"Unmatched in college football" - Former Heisman winner Robert Griffin III pays huge compliment to Marcus Freeman ahead of Penn State clash 

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman has recovered spectacularly from a shocking Week 2 loss to the Northern Illinois Huskies to lead the Fighting Irish to the Orange Bowl against the Penn State Nittany Lions. The winner of the College Football Playoff semifinal game will proceed to the national championship game and will face either the Texas Longhorns or the high-flying Ohio State Buckeyes.

On Thursday, former NFL star Robert Griffin III paid Freeman a huge compliment on X by quote-tweeting an in-house interview that he did with the Notre Dame coach ahead of the Fighting Irish's pivotal clash against the Nittany Lions.

"Marcus Freeman is one of the BEST LEADERS IN ALL OF FOOTBALL right now. His passion for the game and how he connects with his Notre Dame players is unmatched in College football," Griffin tweeted.

Marcus Freeman explains his leadership style

During the in-house interview with Robert Griffin III, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman talked expansively about his leadership style which has seen him go viral for how he hypes up his players before tough Fighting Irish games.

"You know, I think at that moment, if I knew that's what it takes every single week to win, trust me, I would do that," Freeman said. "But I thought at that moment, that's what they needed from me because I could feel the pressure.

"We had two or three freshmen starting their first game. So, I always walk out in front of the O-line. I was a quarterback. You know those O-linemen protect you. I feel a little bit of protection when I'm around those big O-linemen."

The last time that the Fighting Irish won the national championship was 1988 under Lou Holtz and in year three, Freeman has them on the precipice of returning to familiar glories, and he revealed how he removes the pressure from his players before games.

"But I could just feel a little bit of the pressure and as we were walking into that stadium, it was rocking, I mean, a crazy atmosphere," Freeman said. "And I almost wanted to take some of the pressure off of them, so that's why I turned around and started getting them going.

"And I don't know what I said. It's just one of those modes. You just start saying stuff and yelling and screaming, but I was trying to say, 'Put it on me.'"

The game pitting the Fighting Irish against the Penn State Nittany Lions carries historical significance with either Marcus Freeman or embattled coach James Franklin poised to become the first Black coach to appear in a national championship game.