Everything Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said in Week 12 (Virginia) press conference

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman spoke to reporters Monday afternoon for his weekly press conference, in advance of his team’s final home game of the 2024 season. The Irish take on Virginia at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in South Bend.

Here’s what Freeman had to day.

Opening statement

“I want to start off by saying Happy Veterans Day to anybody in this room, to anybody that’s watching that has served. My father served, so it’s an important day to me. And we’ve got a couple guys on our team who previously served. Eric Goins served in the Army, and then two guys are in the Army ROTC — Jerry Rullo and Nick Brown. So, just want to make sure to recognize those guys.  

“Looking back at the Florida State game, really good win. It was really good, and it was good in all three phases. A lot of good. Wasn’t perfect. We weren’t perfect. We strive for perfection, but it was a lot of good from that game. I think I said this postgame, but again, the challenge for myself and our program is consistency. That, to me, the greatest sign of greatness is consistency. And we’ve got to continue to prepare the way we’ve been preparing, elevate the way we’re preparing in terms of producing the outcome and performance on Saturdays that we have over the past couple weeks.  

“Winning the turnover margin and field-position battle is something we’ve done really well the past couple games, and we have to continue to do that. It was good to see our punt block unit finally get their hands on two punts. We’ve been close all year, but to finally get our hands on two punts was really big for that unit. I want to make sure I recognize the students again, the crowd, and everyone that had a part of making Saturday night’s environment really special. It was really a sight to see. It was a great environment, and I know it had an impact on the game.  

“As you guys know, wins don’t last long around here, so we’ve got to move forward and get ready for a really good Virginia team coming here on Saturday. Players of the game on offense was Jadarian Price, defense Rylie Mills, and special teams Adon Shuler. The scout players of the week were: On offense Charlie Selna, on defense Brenan Vernon, and special teams Jack Polian.  

“A couple of injury updates, Howard Cross will be out this week with an ankle. It’s not a long-term thing, but our doctors have determined that he’s going to be out this week. So we’ll hope to get it back the following week, depending on how the rehab continues to happen. Max Hurleman is right now listed as questionable. Talking to him, he’s probably probable, knowing Max. But we are going to list him as questionable right now. Devyn Ford [is] questionable. Loghan Thomas, we’ll list him as questionable right now, but by the end of the week, I think he’ll be probable to play.

“Moving forward to Virginia, coach [Tony] Elliott has done a great job. He has his team really playing at a high level, playing with confidence, competitive. They’re 3-1 on the road, I think, this year, and they’ve been up in every game they played this season. And so, they had a huge win last week versus Pitt, and they’re a talented bunch and they’re playing that way with confidence and physicality. So, we’re expecting their best and expecting a great challenge Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium for our Senior Day. So with that, I’ll open it up for questions.

On if ex-Irish wide receiver Chris Tyree’s knowledge of Notre Dame’s inner workings is a concern

“That’s not a concern at all. There’s a new offensive coordinator, obviously, new signals, new terminology, so I’m not concerned about that. But I really respect Chris as a person, as a football player. Just glad he’s got his Notre Dame degree, and he’s a talented football player that we’ll have to account for in the special teams battle and also the offensive phase.”

On the night game atmosphere and if he would like to see more night games at home

“It’s a double-edged sword, as they say. The atmosphere and environment is better for night games. We know that. I don’t know if it’s the lights, crowd or what it is, but there’s also a back end of it. And the back end of it is the lack of rest. You lose the valuable sleep and recovery that you need postgame on Saturdays, especially a night away game, but even at home.

“I think our players, obviously, Sunday they have their day off, so they can try to recover a little bit. But coaches? We’re up and we’re at it. We’ve got to go. So, that’s the cost of having some of those electric games at night. But again, if [athletics director] Pete [Bevacqua] wants to schedule more night games, I’m all for it.” 

On Notre Dame running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price splitting carries and how that helps them stay dynamic late in the year

“It’s huge. It’s been great. [Running backs] coach [Deland] McCullough does a great job of getting those guys in that room to buy in. There is not just one guy. We need the entire unit. He does a great job of establishing plays or series for certain guys, but also keeping them all involved. And to do that, you’ve got to continue to establish that mindset of team glory — like whatever it takes for us to achieve the outcome that we want, I’m willing to do that.

