Marcus Freeman named Dick Corbett Head Football Coach

[ShamrockOnHelmet]

It sure would be nice to have a head coach who was good, and wanted to be here and ONLY here. It’s been since Lou…

 

[WildMan1]

Yeah. And I mean if he did leave right now for the Giants, it would be my 2017 NFCCG moment. That loss by the Vikings to the Eagles just sort of broke me in a way that I have never cared about the NFL in the same way since. I still watch, but I don't really care one way or the other. When the Braves let franchise icon, clubhouse leader, and heir to Chipper Jones' place in Braves Nation, Freddie Freeman, walk over a few dollars I never cared about them the same way.

I just couldn't fathom caring about ND football in the same way Freeman left the best age of ND football since the early 90s for that dumpster fire in New York at this stage in the year. I would still be a fan, but I would be much less emotionally invested.

I understand where you’re coming from with the pros & feeling like that but with college I feel conditioned to deal with turnover as the rosters have always been different year to year.

With that said.. Marcus is just one of those people that comes along in the program that exemplifies everything the university is & shows the capability of bringing elite level success so naturally we become attached to him.

He just gets it.. Notre Dame that is.. Bringing back the morning mass before games, spending a lot more time with the players, showing up & supporting other ND sports etc

Even at the Fantasy Camp.. Kelly would show his face once when you got there & wouldn’t be seen after. Marcus literally hung out with me, my wife & kids on the sideline during the game.. asking them questions, getting to know them a bit.

Every single day of the camp we’d not only see him but he’d break down film with us, take as many pictures as people wanted & sign anything. Every single day for 4 days. Always delivering a unique experience to the campers.

So when you have someone that goes above & beyond in every way & wins on the field & in recruiting, of course you’re going to deal with other teams & leagues wanting him.

But I’ll say this.. He has mentioned the immense gratitude he has for Notre Dame giving him the opportunity they did & he recognizes what it would mean to bring a National Championship to South Bend.. like I said.. HE GETS IT. More than any coach since Lou.

And he sees what we all see.. An elite QB with a roster full of STUDS & incoming STUDS.

I could see him taking a swing at the NFL at some point but I also think if he did it now they “unfinished business” at the school that took a chance on him would eat him alive. He’s a man of principal.. I think he stays & does everything he can to win a natty & probably does..

 

[WildMan1]

Buttttt I also thought we were a lock for the playoffs so yea 😂

 

[KMac151993]

He must clearly have SOME interest because he hasn't come out and said NO.

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

He must clearly have SOME interest because he hasn't come out and said NO.

That is where I’m at. Completely silent among all this speculation. I believe he will be back next year, but that may be just because the Giants suck.

 

[TorontoGold]

Freeman is likely in the most consequential raise period of his life. He would be giving up his public leverage by stating his intentions. What does he gain by telling fans that he's 110% not going to the NFL? He is already beloved. If he publicly denounces it, he loses the public pressure on the ND admin to give him that much more on a raise, he loses bit of shine from the NFL media of him being a potential fit, and he makes it harder on his agent to get him the most favorable deal and future deals.

His actions do not line up with someone planning an exit. He just signed the #2 class. He just received 2 high profile commitments. He just got a QB to reclassify.

 

[NorthDakota]

Freeman is likely in the most consequential raise period of his life. He would be giving up his public leverage by stating his intentions. What does he gain by telling fans that he's 110% not going to the NFL? He is already beloved. If he publicly denounces it, he loses the public pressure on the ND admin to give him that much more on a raise, he loses bit of shine from the NFL media of him being a potential fit, and he makes it harder on his agent to get him the most favorable deal and future deals.

His actions do not line up with someone planning an exit. He just signed the #2 class. He just received 2 high profile commitments. He just got a QB to reclassify.

Yep. Sure looks like a dude working on the future of ND football. I dont care how much you love a job, if you are leaving your job soon you absolutely start mailing it in.

 

[Huntr]

He is already beloved. If he publicly denounces it, he loses the public pressure on the ND admin to give him that much more on a raise, he loses bit of shine from the NFL media of him being a potential fit, and he makes it harder on his agent to get him the most favorable deal and future deals.

Not to comment on any other aspect of this conversation, but Bevacqua said ND won't ever be outspent for Freeman. He said Freeman is the perfect coach for ND.

