During the runup to Notre Dame's football playoff game against Penn State, plenty of Irish fans were more than a little annoyed at Nittany Lions coach James Franklin's demeanor toward Marcus Freeman. Many felt as though Franklin was "little brothering" Freeman. Perhaps the ND coach felt the same and decided to return the favor in 2025.
Since the press conference that got under the collar of so many fans and seemed to get under the collar of Freeman, the Notre Dame head coach has had the upper hand. First, there was, of course, the win over the Big Ten power 27-24 in the Orange Bowl and went to the College Football Finals. Off the field, the Blue and Gold have staged several victories over Franklin's program.
This offseason, the Notre Dame football team began its assault on Penn State by stealing away running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider. However, on the recruiting front, the Fighting Irish have added injury to insult.
Marcus Freeman follows Orange Bowl triumph with coaching poach and four recruiting victories over Penn State.
Over the last week alone, the Golden Domers have scored 4 recruiting wins over Penn State. Defensive backs Joey O'Brien and Khary Adams, as well as offensive linemen Grayson McKeogh and Charlie Thom all committed to the program in South Bend over the one in Happy Valley.
There are still fights for other prospects out there. And while Penn State seems to be hanging onto its prized running back commit in Messiah Mickens, Marcus Freeman and his staff (most notably Seider) have made several runs at him. It seems unlikely they'll continue to pursue him with Javian Osborne in the fold, but if Freeman really wants to stuff Franklin in a locker, what better way to do so?
Freeman has done all this after Franklin spent most of his time at their joint press conference, bellyaching about how the Notre Dame football coach makes things easier. Perhaps next time, he'll keep his mouth shut or show Marcus Freeman more respect.