Eight things Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said on this week’s ‘Wake Up the Echoes’ show

Each week during Notre Dame football’s season, coach Marcus Freeman joins “Wake Up the Echoes,” the official show of the Fighting Irish. Freeman spoke one-on-one with host Tony Simeone for about 12 minutes in this Tuesday’s edition.

Here are eight things Freeman told Simeone in Episode 11. Quotes have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

On the emotions of senior day:

“You’re with these guys for so many days and hours. Knowing it’s coming to an end can be emotional for them, but for me too, because you have a love for every single one of these guys. I’m so proud of them and the way they were able to finish. For those guys that this is their last game at Notre Dame Stadium, you couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

On what’s special about the senior class that played their final game at Notre Dame Stadium last Saturday:

“There’s so many different individuals that make up this senior class. You think about a guy like Sam Hartman, who’s been here for less than a year, and his impact on our program and football team. Then guys that are going on their sixth year being here. 

“I even think about a guy like Matt Salerno, who was able to make it back after breaking his ankle or breaking his leg. I remember seeing him in the hotel after his surgery, he said, ‘Coach, I’ll be back this season.’ (I thought) Now, this is a season-ending injury. But he found a way to get back for senior day faster than we could imagine. 

“You can go through all 31 guys named in pregame, and there’s a story for every single one. They’ve made me better. They’ve made this program better. And as I told them, they’ve left this football program better than they found it. That’s all you can ask of them.”

On what he was pleased with about Notre Dame’s offensive performance against Wake Forest:

“The execution was really good. I thought (offensive coordinator) Coach (Gerad) Parker put together a great game plan. And the ability for them to adjust. Football is a game of adjustments. We had a great plan going in, but we had to make sure we had those adjustments on offense and defense. 

“The receivers took care of the opportunities presented to him and not every play. As a wide receiver, you don’t know what opportunity will come your way; you just have to run your route as hard as you can or block and do the things asked of you. But they took advantage of those opportunities that came their way. And it was a productive day.”

On what the defense has done to make them special: 

“A lot of it goes into their preparation. In the second year, as I said before, being in the same scheme, using the same terminology, and being able to play faster, right? Clarity equals velocity. So they’re clear on what they’re being asked to do. Then, they’re able to handle the adjustments. 

“The game plan for the defense in the second half was completely different than the first half because of what we were seeing on the defensive side of the ball. So, they can adapt, adjust and go out and play with the velocity it takes to succeed. They’re playing at a high level, but it’s their preparation. They’re preparing at a high level.”

On what the focus is to play to their standard on the road:

“I think for those here last year, understanding that this game means something, right? The ability to play for the Legends Trophy, those who were here last year understand that was a difficult day for Notre Dame, but also our football program. There won’t be a lack of motivation. I’ll make sure our guys are mentally and physically ready to go. 

“We got to finish this regular season off right. Again, elite competitors want to compete. We got a chance to compete on Saturday at Stanford, and our guys will be mentally and physically ready.”

On what he learned in year two: 

“I think some of the same lessons I said from year one is that it’s never how you foresee it on the front end, right? This season, your journey, you can’t script what will happen. Adapting and relying on your players and those around you is so important. 

“I’m surrounded by great players, great people and great coaches. You need those guys in tough moments. That’s what this program has become. It’s a family. We lean on each other, and we all do great things. We all want to win. We all want to get better. 

“I told those guys, ‘Everybody wants better. Everybody in our football program wants better.’ But we have to be willing to put in the work that allows us to get better. But you love to do it with people that you love. That’s the greatest thing about being here with this group.”

On his pregame routine:

“It’s just routine. I think about last weekend. You wake up, and you watch some film. Then you have walkthroughs. During the break time, I actually got a little workout in. Then, get ready for pregame meal and mass, and it’s pretty much routine. 

“I’m pretty busy on home games just because there are recruits and many things to do. I got a chance to have my youngest come into the locker room for a few minutes. That’s kind of nice. I mean, it doesn’t happen often. But it kind of helps take your mind off things for a couple of minutes and go into the reality of your family.”

On what he wants to see from the team over the final two games in 2023:

“You know what I’m gonna say: ‘Reach our full potential.’ And if the result is 10 wins, then the result is 10 wins. But I don’t want our guys adding pressure on themselves that we have to get 10 wins. 

“We have to reach our full potential. And there’s a process to doing that. And that’s what I want them to continuously focus on. I truly believe in my heart if we reach our full potential, we’ll have 10 wins.”