Marcus Freeman releases statement on Gerad Parker landing Troy job

On Monday, Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker became the next head coach at Troy. Shortly after that news broke, Irish head coach Marcus Freeman released a statement on the move.

In his statement, Freeman congratulated Parker and praised his leadership.

“Congratulations to Gerad as he takes on this great opportunity at Troy,” Marcus Freeman said. “I have had the chance to work closely with Gerad for a number of years and what stands out to me the most are his leadership skills and how tirelessly he works to get the most out of his players.”

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— Marcus Freeman (@Marcus_Freeman1) December 18, 2023

“We wish Gerad and his family all the best on their new adventure,” Freeman concluded.

Gerad Parker, who played wide receiver at Kentucky, was Notre Dame’s tight ends coach in 2022 before becoming the offensive coordinator in 2023. He and Marcus Freeman were both assistants together at Purdue as well. Prior to going to Notre Dame, Parker spent time as West Virginia‘s offensive coordinator as well.

Notre Dame ended the 2023 season 30th in total offense and eighth in scoring offense, averaging 429.3 yards per game and 39.1 points per game respectively.

Now, for a second season in a row, Marcus Freeman will need to undergo an offensive coordinator search. This comes after last season’s process came under scrutiny after Freeman was seen with Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig. However, after he stayed at Utah, Notre Dame was criticized for not spending what it needed to get the coordinator that Freeman seemed to want. This, in turn, led to athletic director Jack Swarbrick publicly responding to that criticism.

On top of all of that, Gerad Parker is leaving Notre Dame shortly before the Sun Bowl. That’s a game that the Irish will already be without their starting quarterback, running back, and two tackles for. So, being prepared on the offensive side of the ball will be a major problem for Marcus Freeman to deal with.

Marcus Freeman addresses Sam Hartman opting out of Notre Dame’s bowl game

Marcus Freeman recently addressed quarterback Sam Hartman‘s decision to opt out of the Sun Bowl.

“Yeah, you’ll have to ask Sam. He made the decision that he’s gonna opt-out and he talked to the people that he felt are important in his life and made a decision that he felt was best for him,” Freeman said.

“And as I’ve told all of the guys that have opted out, I can disagree with your decision and still support you. That’s the same thing I told Sam and every single other one that opted out. I disagree. I think you should play, but I love you, and I support you and you’re gonna do great things.”