Quick Hitters: What Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said about Jordan Faison, Drayk Bowen playing two sports
The Notre Dame football program kicked off spring practice on Thursday. Afterward, Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman spoke to reporters for the first time this offseason. Here are four quick hitters from Freeman’s news conference.
On Drayk Bowen and Jordan Faison’s spring practice workload as two-sport athletes:
“We’ve gotten together, our sports performance staff and the sports performance staffs of the other sports and formulated a plan.
“The demands on Jordan (Faison), for instance, for this weekend’s game is going to be something where it’s going to be detrimental to him to practice; we’ll hold him out. He is full in lacrosse right now. Our job and our challenge is to continuously get him better, right? It’s not that lacrosse has to give him to us. He’s all in on lacrosse. He is going to be doing lacrosse this entire spring, so we have to make sure we structure our practice and the things we ask Jordan to do around the demands that he has to do in lacrosse.
“The same thing goes for Drayk (Bowen). I think the demands on Drayk, he’s required to do less, physically, than Jordan. So you’ll see Drayk obviously having more football workouts and in practice. But just what your body’s required to do in lacrosse versus baseball.”
On the evolution of the Notre Dame offensive line over spring practice:
“I think you have some guys that have started games. Even Charles Jagusah has started a game. But you try to create as much competition as you can, especially in the spring. We know we have to solidify positions as we go into the fall, but we want it to be competitive.
“I hope by the end of spring, we’ll be able to say, ‘Okay, here’s probably the guys you will see as the starting five. But I believe you have six, seven, or eight guys who are all going to be pushing to be the top five.”
On Notre Dame special teams coordinator Marty Biagi assisting with coaching the secondary:
“Marty’s coached on the defensive side of the ball before. This is something I’ve had a conversation with Marty (Biagi) about as he continues to grow in the coaching profession. Special teams, he’s good, right? How can he continue to challenge himself and add some defensive responsibilities? I thought this was the perfect way to do that.
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“We talked before we made Max (Bullough) the full-time linebackers coach last year, we’re like, ‘Okay, maybe it’s you help with linebackers a little bit more.’ But right now, it’s perfect for him to help with the DBs, so it’s a credit to him. He’s buying in; he’s in those defensive meetings. He’s doing a good job.
“Also, credit to Jesse Schmitt, our special teams analyst, for helping Coach Biagi prepare for practice. Those types of things are really crucial. But all hands are on deck for special teams. Like 90% of our coaches are involved with making sure we are helping out with special teams.”
On running backs coach Deland McCullough adding associate head coach to his job title:
“Deland is a guy that even last year, I had a conversation with him about associate head coach. He’s been involved in some of my head coaching meetings. That’s his next step, right? Deland McCullough is going to be a head coach somewhere.
“I want to help him in as many ways as I can, right? It’s not saying I have the answers saying, ‘Come be a part of this. He can take some things off of my plate.’ He’s earned the right. I think he’s ready to be a head coach. When the opportunity comes, I think he’ll be a heck of a head coach.”