That seems like ND willingly and publicly gave up any leverage it had in negotiations with Freeman and his reps.

Even if he asked for $20 m per, you can't NOT pay it after saying all that.

 

[greyhammer90]

Not to comment on any other aspect of this conversation, but Bevaqua said ND won't ever be outspent for Freeman. He said Freeman is the perfect coach for ND.

That seems like ND willingly and publicly gave up any leverage it had in negotiations with Freeman and his reps.

Even if he asked for $20 m per, you can't NOT pay it after saying all that.

I've seen several people (including John Brice) say this and I didn't get that from Bevacqua at all.

Bevacqua said that ND thinks it has the perfect coach for itself and that if he leaves it wont be because of money because ND is committed to making sure he's paid at the top of the sport. That doesn't mean Freeman can name whatever number he wants. It means that he's going to get paid at or near market rate for the top of the sport. I guess that's showing ND's hand in a sense, but I think everyone with a brain already knew ND was willing to do that. ND is heavily investing in football and is publicly stating that it expects to win championships in the near future. ND saying that it's not going to let Freeman go somewhere else because they're willing to pay the market rate seems like a "the sky is blue" statement.

 

[jprue24]

I understand where you’re coming from with the pros & feeling like that but with college I feel conditioned to deal with turnover as the rosters have always been different year to year.

With that said.. Marcus is just one of those people that comes along in the program that exemplifies everything the university is & shows the capability of bringing elite level success so naturally we become attached to him.

He just gets it.. Notre Dame that is.. Bringing back the morning mass before games, spending a lot more time with the players, showing up & supporting other ND sports etc

Even at the Fantasy Camp.. Kelly would show his face once when you got there & wouldn’t be seen after. Marcus literally hung out with me, my wife & kids on the sideline during the game.. asking them questions, getting to know them a bit.

Every single day of the camp we’d not only see him but he’d break down film with us, take as many pictures as people wanted & sign anything. Every single day for 4 days. Always delivering a unique experience to the campers.

So when you have someone that goes above & beyond in every way & wins on the field & in recruiting, of course you’re going to deal with other teams & leagues wanting him.

But I’ll say this.. He has mentioned the immense gratitude he has for Notre Dame giving him the opportunity they did & he recognizes what it would mean to bring a National Championship to South Bend.. like I said.. HE GETS IT. More than any coach since Lou.

And he sees what we all see.. An elite QB with a roster full of STUDS & incoming STUDS.

I could see him taking a swing at the NFL at some point but I also think if he did it now they “unfinished business” at the school that took a chance on him would eat him alive. He’s a man of principal.. I think he stays & does everything he can to win a natty & probably does..

This.

A LOT of posters do not seem to really understand what that means and the expectations it creates.

I'm not splitting the atom or anything by saying this, but this right here is the foundation of his leadership style and how he inspires. First and always, he must be a living embodiment of TGS or those he leads will see through it and he will eventually lose the room.

If he doesn't have integrity, it's a house of cards.

I will also keep repeating, if you are going to consistently yell and criticize the behavior of intelligent young men, it's critical you do everything you can to live the message you are preaching. Of course, there will be exceptions, but those must be rare and done with relatively transparent reasoning.

Even when it's fully incorporated into a leader's value system, it's a hard thing to do, and many fail. Perception is a motherfucker.

 

[jprue24]

His actions do not line up with someone planning an exit. He just signed the #2 class. He just received 2 high profile commitments. He just got a QB to rereclassify.

He's going to do the job to the best of his abilities until it isn't his job anymore.


Freeman appears to be the type of guy who, if tasked with maintaining a janitor's closet, would have the best janitor's closet on earth

 

[Irish5Saint]

I've seen several people (including John Brice) say this and I didn't get that from Bevacqua at all.

Bevacqua said that ND thinks it has the perfect coach for itself and that if he leaves it wont be because of money because ND is committed to making sure he's paid at the top of the sport. That doesn't mean Freeman can name whatever number he wants. It means that he's going to get paid at or near market rate for the top of the sport. I guess that's showing ND's hand in a sense, but I think everyone with a brain already knew ND was willing to do that. ND is heavily investing in football and is publicly stating that it expects to win championships in the near future. ND saying that it's not going to let Freeman go somewhere else because they're willing to pay the market rate seems like a "the sky is blue" statement.

