Live updates: Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman pre-Louisville press conference
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is set to address reporters for the final time before Saturday’s game vs. Louisville. The Irish take on the Cardinals at 3:30 p.m. ET in South Bend, and the game will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
Here are Blue & Gold’s live updates from Freeman’s Thursday Zoom press conference, which begins at noon ET.
**Keep refreshing this page for real-time, written updates from Notre Dame’s Zoom press conference.**
What Freeman is saying
• Asked about Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough, Freeman lauded his experience and the fact that it’s tough to bring him down in the backfield. On wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks, he said he’s a playmaker and that he’s great at making contested catches.
• Notre Dame WILL wear its green jerseys this weekend.
• Freeman said Leonard Moore and Karson Hobbs are playing both field and boundary cornerback, behind Benjamin Morrison and Christian Gray.
• Freeman feels “strongly” about the field receiver position. He said Kris Mitchell has done a good job and Jordan Faison is as close to full-strength as he can be at this time.
• In light of what’s going on at UNLV this week, Freeman said the most important thing about portal evaluations is the fit in the locker room. “That’s something I’ve had a strong stance about since the beginning, when the transfer portal started. … We have a strong culture here that is led by our players, and you have to make sure those guys who are coming in here buy into the culture that’s already been set.”
• Freeman said Jordan Botelho can come back to Notre Dame in 2025 if he wants to. It will be an option for him.
• Asked by a Louisville reporter how he’s preparing for “a team and a fan base as hungry to win as Louisville,” Freeman correctly pointed out that this is a home game for Notre Dame. But he also said the Cardinals themselves present a challenge for the Irish as a talented and well-coached team.
• Notre Dame has challenged its defensive line to be “greedy,” fitting the run and tackling at a higher level.
• Asked about recruiting in southwest Ohio, Freeman said he has relationships with coaches in the area that can tell him if a player will fit his program. “Sometimes, that’s all you need to hear, and then you evaluate the film.”
• On Junior Tuihalamaka’s best game of his career: “It’s a great example for everybody in our program, you’re always one play away.” Freeman said Tuihalamaka has put a lot of work in, and he’s happy that he had the production against Miami.
• On Jadarian Price’s inconsistency (a few explosive plays, but many stuffs): “The outcome of a running play is determined by so many different individuals.” He didn’t exactly exonerate Price, but he also didn’t put it all on him.
• Freeman said there’s no substitution for experience, regarding Sam Pendleton and Anthonie Knapp. “Coach Rudolph has done a wonderful job developing that offensive line and progressing them.”
