Eddie George explains why coaching at Notre Dame Stadium will be special moment for him

When Tennessee State and Notre Dame face off in 2023, it’ll make history. It’s the first time Notre Dame will ever face an HBCU or FCS opponent — and Eddie George realizes the significance of the matchup.

In a press conference announcing the game this week, George spoke about why it’ll not only be a special moment for the program, but for him when his Tigers take on Marcus Freeman’s Fighting Irish. He pointed to the history in Notre Dame Stadium, from Knute Rockne to Lou Holtz to more recent history, including one of his good friends.

“It’s a calling, for one,” George said. “It’s a great opportunity, it’s huge responsibility to be in this position. It’s funny, as I was walking on the field, I went to midfield and I laughed. My gosh, I’m actually going to be coaching on the sidelines in the stadium Knute Rockne built.

“And some of the great players that have played here and the great coaches like Lou Holtz and of course my good friend Jerome Bettis, it’s just overwhelming to think I can help bring light to all the great things that we’re trying to do at Tennessee State University and that we’re going to do and expose our kids to this. Playing in this building and venue, this is the cathedral of sports venues, relatively speaking. To expose them to this is going to be a wonderful environment.”

It won’t be the first time George steps into Notre Dame Stadium, though. He got to watch from the stands in 2018 when his son, Jaire, played for Vanderbilt. The Commodores fell to the Fighting Irish 22-17 that day, but George won’t forget the experience.

The next time he’s on Notre Dame’s campus, he’ll be on the sidelines.

“I had the opportunity to come here as a fan, my son played for Vanderbilt, I think about four or five years ago, they came up and played Notre Dame and it was an awesome experience as a fan and as a father,” George said. “Now, as a head coach, bringing my kids up here a year from now, September 2023, is going to be great.

“So I feel honored and I feel blessed to have this opportunity to play a storied program like Notre Dame. For them to make this happen — never played an HBCU or an FCS team in the school’s history — it’s just remarkable that they would choose us to try to make this happen. It’s history.”