Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman understands that sometimes parents can overstep their bounds. They might ask for too much from the staff or want too much input. However, when it comes to parents of players who are former players themselves, Freeman has nothing but respect for how they carry themselves.
Kay Adams asked Freeman about whether having former players watching their sons play college ball in South Bend was a pain in the butt. When talking to Kay Adams on a recent podcast, he surprised the host by saying it was the opposite. In fact, he thinks "legacy" players benefit from having parents who were professional athletes because they ask the right questions.
"They're awesome. They don't ask about the playing time ... they just say, 'How's my son doing? How's his mental health? How's his well-being? Is he working hard?" The Notre Dame head coach said.
Marcus Freeman tells @heykayadams the NFL alumni who are fathers of current Notre Dame players have been “awesome” & “amazing.”
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) April 15, 2026
They don’t ask about playing time. They ask about mental health, wellbeing and progress. They also help sell ND in recruiting. pic.twitter.com/qSsgg5jaF7
Notre Dame football is using legacy families as a recruiting tool and support system
Freeman acknowledged that fathers of players like Devin Fitzgerald (Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald) or Jerome Bettis Jr. can feel they can't really enjoy the games. They can't sit back and watch because they're very famous. And they need to be able to relax and take things in.
"You know, now probably the biggest issue is how do we make sure we keep them somewhat protected when they're here for games. You know, let them be fathers, right? Enjoy the game and sit in the stands and watch their sons play."
"But they've been amazing and they've helped sell Notre Dame, right? We use them often when we want them to talk to parents, other parents, and we couldn't be more fortunate to have them part of the program."
It's the "selling the program" part that people miss sometimes. Notre Dame has a ton of NFL legacy players on its roster. It's a fraternity that other prospects want to be a part of. All these NFL dads being around the program is a recruiting tool that few other schools can match.
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