Notre Dame football: Marcus Freeman the perfect coach at the perfect time

The Notre Dame football team has a first-year head coach at the helm in Marcus Freeman, and he is the perfect coach at the perfect time for the program.

Now and then we see a young head coach get an incredible opportunity to be a first-time head coach, and we are seeing that now with Marcus Freeman and this Notre Dame football team. After serving as the team’s defensive coordinator during the regular season, Freeman stepped into the big chair for the bowl game, though only in an interim role.

After the season, it did not take long for the university to hear that most wanted Freeman to be promoted to full-time, which he eventually was. Now, months into the job, it is clear that the Notre Dame football program needed a fresh start, and that Freeman was the perfect man for the job.

Since taking over, Freeman has filled the program with a youthful energy that has been wearing off on the current players, as well as incoming recruits. His domination on the recruiting trail, as well as his ability to connect with the current roster, will result in Notre Dame football not only being very good, which they were under Brian Kelly but round into one of the elite of the elite.

Notre Dame football has a rising star in Marcus Freeman

Recently, star tight end Michael Mayer was on the Bussin’ wit the Boys podcast, which is hosted by Wil Compton. He spoke about the difference between Kelly and Freeman, having this to say:

"“He’s in it with the boys. He’s in our lifts, he’s in our runs, he’s in it.”"

For this group of student-athletes, that could be the difference between them challenging to go to a College Football Playoff, and winning the whole thing. Yes, Freeman is in his first season, and yes, there are going to be some growing pains, but he is getting the best kids in the country to want to come to South Bend, and the program is no longer taking a back seat to Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson to name a few.

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The Notre Dame football program is the most storied in the history of the sport and has won its fair share of national titles. However, they have been above-average for too long, and Freeman is the perfect coach for them to once again become the best of the best.