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Marcus Freeman joined the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as a defensive coordinator in 2021. That same year, he was promoted as the team's head coach after Brian Kelly departed to join the LSU Tigers. Last season, Freeman put up his best stint at South Bend leading the Fighting Irish to a 14-2 campaign and the national championship game.
The last time Notre Dame won a national title was back in 1988. Unfortunately, their hopes of adding another national championship ended after a 34-23 loss to Ohio State in the CFP finals. Freeman and his team did not have a great start to the season though. During an appearance on Friday's episode of Next Up With Adam Breneman, the coach spoke about their 2024 week 2 loss to Northern Illinois.
"That loss, I always say, is bigger than we thought," Freeman said. "It taught me and my program so many lessons. As you said, we were on top of the college football world after week one with a huge win over A&M. College Gameday, everyone was telling us we were a lock for the playoffs because 'you have an easy schedule.'"
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"And then, we're the laughingstock of college football after week two. You know, for me, in my short career as a head coach, that was the first time we won that big game early. ... After deep thought, more than schematically and the tactical aspect of winning the game of football, we had to learn how to handle success."
Fans took to the comments of an Instagram post by Front Office Sports to react to Marcus Freeman's remarks about the start of last season's campaign.
"Still no championship since 1988," one fan wrote. "They really are farther away than people think ... ND is a tier 2 program until they wake up and go back to the days of Father Hesburgh. He knew what it took."
"But they lost to OSU (again), so the lesson didn't matter," another fan said.
"Still are," one fan said while talking about Freeman's laughing stock comment.
A few others showcased their support to the program and praised them for their effort last season.
"The only L's Notre Dame took this past season were Northern Illinois, Ohio State and Freeman's hariline ... otherwise, they had a hell of a great season," one Instagram user commented.
"So, making the championship game while beating teams with elite talent like Georgia isn't being close? that doesn't make any sense lmfao," one college football fan wrote.
Marcus Freeman sheds light on what Notre Dame can do to win another national championship
During his conversation with Adam Breneman, Marcus Freeman spoke about the aspects that the Fighting Irish will focus on to try and become a national championship winner. He stated that it mostly involved developing three factors.
"I think this year we showed that we can compete with any program in the country," Freeman said. "(A) key factor is increasing talent ...We have to continue bringing in the best players in the country who fit this program and value what we stand for. But talent isn't enough, development is just as crucial. ... That has to be a priority."
"Beyond talent and development, culture plays a huge role. How do we continue to attract first-team players in a world that often promotes a me-first mentality? With NIL, players have opportunities to focus on themselves, but once that's handled, they need to embrace a team-first mindset. Our culture has to reinforce that."
One of the biggest changes that Marcus Freeman has to address this offseason is the departure of QB Riley Leonard in the NFL Draft. At the moment, Steve Angeli, CJ Carr, and Kenny Minchey are competing for the starting quarterback job. But Freeman has yet to make a final decision on who will be Leonard's replacement on the field in 2025.
Notre Dame Fans? Check out the latest Notre Dame depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.