“It’s tough, man, when everything outside of our building, a lot of times, is about individual glory, about individual recognition. But really, credit goes to Coach McCullough, those guys in that room that put team first. And every hit they don’t have to take is an added hit they can take as the season goes on. And so, it keeps them fresh. I think their skill sets — as you look back to Audric [Estimé] in that room last year to this year — like the skill sets of those guys are different. And it’s something that a defense has to account for.”

On freshman running back Aneyas Williams’ development

“Yeah, progression, man. He is improving. He’s built a lot of trust from the coaches. They trust him in there in all situations, and he’s making some things happen now with the ball in his hands. He was doing a good job early in the season, as a freshman, of getting his job done without the ball in his hands. Now he’s doing some things with the ball in his hands that are impacting our offense. And so again, it just takes time, and he’s expedited that process by the work he’s put in, and he’e really helping us tremendously.”

On mapping out game reps for Notre Dame’s reserves

“Early in the season, it’s not mapped out much. It depends on the flow of the game. I think as you get later into the season, you do have to have discussions on guys who have played three games, the young guys, who have played three games. If we have an opportunity to put some backups in, would we put this guy in the game? That’s kind of the only discussions we have. 

“You just never know how the game is going to go. I don’t want to spend a lot of time talking about, ‘If we’re up by this many points, who is going in?’ That’s when we have that discussion more than anything: with freshmen. 

“I hope our players who aren’t starting understand that any moment you could be put into the game. I think what we have to do as coaches is the greatest compliment; they might not like it, but the great compliment we can give those guys who go into the game is to hold them to the standard we hold anybody to. We can’t make excuses for guys who are backups or guys who don’t practice as much with the older guys for their play. We hold them to a high standard, the same standard we hold the starters to. I hope maybe not in the moment because it’s never fun to get challenged and maybe criticized at times, but I hope they look back and appreciate that they are held to the same standard as the starters.”

On how Jim Tressel and the head coaches he’s worked for have handled it

“I think it’s the same philosophy. I think you give the wrong message sometimes when you talk about, ‘Hey, if we’re up by this many points, we’re going to put you in the game.’ I think that’s the wrong message. The message should always be ready. You have to prepare no matter if you’re physically getting those practice reps, you have to mentally prepare so that you get an opportunity, whenever that is to go in the game, you can get your job done. Because sometimes we wish to be starters, but you’re granted the opportunity to get 3-4 reps at the end of the game. There’s your chance to put something on film that impresses your coaches.

“That’s probably the message I’ve heard and that I portray more than anything. You don’t know what your opportunity is going to be and when it’s going to happen, but you have to make sure you’re ready for it.” 

On the importance of playing well when the game is in hand

”I think it’s a sign of handling success. That was important and something we really talked about halftime of the Purdue game. I told them the greatest lesson we learned from the NIU game was we weren’t ready to handle success. How can you show during the game you’re ready to handle success? You can be up at halftime and go out there with the same mindset that you did to start the game. It’s easy for me to say it’s one play, one life. Stay in the moment, win the moment. As you look at the totality of a game, that’s a way you can tell if this group can handle success.” 

On junior defensive tackle Donovan Hinish and Notre Dame using smaller nose tackles

”It goes back to recruiting. Howard [Cross] was here before I got here, but he performs at a high level. There’s a reason why Howard Cross has made the impact that he’s made for as long as he has. With Donnie, as you look at what Kurt did, and the impact Kurt Hinish had on our defense, without hesitation, you say, ‘Hey, Donnie might not be 6-3, 6-4, but we know what we’re getting out of him.’ 

“Part of it is the way he was raised. He’s a tough dude who really has worked his way to be a really good player. He plays that way. We’re not going to just take a whole bunch of maybe undersized height-wise D-tackles, but the ones we do take have to have an impact on the game. Both Howard and Donnie have had a huge impact.” 

