Marcus Freeman: Notre Dame Stadium debut as head coach ‘something you dream about’
Name a topic, and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman probably would have rather discussed it over his return to Ohio Stadium. Cooking. Cats. Astrophysics. Inflation.
Anything.
If making his regular season debut as a head coach in the venue where he once played home games had any personal significance, he didn’t reveal it. His response to the final question about the return sent a message that nostalgia or emotion about it might not exist at all. Asked if it would be personal for him, he replied with a swift, ‘No.’
His first game at Notre Dame Stadium as the Irish’s head coach is a different story. And he’s more than willing to talk about it.
“It’s something you dream about,” Freeman said. “Ever since I’ve been named head coach, I’m looking forward to this moment and to lead our team into this stadium.”
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Saturday, when Notre Dame hosts Marshall (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC), Freeman will touch the “Play Like A Champion Today” sign on the walk from the locker room to the tunnel. He will lead the Irish onto the field as smoke machines blast white plumes and the band plays the Notre Dame Victory March. He will earn a warm welcome from as many as 77,062 blue-, green- and gold-clad fans.
“Once you get out of that tunnel, to be able to run onto that field, it gives me goosebumps thinking about it,” Freeman said. “I know we did it in the spring game, but to do it when it’s real is going to be exciting. I know it’s not about me, never will be about me, but personally, that’s going to be one you’ll never forget.”
Freeman did the whole pregame routine seven times last year as defensive coordinator. He slapped the sign. Strolled down the stairs. Did the player walk with the team. He might have even put his fingerprints on the sign 20 years ago as a teenager on a recruiting visit.
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“I’ve tapped it a couple times,” Freeman said. “I can’t remember if I tapped it as a recruit.”
The sign and the entire spectacle won’t feel new. But it will feel different. Freeman isn’t a follower anymore. His influence isn’t limited to half the roster. He wields the big whistle now. He’s at the front of the line when Notre Dame charges onto the turf.
He also has authority to put his own stamp on pregame festivities.
Notre Dame’s 2022 home gameday itinerary will include morning Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, a one-time program tradition that was discontinued during the Brian Kelly era and moved to Fridays instead. Freeman was surprised to learn it wasn’t held on game days last year.
If Freeman tapped the sign as a recruit, the memory faded. His recollection of watching the team file out of the Basilica and head to the stadium on that visit, though, remains clear as day. He was enamored by it then. He felt it was necessary now, and not just because of his own faith.
“The mindset is to really be calm before the storm,” Freeman said. “You get so riled up in the hours before the game. I didn’t want that. As we move forward, I want to make sure these guys are calm. Part of that is spending some time in reflection and Mass.
“When the foot hits the ball at kickoff, we’ll be ready to roll, but I want to be at peace and be calm as we get ready to come into the stadium and embrace this place.”
