Head coach Marcus Freeman been both praised and scrutinized a lot in his time at Notre Dame, but that is pretty normal for a head coach to deal with. However, in the last two months, he certainly felt he was fired from the college football world after the Irish didn't make the College Football Playoff and then opted out of their bowl game because of that.
Freeman was pretty quiet for a while, but he has since done a lot of work with Notre Dame and spoken to the media. Freeman is dedicated to this team; that is why he isn't in the NFL right now, and he put in a lot of work at the Transfer Portal.
On his podcast "See Ball Get Ball," former Georgia football legend David Pollack spoke about Freeman and what he has done so far in the offseason, and it seems like Pollack could not say enough good things about the Notre Dame leading man. Pollack absolutely loved what Notre Dame did in the portal, but he also loved the fact that the Irish didn't lose a single starter to the portal.
Marcus Freeman Transfer Portal
— CathVSConf☘️ (@CathVSConf) January 27, 2026
Smooth. Calculated. Retention
"This was the definition of MF, he is one of the smoothest, coolest cats on the planet."
David Pollack noticing:
"Notre Dame didn't lose a starter in the portal, not one."
🎥 @davidpollack47 on See Ball Get Ball… pic.twitter.com/kuIxPw2Clu
Notre Dame lost their starters to the NFL and eligibility, which means they aren't going and playing on another football team, but shows they are guys that can compete in the pros. Not only did Freeman not lose a single starter to the portal, but he fixed all the glaring needs the Irish had to get in order to be true contenders next season.
"They didn't go to a bowl, and they didn't go to the playoff, so they had some time to really do this and hit big," Pollack said. "They went and fixed their glaring need."
Notre Dame desperately needed help at the defensive tackle position, so who did Freeman go and get? He went and got former Oregon defensive tackle Tionne Gray, who Pollack feels was one of the best tackles in the portal, if not the country.
Freeman didn't have to go out and get volume in the portal; he just had to get the right guys, and he brought in seven really good guys that will have a chance to make an impact right away for Notre Dame.
