Everything Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said Thursday before Louisville game

Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman addressed the media for the final time before No. 16 Notre Dame faces No. 15 Louisville on Saturday. Here is everything he told reporters in his about 10-minute news conference over Zoom.

On the problems Louisville QB Tyler Shough and WR Ja’Corey Brooks pose:

“Yeah, I think Shough is a guy that’s extremely experienced. He’s a big guy, tall, probably not really easy to take down, seen a lot of defenses, and throws a really good deep ball. So again, you’re not going to be able to — very similar to the quarterback last week (Brett Gabbert) — it’s really going to be challenging to confuse him in terms of what you’re playing defensively. But it’s going to be a challenge to make sure that we’re executing at a high level. 

“The wide receiver, Brooks, he’s a playmaker. He is a guy they’re going to try to get the ball to down the field. He’s a guy that can make contested catches and present a challenge to our DBs (defensive backs), for sure.”

On whether Notre Dame will wear green jerseys against Louisville:

“Yeah, they’re going to wear the green jerseys.”

On the cornerback positions Leonard Moore and Karson Hobbs are playing:

“Yeah, Leonard’s playing both field and boundary. Karson is doing the same. So, yeah, they’ve both been playing field and boundary.”

On how he sees the field wide receiver position evolving and how he feels about it moving forward:

“I feel strongly about the position. I think it’s deep. (Jordan) Faison’s back to his, I would think his normal self or as close as he can be. Kris (Mitchell) has been playing well, and KK (Smith) has had a couple of big — done a good job in both (of his) opportunities in the last two games. 

“So I feel good about the room. They’ve had a good week of practice, and we’ll see what the game dictates in terms of production. But I’m really pleased with the field wide receiver position.” 

On evaluating options in the transfer portal and finding players that are the right fit for the program: 

“I think there’s a lot of great players in college football. There’ll be a lot of great players that are in the portal, but the most important thing is going to be the fit in our locker room. That’s something that I’ve had a strong stance about since the beginning when the transfer portal started.

“So, you have to make sure you’re bringing in the right type of people to fit into your locker room. We have a strong culture here that is led by our players, and you have to make sure those guys that are coming in here buy into the culture that’s already been set.”

On whether he has talked to Notre Dame DL Jordan Botelho about returning in 2025:

“Yeah, that’s something that we’ve told him is an option for him if it’s something that he wants to do. But more than anything, wanted him to know that if he wants the opportunity to come back next year, we would love to have him back.”

On how they mentally prepare for a fan base that is hungry and ready to win at all costs, like Louisville:

“It’s a home game for us. So, I don’t think we’re doing much preparation for their fans in our stadium. But it’s a good football team. They’re hungry. They play hard. They’re talented. They’re well-coached. So, you prepare for them like you prepare for every other team — it’s every week you get an opportunity to play one game, and you got to prepare as best as you can to make sure you give your program a chance to have success on Saturday. 

“So no different with Louisville. This is a talented football team, a well-coached team. As I said, that is going to present a challenge, and we have to be ready for it.”

On what more he can ask from the defense to compensate for offensive issues: 

“Yeah, I think, more than anything, we want to continue to find ways to stop the run. I think, again, I believe we’ve given up more running yards than we want to. So, really important that we take away running opportunities, yards after contact, make sure we’re fitting the gaps correctly and then being able to defeat blocks.

“That’s been an area that we’ve really challenged our defense on is, ‘Hey, we want to continue to find ways to — we’re greedy people — not giving them any yardage running the ball. Especially against Louisville.’ We know they’re a team that likes to run the ball. That’s something that we worked on all week. We got to continue to tackle at a high level. I thought we tackled well last week, but we got to continue to do better.”

On Cleats for a Cause artist Jerry Barca:

“Well, I thought he did a wonderful job — the hours he put in to really do the designs for all of the players. I know that took a long time to do, and so we’re grateful for his hard work. I thought the product was excellent.”

On recruiting Southwest Ohio:

“I think, more than anything, we scour across the nation to find the best players that fit this place. The thing about, you know, obviously, the relationships we have in Ohio is that you have relationships with those head coaches that can tell you, ‘This is a guy that will fit your program.’ And if you have a relationship and you trust them, a lot of times, that’s all you need to hear. Then, you evaluate the film. 

“But I think more than anything, it’s relationships and the trust that you’ve built with the coaches in Ohio, Southwest Ohio, that has helped with us in terms of recruiting those schools.”

On Notre Dame DL Junior Tuihalamaka stepping up for Botelho:

“Yeah, I think it’s just a reflection of the preparation he’s put in, the depth, the opportunity that was presented — he capitalized off of it. So, it’s a great example for everybody in our program — you’re always one play away. 

“He was playing a little bit for us, but obviously, in an increased role, he had a lot of production on Saturday. Again, that doesn’t happen with luck. It happens because of preparation, and he’s put a lot of work in. I’m excited for him and happy that he was able to get that production on Saturday.”

On coaching Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price to give them 4- and 5-yard runs for more opportunity:

“I think that every play, you have a key, you have a read, and you trust it. The result of that could be a big play; it could be a zero-yard gain. And because it’s a team sport, like everybody has to get their job done. So, I think you just got to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. You’ve got to trust your keys, trust your reads, run hard and take care of the football. 

“Again, the outcome of a running play is determined by so many different individuals. I know it’s a unique step to have the zero-yard gains and explosive gains, but again, the consistency, in terms of you just trusting your keys and reads and doing your job, will result in a lot of success.”

On helping Notre Dame OL Anthonie Knapp and Sam Pendleton get through growing pains and using the bye week to help with their development:

“Yeah, I think there’s, number one, no substitution for experience. I’ve said that before. ‘We got to continue to give them different looks and practice and continue to practice physically, right?’ Playing offensive line, there’s a physicality that you have to practice with that takes a toll on your body, too.

“I think more than anything the bye week, we got to make sure those guys that have nicks and bruises are able to heal and also get better at the same time. So, Coach (Joe) Rudolph has done a wonderful job really developing that offensive line, progressing them, and I’m very confident in our offensive line moving forward.”