Marcus Freeman shares what he misses the most following promotion from position coach to Notre Dame HC

Marcus Freeman's time as the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish has been successful. He became the head coach in 2021 and, last season, led Notre Dame to the national championship game, where they lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Before becoming the head coach, Freeman was Notre Dame's defensive coordinator. He was also the linebackers coach, a role he has had at other programs, such as the Cincinnati Bearcats.

On "Next Up with Adam Breneman" on Sunday, Freeman spoke about the main differences between being a position coach to being a head coach.

"A lot of times for me, as a head coach, wins are great," Freeman said. "But you don't see the results of the time you spent with young people until they're gone. ... I miss that."

Head coaches are seen as the main persons associated with the team and essentially the person in charge of the on-field performances of every player. This can lead to coaches not being able to fully get to know their players and see them developing.

This is exactly the kind of thing that position coaches are able to do. They work extensively with their much smaller selection of players and work alongside the coach to help develop an accurate game plan for the team. This leads to the coaches developing close relationships with players and taking an active interest and role in their development as football players.

This is something that Freeman misses about being a position coach.

Marcus Freeman on new Notre Dame DC Chris Ash

As Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman gave a news conference to open spring practice this week, he gave his thoughts on the Fighting Irish's new defensive coordinator, Chris Ash.

"I’ve known Coach Ash for quite a while," Freeman said. "You know, he was the defensive coordinator at Ohio State with Luke Fickell. Got to know him, and we spent some time together after his tenure as head coach at Rutgers. And so I got to know him personally before we hired him as the defensive coordinator.

"I’ve been extremely pleased — probably more than anything — with the leadership. "

Ash comes immediately from the NFL, where he was serving as a scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has a lot of experience in college football. Between 2016 and 2019, Ash served as the Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach during a period where the New Jersey-based team struggled in the Big Ten. He has been more successful in position roles, working with the likes of Texas, Wisconsin and Ohio State.

Ash has a history with Freeman, with the pair working together in previous schools. Now, the pair can work together again, with Notre Dame hoping to again have a deep run in the CFP next season.