I personally don’t think it’s about salary for Freeman. My bet would be administrative restrictions. That’s the biggest thing limiting ND’s ceiling and lowering the floor.

 

[jprue24]

Yep. Sure looks like a dude working on the future of ND football. I dont care how much you love a job, if you are leaving your job soon you absolutely start mailing it in.

This is simply not a fact. I have witnessed, I'd WAG a triple digit number of people who did not do this.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Levels of entitlement that people feel they should be hearing from him publicly. STFU and enjoy the holidays. It's going to get done.

 

[rikkitikki08]

Let’s be clear, he absolutely said he would be back at ND, his actions have also made it very clear he’s the head coach at ND next season. I’m not sure what you guys want him to say, he’s clearly recruiting transfers and bringing guys back

 

[PutuporShutup]

Let’s be clear, he absolutely said he would be back at ND, his actions have also made it very clear he’s the head coach at ND next season. I’m not sure what you guys want him to say, he’s clearly recruiting transfers and bringing guys back

Not saying I disagree with you, but i'm curious, what transfers is he clearly recruiting? Intel there?

 

[ND88]

This.

A LOT of posters do not seem to really understand what that means and the expectations it creates.

I'm not splitting the atom or anything by saying this, but this right here is the foundation of his leadership style and how he inspires. First and always, he must be a living embodiment of TGS or those he leads will see through it and he will eventually lose the room.

If he doesn't have integrity, it's a house of cards.
I will also keep repeating, if you are going to consistently yell, and criticize about the behaviorintelligent young men , it's critical you do everything you can to live the message you are preaching. Of course, there will be exceptions, but those must be rare and done with relatively transparent reasoning.

Even when it's fully incorporated into a leader's value system, it's a hard thing to do, and many fail. Perception is a motherfucker.

I agree. I don't think he will leave on these terms. The NFL will be there for him. However, if we are surprised (hopefully not) Freeman's loyalty is to his family above all. I think we tend to lose sight of this as fans of the team and the sport. They take final priority. And as much as Notre Dame is a powerful place, South Bend is not New York. Just thinking realistically.

 

[IrishTusker]

I don't expect Freeman to leave, but it's also possible he is in the group of coaches that dislikes the sudden changes in college sports. Jay Wright, Tony Bennett, Saban, etc. The CFP selection process makes the NFL look like the most honest enterprise on the planet.

 

[ND88]

I don't expect Freeman to leave, but it's also possible he is in the group of coaches that dislikes the sudden changes in college sports. Jay Wright, Tony Bennett, Saban, etc. The CFP selection process makes the NFL look like the most honest enterprise on the planet.

It has to be tremendously stressful. I'm mean, we're stressed about it like 24/7 😂. Do you think Freeman might have disagreements with our being independent given he is a former OSU player?

 

[arrowryan]

I don't expect Freeman to leave, but it's also possible he is in the group of coaches that dislikes the sudden changes in college sports. Jay Wright, Tony Bennett, Saban, etc. The CFP selection process makes the NFL look like the most honest enterprise on the planet.

Saban retired because his biggest advantage became available to every school in the country. Blaming the changing landscape is just a convenient excuse.

 

[2013Irish]

I don't expect Freeman to leave, but it's also possible he is in the group of coaches that dislikes the sudden changes in college sports. Jay Wright, Tony Bennett, Saban, etc. The CFP selection process makes the NFL look like the most honest enterprise on the planet.

Those guys were much further along in their career. Frankly, I thought Tony Bennett should have been roasted for how he resigned abruptly weeks before the season and scapegoated the portal and whatnot when doing so.

 

[TorontoGold]

I don't expect Freeman to leave, but it's also possible he is in the group of coaches that dislikes the sudden changes in college sports. Jay Wright, Tony Bennett, Saban, etc. The CFP selection process makes the NFL look like the most honest enterprise on the planet.

No one has embraced the new student athlete model as well as Freeman. He can recruit at a high level and retain at a high level. He isn't doing this because Phil Knight gave him a ton of cash. He took ND and grew it to fit the modern landscape, why would he all of a sudden say "Nah, I'm good". He could leave for a new challenge in the NFL or some astronomical amount of money, but he isn't scared of the challenge. If he was he would've taken the the LSU DC job.

