Live updates: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman pre-Pittsburgh press conference
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is set to address reporters via Zoom at noon ET on Thursday, in advance of Saturday afternoon’s game against Pittsburgh. Here are Blue & Gold’s live updates from Freeman’s press conference as the Irish prepare for the Panthers.
**Keep refreshing this page for real-time, written updates from Freeman’s Zoom press conference.**
What Freeman is saying
• On running backs coach Deland McCullough’s management of the RB room, Freeman said the players trust him completely to make the decisions (carry distribution, etc.) that are best for Notre Dame. He also said it’s a credit to the backs themselves for being unselfish. “Make your reps count, but don’t count every rep.”
• Freeman also credited McCullough for developing players like Audric Estimé, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
• Notre Dame men’s soccer goalie and walk-on punter Bryan Dowd has goalie gloves with “one play, one life” written on them, which Freeman said reflects how the players believe in the philosophy.
• Asked what he needed to see in practice this week with the team coming off a big win and a bye, Freeman said he wanted to see players and coaches challenge each other and that he was pleased with how practices went.
• Freeman said the team changes its signs “a couple times a year.” He feels like the Irish have done a good job, going back to his time as a coordinator.
• “We assume every opponent we go against has our signals.” That was an interesting comment. But Freeman said what he can’t do it confuse his players, so it’s a balance Notre Dame needs to strike. He has changed signals in a game before because he felt like the other team had them.
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• Young quarterbacks Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey have benefitted from Sam Hartman from a preparation standpoint most, Freeman said.
• On the decision to acquire a transfer quarterback: “All options are on the table.” Those discussions have been ongoing, but they’ll ramp up and potentially reach a decision during Notre Dame’s second bye week. Freeman is confident with the growth of Minchey and Angeli.
More from the Notre Dame head coach
On Notre Dame conversations with Notre Dame players who could potentially transfer:
“I think you have those conversations every week, right? And you don’t save those for a bye week. To me, I’ve always challenged our coaches to continuously have a relationship with the guys in your room so you know, and they know, exactly where they stand and why they stand there, right?
“And I think it’s important you don’t wait until bye week to have that conversation. So, I take a lot of pride in making sure all of our players understand where they’re at and why they’re in that position—and having that dialogue with their position coach. So again, now we’re going on to Week 9. So, guys that want a chance to redshirt, that chance is probably already over in terms of playing more than four games.
“But again, I think we have to have those conversations every week, right? It’s so important that our kids understand exactly what we’re thinking. ‘Here’s why I think you need to improve.’ We have to have that open dialogue. There is no blind obedience anymore. There are honest conversations that aren’t always pleasant to have, but they must happen so our kids understand why they’re in a position they’re in.”
