During the Marcus Freeman era of Notre Dame football, one of the most interesting side effects of the coach's popularity is that more than a few former NFL players are comfortable trusting Freeman with their sons. Earlier this week, Mark Ingram II announced that when his son is old enough to hit college, he’ll be more than happy to steer him towards South Bend.
The former Alabama running back spoke to Freeman about the way that ex-NFLers were all sending their kids to Notre Dame during Freeman’s appearance on a recent episode of the Triple Option podcast.
“Coach, I’m a legacy; you know my father played,” Ingram said. “I have a son as well, so I think you have nine current legacies of former NFL players on your roster. I think 15 over the five years (that Freeman has coached Notre Dame). Is that a profile that you’re like going around and searching these guys, and what do you think is the deciding factor for these families that they want to come be a part of Notre Dame?”
Before getting into the meat of his answer, Freeman joked that it sounds like he and his staff might need to start pursuing Ingram’s son. The former NFLer-turned-analyst and broadcaster jumped on the situation, responding, “People ask me who I want him to play for, hey, Notre Dame!”
Alabama Hesiman, Mark Ingram² says he knows where legacies go to play football and makes his case for his son going to Notre Dame.
— CathVSConf☘️ (@CathVSConf) September 1, 2026
Marcus:
"We might need go after your son."
Mark thought he'd never ask:
"If you're still there, you are right there at the top for Mark Ingram³."… pic.twitter.com/zYcLBQSkMg
Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame football pitch keeps resonating with former NFL families
Ingram added that if Freeman were still with the Fighting Irish when his son was ready to enter college, Notre Dame would be right at the top of the list.
Freeman then explained that his recruiting pitch is always the same. He and his staff can unlock the talent that will help these young men reach the NFL and play at a high level, just as their fathers did. However, the Irish head coach pointed out that at some point, the game ends.
He knows that’s hard for younger people to understand because when they’re starting college, they’re just hitting the big time and think they’ll have years and years before they need to hang up the cleats.
Freeman and his staff have long talked about how a big part of their pitch is preparing guys for when their playing days are done, and they need to find another career. Notre Dame's education is second to none, so the school prepares them well for life after football.
The idea that this Fighting Irish staff talks to players as much about their lives on the field as about what will happen when they leave it has been a topic of conversation for countless recruits and parents since Freeman has led the program.
The consistency of that message leads to great word of mouth, and that leads to former NFL players who had no ties to Notre Dame during their playing days — someone like Plaxico Burress — being more than comfortable sending their sons, like Elijah Burress, to South Bend.
Add in Hall of Famers like Jerome Bettis and Larry Fitzgerald’s kids playing there, and it's not hard to see how Notre Dame has managed to set up this unique pipeline.
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