 

[RudyVerse]

ISD is not predicting he leaves but they’re all more pessimistic than the general public. And I’m talking Jamie and Greg, not just Mike. They said ND has given him everything and he either needs to sign or not and the longer this goes on the more reason there is to be uncomfortable.

This is per their free podcast released today.

 

[PutuporShutup]

ISD is not predicting he leaves but they’re all more pessimistic than the general public. And I’m talking Jamie and Greg, not just Mike. They said ND has given him everything and he either needs to sign or not and the longer this goes on the more reason there is to be uncomfortable.

This is per their free podcast released today.

I really hope this isn't simple as ISD is making it sound. Meaning, he's got the contract with a ton of money and all the other things he wants/needs and it's flat out on him delaying.

The ONLY thing that i could understand him delaying signing is if he KNOWS Day is going to the NFL after this season. I wouldn't be happy, but I would get it.

If this is really on freeman, and it's about the NFL or ND decision making process, Pete needs to do something so that this isn't an issue that Freeman gets to slow play every year. Again, i don't know that's the case, but ISD is making it sound that way. It would be really nice for all the portal recruiting if the portal players KNOW who the coach is.

Freeman is NOT an NFL HC, if he can't see that, he has the wrong team around him.

 

[GoldenToTheGrave]

No one has embraced the new student athlete model as well as Freeman. He can recruit at a high level and retain at a high level. He isn't doing this because Phil Knight gave him a ton of cash. He took ND and grew it to fit the modern landscape, why would he all of a sudden say "Nah, I'm good". He could leave for a new challenge in the NFL or some astronomical amount of money, but he isn't scared of the challenge. If he was he would've taken the the LSU DC job.

I don't claim to have the slightest clue what's in Freeman's head nor do I know the business at all but I think his earning potential as a god-emperor at a college blue blood has a higer likely than an NFL job where he has an over/under of maybe 2.5 years before a leadership change?

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

NFL head coaching salaries have jumped significantly. Over half of the league's coaches now make over $10M a year.

If you have success, you're going to get even more money.

 

[Kingbish01]

Saban retired because his biggest advantage became available to every school in the country. Blaming the changing landscape is just a convenient excuse.

If you think Saban was intimidated because Pitt and Texas Tech could start paying people I'd say you're wrong. His biggest competitors (LSU UGA Auburn) were all playing the same game as him. And if anyone thinks Saban couldn't field the most loaded team in football because of NIL... hasn't watched football for the last 20 years. If anything he may have been able to land more talent outside of the SE because of NIL.

Just my two cents. IMO... He bolted because he wasn't built to beg kids to stay and didn't want to turn over his roster every year.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Since we are spitballing here and saying whatever we want:


WHAT IF……

MF is currently debating with the brass about football being in a conference.

What if he sees joining a conference as a better path to future consistent playoff berths, and is insisting they create a plan to join one before signing an extension?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rudy89]

I just got done watching the Sugar Bowl from last year. I’m gonna prolly echo a lot of other things people have said here but this has been my venting forum for 16 years & I don’t plan on changing that until I’m forced to (damn committee keeping me from being able to keep my end of the bet up and leaving if we won a bowl or made the playoffs!)

After the way BK left when we still had a chance to be a playoff team my faith in coaches in this era of college football went to shit. As much of an asshole as BK was he was “our” asshole & I thought he was at least loyal. Freeman in the way he coaches & talks has been refreshing not only for ND but for college football. If he leaves right now I don’t think I’d ever look at head coaches as anything more than just the equivalent of business project managers ready to move on at the earliest opportunity. I know it’s inevitable he will leave for either the nfl or osu but to not try and at least get this next recruiting class in and try to get a nattie I don’t think I’ll ever buy into the idea of a college football coach caring and hoping to build & shape young men ever again.

 

[NDRock]

If you think Saban was intimidated because Pitt and Texas Tech could start paying people I'd say you're wrong. His biggest competitors (LSU UGA Auburn) were all playing the same game as him. And if anyone thinks Saban couldn't field the most loaded team in football because of NIL... hasn't watched football for the last 20 years. If anything he may have been able to land more talent outside of the SE because of NIL.

Just my two cents. IMO... He bolted because he wasn't built to beg kids to stay and didn't want to turn over his roster every year.

Doesn’t your second paragraph negate the first paragraph? If he’s not built for NIL, how would he create the most loaded roster with NIL?