Marcus Freeman honest about pressure of Notre Dame controlling its destiny: 'They know that'

Marcus Freeman and his Notre Dame squad recognizes they’re likely headed to the College Football Playoff if they can defeat the USC Trojans in Week 14.

It’s no small feat that the Fighting Irish control their own destiny, especially after slipping up against Northern Illinois earlier this season. That fact isn’t lost on Freeman and company, as they’re trying to keep the main thing the main thing ahead of this weekend’s showdown with USC.

“They know that. We know that. I know that. That’s reality,” Freeman said, regarding his team controlling their own destiny, via a press conference on Monday. “But all I continue to remind myself and them is that it’s human nature. Every person in this room, every person watching this, we all tend to drift into the future. We all tend to daydream about a future that’s uncertain. So, I always challenge them, it’s the thought after the thought. You start thinking about things other than right now, remind yourself to get back into the moment, and take care of what you have guaranteed right in front of you, and that’s right now.

“So, is the noise louder? If you let it be. If you let it be, right? We control the volume of the noise, in terms of what we read, who we listen to, who we talk to, we control that. We control what things go into our head, so it’s a choice we all have to make, to turn down the noise. The noise is loud, sure, I mean, shoot, I’m sure I can get on social media and it’ll be a lot louder. But we, I, control the volume of the noise that goes into my head.”

After the harsh criticism the Fighting Irish received due to their loss against the Huskies, making it back to the College Football Playoff would be a tremendous endorsement for their head coach. Freeman has been beloved by his team, and the fanbase might finally be convinced he’s the right man for the job if he’s able to punch his team’s ticket to the dance.

What happens when they get there is a different story, but Marcus Freeman and his Notre Dame squad deserve a ton of credit for how they’ve operated in 2024. The sky is the limit if they play to their potential moving forward, as well.