On scouting ACC teams with opponents common to Notre Dame

”There might be some benefits to that. I just think each week, you go in with a neutral mind, and you evaluate what you see on film. If you play a team back-to-back in terms of years and they have the same coach and coordinators, you have an idea of what you did the year before. You use that in your cutups that you game plan off of.

“I don’t know if them playing a common opponent truly helps us. Now, maybe if you know somebody on the staff of the opponent they played, you can make a phone call and see what they saw. I don’t think there’s much benefit to it right now.” 

On senior tight end Mitchell Evans

”He played the best game he’s played all year – the most complete game in the run and pass game that he’s played all year. It was great to see him make that touchdown and that catch was big-time catch. I know it was incomplete, but that’s the Mitchell Evans we’ve been waiting on. He’s finally getting back to that guy, but it was good to see him play his most complete game he’s played all year.”

On evaluating Notre Dame’s reserves in blowouts

”You evaluate the play. Yeah, you evaluate the competition they’re going against, but you truly evaluate, ‘Hey, can this guy be trusted? Can he get his job done at a high level?’ That’s part of the evaluation if you’re considering a guy earlier, it’s going to be in practice. Can you consistently get your job done in practice and then the opportunities you have in the game. We definitely have a lot of value put into those plays.” 

On his mindset with Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff mix for the first time in his head coaching tenure

”Every game, this game is the Super Bowl. No matter if we are in the playoff hunt or not, it’s the same mindset we have. You get 12 of these guaranteed opportunities. I told the team in the locker room, we’re guaranteed one more opportunity in Notre Dame Stadium for these seniors. To think about anything other than that, you’re doing this game a disservice. They work 300 days a year for 12 guaranteed opportunities no matter if this game determines if we make the playoffs or not. 

“Coming from a player, coming from a coach, this is what you work for all year long. To make a game mean less than another game because you’re going to make the playoffs or not, you don’t love this game of football, man. That’s the mindset we have. Every week is the Super Bowl.” 

On Veteran’s Day and his dad’s military service

“I can’t remember what I used to describe his generation. Silent Generation. That’s my dad. He doesn’t talk much about his time in the service. We don’t spend much time talking about it. I grew up to respect those who serve our country. I have the utmost respect for those who serve for many different reasons. 

“No, we have never really discussed a lot of the details of his time, his 26 years in the service. That’s kind of really life. I’ve always said this: You learn your greatest lessons from what you see, not from what people say. Sometimes as coaches, we think it’s what we say, but the greatest lessons I’ve learned as a young person is what I saw and what you modeled. That’s how I gained my opinion and learned lessons about people. It’s the same way with my father. I remind myself the people I’m in a position to lead, learn from me. It’s not always what you say, but it’s what they see.” 

On whether reps for Notre Dame’s younger players puts them ‘appreciably ahead’ when spring camp begins

“Yeah, it is. Those games reps are so valuable, they’re so valuable, you can practice for it but to get some of those younger guys games reps is huge. To look at some of the guys that we have played against Florida State, that’s big. That’s probably something you never thought as you looked to the future where it really happened. It’s awesome. They got to understand that you got to be ready for the opportunity. You got to be ready for this opportunity no matter when it happens. Hopefully they value that and can continue to use that as we move forward.”

On when his message about diligence and preparation really reached his players

“I wish I could say there was just one moment that it happened, but I think you earn validity by seeing the outcome, right? You push ’em and you push ’em and they get the outcome that they wanted to. ‘OK, coach is right or the plan is right.’ I think they all know how important preparation is. But their performance has really been at a high level. And so I believe they understand that. They believe that. And that’s all I know. Like, I don’t want to say that we don’t make in-game adjustments. Like we’re not executing. Because that matters, right? You got to do it on Saturday.

“But to give yourself a better chance to do that, you’ve got to do it on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. And that’s so important. But our coaches are making great in-game adjustments and putting our guys in position to execute and make plays. But the other part of that is like, and you’ve heard me say this before, but the future is uncertain. So why are you daydreaming about Saturday when all you have is today? So put your focus into today, into this practice, into this preparation, and Saturday comes we’ll be ready to play.”

