Notre Dame National Signing Day: Marcus Freeman, Chad Bowden press conference live updates

Notre Dame has successfully signed all 24 of its commits by lunchtime of National Signing Day. Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and general manager Chad Bowden speak to the media at 1 p.m. ET to recap their program’s haul of 2025 prospects.

Watch the press conference live via the YouTube video player below. Follow along with real-time, written updates of what Freeman and Bowden are saying at the bottom of this page.

WATCH: Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, general manager Chad Bowden press conference

What Freeman is saying

**Keep refreshing this site for real-time, written updates of what Freeman is saying.**

Marcus Freeman drops a BOMB at the beginning of his National Signing Day press conference.

Notre Dame won the recruiting battle for big-time linebacker prospect Madden Faraimo.

Faraimo was at the Notre Dame vs. USC game this past weekend on a visit with the Trojans. Wow. pic.twitter.com/7UWKuBwFXJ

— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) December 4, 2024

• Freeman: “I never want to be a program that majors in the transfer portal. We will minor in it in specific positions of need.”

• Freeman says Madden Faraimo had not decided between Notre Dame and USC when he woke up this morning. When Faraimo finally chose the Fighting Irish, he told Freeman, “Coach, I chose God.” Freeman: “He came to the realization that this is where he wanted to be.”

• Freeman says when it comes to these three Notre Dame wide receiver signees, the Irish were looking for “speed and really good football players.” Freeman: “That’s what we feel like we got with this class.”

• Freeman says about retention of a roster comes down to relationships, honesty and transparency. You’ve got to be real with these players.

• Freeman says Faraimo “adds a huge piece to what we were looking for defensively.” Freeman says Faraimo is “a heck of a football player.”

• Freeman: “We can’t recruit everybody. We want to recruit the the right guys for this place.”

• Marcus Freeman makes it clear Notre Dame will NOT go to the transfer portal for a quarterback this offseason.

• Freeman says quarterback Blake Herbert posses the qualities in a QB that players at that position must possess to be able to aptly lead a program like Notre Dame, or any other program for that matter. He’s got “it.”

• Freeman says it’s been great to be able to reset this week with no opponent to prepare for Saturday. “We’ve got to utilize this as our bye week.”

• Freeman admits “it will be difficult” to retain four scholarship quarterbacks into the 2025 season. That’s why he says Notre Dame will take a quarterback in every single signing class.

• Freeman says there is nothing more crucial in recruiting than a live evaluation, whether that be in a camp, a game, a workout, etc. “There is competitive that you can see in person, there is movement you can see in person that tell you a lot about a prospect.”

• Freeman: “Indiana football is strong. The best players in Indiana are guys we’re going to try to get to Notre Dame.”

• Freeman says he is very much into the idea of Notre Dame signees having played multiple sports in their preps careers.

• Freeman says the Notre Dame defensive back class is built on speed and being good football players, just like he envisions this group of Irish wide receivers.

• The Notre Dame offensive line class was built around targeting tackles and a center. Then he found Cam Herron, an in-state prospect, and he figured that was someone he could not let get away from South Bend.

What Bowden is saying

Notre Dame general manager Chad Bowden says the reason linebacker Madden Faraimo signed with the Fighting Irish is because South Bend is home to the best coaches in the country.

Bowden shouts out Marcus Freeman, Al Golden and Max Bullough. Should give a nod to himself, too. pic.twitter.com/F2dPqNcrjz

— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) December 4, 2024

• Bowden says he does not know what the next curveball in college recruiting will be, but he does know Notre Dame will be up for whatever it is.

• Bowden says Notre Dame was on James Flanigan early, even if the optics of his recruitment said otherwise. “We’ve always had our eye on the Flanigan family.”

• Bowden says there is something about Blake Hebert that just jumps out to you when you watch and observe him. He says his teammates love playing for him; they light up on the field with him, and it’s palpable.

• Bowden confirms 13 of Notre Dame’s signees will enroll early this winter.

• Bowden says there is a strategic advantage to the high school signing period getting finished before the transfer portal opens up.

• Bowden reiterates what Freeman said; he feels great about these Notre Dame quarterbacks the Fighting Irish will have in 2025, all homegrown recruits.

• Bowden heard Marcus Freeman “screaming” from down the hall in the Notre Dame football facility when it became clear the Irish were signing Madden Faraimo. All of ND’s coaches came out of their offices to celebrate together. “We were fired up.” National Signing Day, man.