Marcus Freeman thinks the Notre Dame football team is Sluka-proofed
It’s safe to sat that every coach in the business is a little more worried about the state of his roster following UNLV’s starting quarterback, Matthew Sluka announcing he was redshirting for the rest of the season. Even Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman probably got a little case of the nerves despite knowing Riley Leonard wasn’t following suit.
Sluka’s case is extreme and startling precisely because his school is off to a 3-0 start and looks like legit contenders to represent the Group of 5 schools in the College Football Playoffs. While it might be extreme and unusual, every school better have a way to prepare or stop it from happening with their teams.
Freeman in fact, does believe he’s got Notre Dame football protected. He thinks he has a plan to avoid that kind of thing happening with someone like Leonard, or CJ Carr or Kenny Minchey next season.
Notre Dame football is Sluka-proofed
"You have to make sure you're bringing in the right type of people to fit into your locker room," Freeman told Football Scoop earlier this week. "We have a strong culture here that is led by our players, and you have to make sure those guys that are coming in here buy into the culture that's already been set.”
“I think there's a lot of great players in college football," Freeman added. "There'll be a lot of great players that are in the Portal, but the most important thing is going to be the fit in our locker room.”
It could be argued that one of the reasons Freeman has been so loyal to Leonard despite some early season struggles is because he legitimately sees the “fit” with his starting quarterback. Leonard has indeed looked like a leader off the field, even going so far as sharing NIL opportunities offered only to him originally.
It’s not as though the Notre Dame football team is totally Matthew Sluka-proof. The team did see cornerback Jaden Mickey announce he was redshirting and transferring at the end of the season. However, it’s not seen as the same kind of situation around South Bend.