Live updates: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman pre-Duke press conference
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is set to address reporters via Zoom at noon ET on Thursday. Among other things, Freeman should provide an update on whether junior wide receiver Jayden Thomas (hamstring) will play Saturday against Duke. Thomas is questionable for Saturday’s game, Freeman said.
Here are Blue & Gold’s live updates from Freeman’s press conference as Notre Dame prepares for the Blue Devils.
**Keep refreshing this page for real-time, written updates from Freeman’s Zoom press conference.**
What Freeman is saying
• Thomas has not practiced yet this week. Freeman is not ruling him out, but said he’s between questionable and doubtful. If he plays, the game being a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff might have something to do with it.
• Freeman was noncommittal on whether or not freshman wide receiver Braylon James will play this week. Reading between the lines, I’d guess he will not.
• On Gi’Bran Payne: “The biggest thing about Gi’Bran is that he’s dependable. He’s a guy that’s consistent.” That’s a big reason Notre Dame has been using him in short yardage.
• Duke’s turnover margin stands out to Freeman, who said that Duke plays really hard, and when that happens, opportunities will come their way.
• Freeman pushed back on the idea that Eli Raridon and Nolan Ziegler will redshirt. Raridon has practiced this week, and the plan right now is for him to play next week against Louisville. Ziegler is practicing as well on scout team and individual drills and is “on a track to return.”
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• Junior wide receiver Deion Colzie’s knee scope happens today, maybe as Freeman speaks. Any updates on his timeline will have to wait until next week.
• That’s it for this week. Very encouraging updates on Raridon and Ziegler. Expect a healthy dose of Tobias Merriweather and Rico Flores Jr. on Saturday.
More from Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman
On Notre Dame’s pass rush ahead of facing Duke quarterback Riley Leonard:
“Yeah, I think we had one sack, right, in the game — had a couple of QB hits and pressures. We got there; we just didn’t get there enough. It’s never enough. But I thought the D-line and the different pressure packages that we had were effective, especially in that last drive. It was effective — that got them into those third and long or fourth and long situations.
“Then we have to convert. We have to convert defensively. All 11 guys have to convert on those long-yardage situations. And so, again, we’re always going to try to improve, right? We’re never satisfied. We’re greedy people.
“And so do we got to be better pass rush? Absolutely. Do we have to be better at pass defense? Yeah. And we’re top something in the country. I don’t know—top two in the country. And so we have to improve in all areas. Absolutely.”
