Live updates: Notre Dame football head coach, coordinators press conference

Notre Dame’s head coach, Marcus Freeman, and coordinators, Al Golden of the defense and Mike Denbrock of the offense, are meeting with the media Saturday afternoon, exactly two weeks before the Fighting Irish kick off the 2024 season at Texas A&M.

Watch the press conference by clicking the YouTube video player below. Follow along with written updates of what Freeman and his coordinators are saying in real time by constantly refreshing this page and looking at the bullet points below the video player.

WATCH: Notre Dame head coach, coordinators press conference (Aug. 17)

What Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is saying

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

• Notre Dame held its jersey scrimmage today. The offense won, 42-40. Scoring is less important than the end result.

• Freeman says today was the best jersey scrimmage he’s been a part of since getting to Notre Dame.

• The only health concern coming out of the jersey scrimmage was senior cornerback Chance Tucker going down with an undisclosed lower-body injury.

• Freeman says he knows at some point Notre Dame needs to say, “These are our five offensive linemen that we’re going to start against Texas A&M.” The Irish are not yet at that point.

• Freeman was asked if Riley Leonard is Notre Dame’s starter. He simply said, “Yeah, he’s been with the ones.” No big charade or announcement this year. Not necessary.

• Freeman says director of analytics Anthony Treash is at Notre Dame to look at trends and to make sure the Irish are always cutting edge. “He’s only been here a couple of days but I think he’s going to be a valuable asset.”

• Freeman says the Notre Dame linebacker unit has been “wonderful.” He reiterates what Max Bullough has been saying; the Irish will rotate five guys into every game as they see it now.

• The first name Freeman says when asked about Notre Dame’s pass-rushers who might not necessarily be every-down guys is Boubacar Traore. Also mentions Jaylen Sneed.

• Freeman says everything is being taken into account when determining offensive line starters; experience, potential, growth. “All those things, we have conversations about.”

• Freeman on the offensive line: “At some point you have to make a decision.” But he also says what is best for Week 1 might not be what’s best for Week 2 and beyond.

• Freeman says Notre Dame captains will be announced “soon.” Not sure when or how many will be named, but soon.

• Freeman says the familiarity with having Tyler Buchner in the Notre Dame locker room is comforting. Freeman loves looking over at that unit in practices and seeing Buchner throwing to the Irish wideouts.

• Freeman says the Notre Dame wide receivers made some big plays in the jersey scrimmage today, and they’ve been making plays all fall camp.

• Freeman says there were no glaring pre-snap penalty issues or discombobulation offensively in the jersey scrimmage. He called it a “clean” operation.

• Freeman says Howard Cross III and Mitchell Evans did not participate in the jersey scrimmage today but if it was an actual game day, they would have played.

• Freeman laughs at Jayden Thomas comparing Riley Leonard to Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. “I don’t think he’s Lamar Jackson, the NFL MVP, but he’s exactly what we need.”

• Freeman is asked about Notre Dame shutting down the men’s swimming program for a year. “It’s a great reminder that everyone in your program understands the expectations… We have to learn from mistakes.”

What Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden is saying

• Golden says fall camp has been more about creating “herds” at every position group on the defensive side. It’s not as important who’s a starter as it is which collection of players can play at every position group.

• Golden says Boubacar Traore can play strong-side defensive end. “We’re not as static as it appears on paper.”

• Golden echoes what Freeman said about the ins and outs of today’s jersey scrimmage. He said there was “no nonsense.” Everything felt directional and pointed. A professional operation.

• Golden says freshman corner Leonard Moore has “been a bit banged up as of late” but he’s confident he’ll be ready to back up Benjamin Morrison in two weeks against Texas A&M.

• Golden says going against the Notre Dame offense has been challenging every day. He pinpoints a quarterback who can get that side of the ball out of trouble with his legs, a running back corps that can do a lot with their legs as well and a wide receiver room that is very deep now.

• Golden: “There are going to be captains, but we got way more leaders than captains.”

• Golden says he loves the Notre Dame coaching staff, from graduate assistants and quality control coaches right on up to Freeman. He says the communication is being performed at an elite level.

• Golden is asked about his defensive system being NFL-like. “The players are the stars, not the system.” He says operating this unit like an NFL team would is only possible if the players allow it to be.

What Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is saying

• Denbrock’s first words on quarterback Riley Leonard: “Well, he’s 100 percent healthy. That’s number one.” He also says Leonard is not afraid to fail and learn from failures, and he has a clear vision of what the overall potential and expectation is for the Notre Dame offense.

• Denbrock on Anthonie Knapp and Sam Pendleton taking first-team reps: “This isn’t anything we’re rewarded them with. They’ve earned opportunities.”

• Denbrock is the only of the three speakers today to say, bluntly, that he didn’t like the Notre Dame’s offensive performance in today’s scrimmage. His offense won by two points. “It doesn’t have to be that close.”

• Denbrock on his high intensity in coaching: “When I don’t have to be a lunatic and they kind of fix it themselves, then we’re really moving in the right direction.”

• Denbrock on the ceiling of the Notre Dame offense: “I don’t know that we have one.”

• Denbrock says the benefit Anthonie Knapp and Sam Pendleton have every day is going against some of the best defensive linemen in the country.

• Denbrock says he doesn’t know if Notre Dame has an “alpha male” in the wide receiver room, but he’s confident the Irish have enough to do what they want to do offensively this year.

• Denbrock sure sounds optimistic about the Notre Dame tight ends, from Mitchell Evans right on down to oft-injured Kevin Bauman, do-it-all Davis “Woody” Sherwood and freshman Jack Larsen.

• Denbrock said he proposed a 10-minute “mad scientist” period of practice during which he could alert Al Golden to different motions and exotic looks. That’s how creative Golden is; he’s letting his counterpart in on what he’s doing because it’s so out there, in a good way.

• Denbrock on the Notre Dame men’s swimming program being shutdown for a gambling ring: “It’s absolutely terrifying.” “It’s absolutely something where we make sure we do what we can to make sure we’re all over it.”

• Denbrock on Jayden Daniels and Riley Leonard: “I look at those guys so similarly in a lot of aspects.”

• Denbrock with words of wisdom that go beyond football: “If you believe in yourself more than you trust the guys around you, that can be a detriment.”

• Denbrock on Texas A&M’s Kyle Field: “It’s a hornets nest. It is loud. Chaotic… It is a very, very hard place for the visiting team to function, especially on the offensive side of the ball.”