On Notre Dame’s confidence in the final month

“There’s a lot of confidence. There’s a lot of confidence. I’m confident. This team is confident. But also know that with success can creep in complacency and that’s what keeps me up at night, is that where is the fine line between being confident and in complacency beginning to creep in. That’s the thing that I sit behind my desk and think about all the time is where can we find ways to get better? I want them to enjoy success. Like I don’t want Notre Dame, our football program, to be a place that’s miserable after you have a great win like we did.

“But there’s also a part of me that I want to be greedy. This isn’t good enough. This isn’t the standard. We’ve got to attack and we’ve got fix it. Great job. You guys played well on Saturday and I’m proud of you, you guys great job. But here’s what we’ve got to focus on and improve. And so confidence is good. We have a lot of confidence, but we also know there’s a lot of room for improvement.”

On sophomore safety Luke Talich’s pick six

“It was great to see. And it kind of caught me by surprise because they were moving the ball on us a little bit and I’m trying not to lose my mind as they move the ball. And he came out of nowhere and that was a huge play, because it’s kind of caught it with two hands, switched it to one hand as I watched film, don’t love that, tuck the ball away. But, Luke can run. Luke can run. I thought it was a no brainer touchdown and then I saw I saw that quarterback getting pretty close to him. Said, ‘Oh, come on Luke.’ But to see him finish that play, it was great.

“Luke works tirelessly. He’s been a great member of our team and provides depth obviously in our safeties room and he’s an impact player on special teams and he embraces and values his role. And we need everybody in our program to not be satisfied but embrace their role for this week. Whatever this role is for this week, you have to embrace it. Because for us to achieve, team glory every person in that room, every coach, every player has to have conviction that my role is important as anybody else’s to get it done for us to achieve the glory that we want. So I know I’m going off on a tangent about something else, but Luke has been vital for us. he’s improving and he’s got a great future for us.”

On Notre Dame being in the top 12 in both scoring offense and scoring defense

“I didn’t know that. I don’t wanna hear that sometimes. For us to have success, for us to reach our full potential as you guys love to hear me say, it’s going to take being balanced. It’s going to take being balanced on each side of the ball. On offense, we’ve got to be balanced in terms of run game and pass game. Defensively, we’ve got to continue to improve stopping the run, we’ve got to be great in the pass game. And special teams has got to add to it too.

“Great teams are balanced. It’s hard for me to believe there’s a team that’s No. 1 in the country on offense but terrible on defense and they’re going to win the national championship. I’s hard for me to believe you’re great on defense but you’re awful on offense. You need to be balanced and have complementary football to truly have success.”

On Tyree again and Notre Dame’s seniors in their final home game

“I love Chris. You know obviously going against him, you know the talent he is, a really good football player. I’m so happy for him that he got his Notre Dame degree. That’s important.

“For our seniors here, it will be special. I think everybody, their emotions are different, right? My emotions as the senior might be different than my teammates. The guys we have running out there for senior day, every person’s emotions will be different as you run out there for one last time. But we all have to make sure you get your emotions under control before that song plays, before we’re gonna kick that ball off or return. You have to get your emotions back in check. I want it to be special.

“This is a special group of seniors. I could go through every every one, to tell you how valuable they are to me as an individual and to us the program. I want them to enjoy your senior day because it isn’t something that happens every year, like they’ve had to wait for this moment. They’ve worked for this moment. Everybody’s journey has been different, but I’m grateful to be a part of this journey with them and grateful to see them running out there on senior day. It’s a special day.”

On where Notre Dame is compared to where he expects it to be

“As you look back big picture wise, we’re improving. We’re playing well on Saturdays, but we got to set the details. Often you’re evaluated off outcomes and big pictures. But the details are what matters. Every play matters. Riley [Leonard] might have had a 40-yard rushing touchdown, but hold on, did everybody on that play get their job done? Don’t look at Riley scoring a touchdown. Did you get your block? Did you get your block?

“We might have had a sack. Great play. Rylie Mills might have had a sack. But you at corner, did you have perfect leverage? Were you exactly where you needed to be? And so that’s how we dissect this game, man, is that we can’t look at the outcomes. We should feel good about it. But we got to evaluate every single play with a critical eye.”