Marcus Freeman has energized Notre Dame recruiting

Notre Dame‘s coaching change from Brian Kelly to Marcus Freeman provided a feeling of newness and familiarity. If it sounds contradictory, it’s because it is.

Notre Dame has come out on the other end of the coaching change with a lot of the same values in place and its working with the recruits. The Irish have not only maintained but thrived in the months since Freeman has taken over as head coach. He served as the team’s defensive coordinator and was a popular pick as head coach once Kelly moved to LSU.

Kelly had success in South Bend and in Cincinnati and everywhere else he has been. Freeman has kept similar practices and takes on the sport of football. The differences come off the field and in the level of relatability that he has with today’s recruits.

Freeman is hands-on. Freeman is only a little over 10 years removed from his own playing days. He was a star linebacker at Ohio State before spending time with the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans in the NFL.

“It’s the energy, he gets it,” On3’s National Recruiting Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons said. “He understands how to recruit and how important it is. I think him being named head coach after Brian Kelly left held this class together. It really propelled it to keep the momentum that it had.”

Having regular contact with many of Notre Dame’s top targets for the last year as an assistant is also an advantage for Freeman.

“I think Brian Kelly has an awesome track record,” Simmons said. “I think Freeman is just extremely different. He’s much more hands-on and much more involved with the recruits and the day-to-day communication with recruits. I think you look at those guys that have successful recruiting classes, those guys get it as head coaches how important it is to be involved. I think you see that in Marcus Freeman.

“Recruits see it and gravitate toward it.”

Holding things in place

Freeman had a bunch of relationships already in place. He was doing a lot of the recruiting himself already. In the transition, Freeman retained offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. The key parts of Notre Dame’s staff have remained consistent despite the moves.

“They’ve kept the high majority of the 2022 class together, you had a few wide receivers flip elsewhere but the feeling was that those guys were going to flip regardless if the head coach was Brian Kelly or Marcus Freeman,” Blue and Gold’s Recruiting Insider Mike Singer said. “A lot of the assistants he’s brought in, he’s worked with and knows well. Those guys buy into Freeman’s vision because they know how special of a person he is. It’s a really tight-knit staff that is working well together. The kids love them.”

The Irish held onto the No. 6 class in the 2022 Consensus Football Team Recruiting Rankings. Freeman and Notre Dame have jumped out to a fast and strong start to the class of 2023 as well. The Fighting Irish currently have the No. 2 overall class in the 2023 Consensus Football Team Recruiting Rankings. Notre Dame has eight pledges already.

Of those nine, six of their eight commits are inside the top 300 in the On3 Consensus rankings as well as the On300 rankings for the class of 2023. There is also a defensive twang to the group. Seven of the eight are defensive players, most of which were recruited by Freeman at some point.

The highest-ranked player also happens to be the class’s first commit in Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep edge Keon Keeley. He is the No. 10 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus. Keeley is the No. 3 overall player in the On300.

He has remained a Notre Dame pledge since June 28, 2021.

Something about Marcus Freeman is winning over recruits

Recruits have been high on Freeman for a while now. The move to head coach was the icing on the cake, but players have respected him for a while on the recruiting trail.

“Freeman just has this aura about him that kids just like playing for,” Singer said. “They just believe in him and what he’s doing for the university.”

No matter the task, Freeman is authentic. The resounding consensus from recruits is Freeman’s authenticity sets him apart.

“Whether Freeman is doing the dishes, vacuuming the house, coaching a football game, or recruiting players, he’s the same guy all the time,” Singer said. “There’s no fake. There’s no fluff. It’s all genuine 100% of the time for him. That’s something that the more these kids spend time with him and talk to him on the phone, they pick up on that.”

Where are Notre Dame’s commits ranked?

• Edge Keon Keeley, On3 Consensus: No. 10 overall, On300: No. 3 overall
• Safety Peyton Bowen, On3 Consensus: No. 52 overall, On300: No. 36 overall
• Linebacker Drayk Bowen, On3 Consensus: No. 68 overall, On300: No. 207 overall
• Linebacker Brenan Vernon, On3 Consensus: No. 74 overall, On300: No. 174 overall
• Tight end Copper Flanagan, On3 Consensus: No. 192 overall, On300: unranked four-star
• Safety Adon Shuler, On3 Consensus: No. 210 overall, On300: No. 292 overall
• Running back Sedrick Irvin Jr., On3 Consensus: No. 345 overall, On300: unranked, three-star
• Linebacker Preston Zinter, On3 Consensus: No. 411 overall, On300: unranked, three-star