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Notre Dame Football: Can Marcus Freeman take the Irish to the next level?

By Andrew Hall

CINCINNATI, OH - OCTOBER 03: Defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman of the Cincinnati Bearcats talks to his players during a game against the South Florida Bulls at Nippert Stadium on October 3, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati won 28-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - OCTOBER 03: Defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman of the Cincinnati Bearcats talks to his players during a game against the South Florida Bulls at Nippert Stadium on October 3, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati won 28-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The Notre Dame football program won 43 games over the past 4 seasons. Can Marcus Freeman take the Irish to the next level?

Under Brian Kelly, Notre Dame Football realized stability and success not matched since the Lou Holtz era. From 2017-2020, the Irish won 43 games on the gridiron, a number only matched by Holtz’s team from 1988-1991.

There is no doubt that the Fighting Irish are winning at a high level, and only one goal remains a national championship. So how does Notre Dame reach this goal?

The answer: Marcus Freeman.

Freeman became the defensive coordinator early in 2021 but is making a tremendous impact already. Currently, Notre Dame Football ranks fourth in the 2022 recruiting rankings. Freeman generated most of the commitments that led to this ranking. The recruiting boost might be enough for the Fighting Irish to separate from the pack and join Clemson and Alabama among the top group.

Notre Dame Football has an elite recruiter in Marcus Freeman

Recruiting should help the Irish hit the next level. Notre Dame has an outstanding strength and conditioning coach in Matt Balis who helps develops the talent. The recent coordinators, Chip Long, Tommy Rees, Mike Elko, and Clark Lea, provide the strategy to take advantage of Notre Dame’s talent, and this combination led to the success seen since the disastrous 2016 season.

If Notre Dame can land a few more blue-chip recruits at key positions, the Fighting Irish should have an opportunity in big-time games against Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and others. During Brian Kelly’s tenure at Notre Dame, the Irish only finished in the top-5 once. An elite, rare recruiter like Marcus Freeman might make that happen every year.

Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman are in hot pursuit of several elite recruits in the 2022 class. These prospects including offensive tackle Zach Rice, running back Gavin Sawchuk, linebacker Niuafe Tuihalamaka and linebacker Jaylen Sneed all rank inside the top-100 in the country.

Next. Notre Dame football: Top-10 draft picks of the Brian Kelly era. dark

The real question is not whether if Freeman will help the Irish recruit into the next level but how long he will stay in South Bend. Freeman is the real deal – a tremendous recruiter and aggressive player’s coach. It is only a matter of time until he becomes an elite head coach. Will Notre Dame hit the next level before Freeman leaves town?

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