Heard II (Northwestern) and Jordan Clark (Arizona State) should make an impact, alongside Jaden Mickey who looks to have a bigger role as a junior. I wouldn’t have any doubts about this side of the ball.

Why 2024 is a Make-or-Break Year for Freeman

For most coaches, year three is supposed to be the make-or-break year. They all need time to bring in their players, make culture changes, and get adjusted to the new role. That’s more true than ever at Notre Dame , where the third year shows a National Championship appearance (or better) and a lengthy career, or getting shown the exit soon after. Barring a complete train wreck of a year, Freeman will not be fired. But history suggests he won’t make it another three years.

It’s a reach to expect Notre Dame to reach the National Championship game in 2024, although crazier things have happened. When Brian Kelly made the title game in year three, the Fighting Irish came into the season unranked. There's a similar story for 1988, the year of the last National Championship, where Lou Holtz ’s team was ranked 13th in the preseason, a number that will probably be below this season's team.

What should be the expectation however is reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff . Reaching 10 regular season wins should get Notre Dame in, 11 will lock it in. And tell me, why can’t Notre Dame win double-digit games with this schedule ? The previously mentioned Texas A&M game might be the toughest on the schedule. Past that, traveling to USC and home games against Louisville & Florida State aren't easy, but far from insurmountable. Notre Dame might be the favorite for all 12 regular season games.

Marcus Freeman has a chance to lead Notre Dame into a historic season. One that has been lacking with a marque home-and-home win, up to four rivalry wins, and a trip back to the playoff with a breakthrough win that Brian Kelly could only dream of. Or just another year of reinforcing Notre Dame’s stereotypes.

Soon, we'll know if we should start building Freeman’s plaque, or start searching for his replacement...