Quick-hitters: Marcus Freeman on pregame ritual, Jacob Lacey leaving, offensive line

Notre Dame leaves for Las Vegas to play No. 16 BYU (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC) in one day and after one more practice, which will be Thursday afternoon. Head coach Marcus Freeman held his final press conference before the game Thursday via Zoom.

During it, he confirmed senior defensive tackle Jacob Lacey has departed the program and will seek a transfer. He also said safeties Ramon Henderson (ankle) and DJ Brown (hamstring) have returned to practice and are expected to play vs. BYU.

Here are some other highlights from his 10-minute session.

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On the progress from the Notre Dame offensive line

“There’s a thought of rotating guys to keep them fresh, but there’s also the thought of having consistency with the guys you have in there. That’s what I think you’re seeing with our offensive line. They’re continuing to improve because there’s a consistency of who’s in the game and who’s beside you, the ability to work together.

“There’s also a confidence it builds in your quarterback. I’ve been really pleased with the development of our O-Line. A change in coaching and change of philosophy in terms of their position coach doesn’t just create a magical picture overnight. What you’ve seen is over the course of four games and now the bye week is they’re continuously improving and playing at a very high level.”

On his pregame rituals

“Home and away are two different things. [BYU is] a home game for us, but it’s away in what you’re doing pregame. Away, I’ll go and do a radio show, then go back in the locker room and look over the keys to victory, the last-minute reminders from myself as the head coach on the things we have to emphasize.

“I’ll have some points of emphasis that I have from watching film or that our coaching staff has brought up to me that I’ll meet with the referees about. You go out to the field, meet the opposing coach, get ready to warm up and then you go. There’s definitely a process and consistency of what I do.

“If it’s a home game, the majority of the pregame is meeting with recruits, spending time with those guys before I meet with the refs, go out for pregame and stretch. At that point, it’s really just about the last couple things you want to say to your team before you take the field. It’s time to go. There’s nothing you’re going to say the moment before you walk out of the locker room that will help them play any better. The performance is a reflection of how we played all week.”

On Notre Dame strength coach Matt Balis

“Coach Balis is a rock star. He’s a guy who truly implements the culture you want as a head coach and the mindset. It’s so much more than lifting weights. What he’s able to do in terms of challenging a group of football players mentally and physically, really being an extension of me and the ability for me and him to connect every day to talk about where we see our guys as a team and as individuals.

“We look at every player and say, tomorrow we need to back off this guy, or this guy needs to be pushed a little bit more so he can hit a certain miles per hour in terms of how fast he’s running. We really spend a lot of time together to look at the physiological side of our players, but also the mental side of where their mindset is.”

On freshman punter Bryce McFerson’s health

“He’s finally healthy. We were having him do a little too much in terms of punting and kickoffs, which ultimately led to the strain of his hip flexor and groin area. But he’s healthy now. Let’s let him focus on punting right now until his body is in a position after a year of training and being in the weight room with Coach Balis to be able to handle punting and kickoffs.

“We haven’t really done kickoffs with him. We’re really just focused on punts. Right now, we’re really pleased with how Jon Sot is punting the ball, but Bryce will travel and he will be the backup punter.”

On Jacob Lacey departing and who could fill his spot

“It’s a position that’s extremely deep. The defensive tackle position is one of the deepest positions we have on our team. [Grad student] Chris Smith will play a little bit more. You’ll see a guy like [sophomore] Gabe Rubio play a little more. [Sophomore] Jason Onye has moved from scout team to getting reps with the defense.

“Lacey was a great player who did a lot of great things for us. But it’s a deep position. He made a decision that ultimately was best for him. We respect it. We love Jacob, and the best thing about it is he leaves here with a degree in his hand. That’s what I want for these young men. If you decide to leave in hopes of going somewhere and playing more, don’t waste this opportunity to earn a degree from this university.”