“When he made that statement, I said, ‘Whoa. “When Marcus was on my podcast, he was talking about his recruiting philosophy, and he said, ‘We don’t want Notre Dame men,’ ” Zorich recalled with wide eyes. This was before Freeman’s promotion to his first head-coaching stint last week after Brian Kelly shocked the Irish Nation by bolting from his 11-1 team for a $95 million pay day at LSU. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) Getty ImagesĪmong other things, Zorich now leads his own Notre Dame podcast, and several weeks ago, his guest was Freeman, who was just an Irish assistant coach back then and their top recruiter.
college football game against the Michigan Wolverines on Septemat Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michgan. That’s when he set his foundation for a couple of All-American selections along the way to the College Football Hall of Fame.ĪNN ARBOR, MI - SEPTEMBER 16: Tyrone Wheatley #6 of the Michigan Wolverines looks on during a. Zorich was the 6-foot-1 catalyst of nearly 300 pounds on the defensive line during the 11th and the last national championship run for the Irish in 1988. “When we look at what the traditional Notre Dame man is - or even just the person who understands the history of this place - what really is that?” Chris Zorich told me as we waited on the field of the Notre Dame indoor practice facility for the start of the press conference. Even so, I couldn’t find anybody who thought Freeman would spend his time running the Irish football team becoming the next Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian or Lou Holtz, all with national championships and huge statutes after their stay on campus.įrom relatives to Notre Dame students to school administrators to the Irish players themselves, the overwhelming consensus was that Marcus Freeman would become the next Marcus Freeman, and they loved it. Which brings me to this: I tried, and then I tried some more while taking my own Marcus Freeman survey around town. But if you embrace this place, you're going to be better because of it.” Better person, better football player, better student, better mother, father. And it's better - you can put a line there. If you embrace everything that comes with the University of Notre Dame, you're going to be better because of it. You have to embrace the competitive thinkers, the individuals that are on this football team. “You have to embrace the people here that are different. You have to embrace the things that make us different,” Freeman said.
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