On Sunday morning, Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman and Ohio State football coach Ryan Day sat down for a joint press conference on the 10th floor of the Westin Peachtree Hotel in downtown Atlanta. The College Football Playoff national championship trophy loomed between the two men before the two teams face off at Mercedes-Benz stadium Monday night.
Freeman will face his alma mater for the third time in his tenure as head coach after falling to the Buckeyes in the two previous matchups. Despite his personal connection to Ohio State, however, Freeman emphasized he is focused solely on getting his players prepared for tomorrow’s game.
“Everyone knows where I went to college. But as I’ve continuously said to our program, everybody around the program, is that this opportunity is about this opportunity. This isn’t about when I went to school. This isn’t about the last two times we played Ohio State,” Freeman said.
Day himself offered praise for both Freeman’s playing career at Ohio State and his tenure as Notre Dame head coach.
“Everybody at Ohio State respects Marcus and the fact that, you know, he went to Ohio State, had a great career there, and we certainly have a lot of respect for what he’s done in his coaching career,” Day said.
During the press conference, Freeman emphasized the role of selflessness in the team’s success.
“To get people to commit to something bigger than themselves, they have to feel like their determining role is important, and then they have to make a choice that no matter what, us achieving team glory is more important than what I want as an individual,” he said.
Freeman noted as well the physical challenge of having to play 16 total games with the expanded 12-team playoff format.
“You had to prepare for the opportunity to play four games … You had to have a big picture approach to the next four opportunities, even though you didn’t know if they were guaranteed or not,” he said.
As Notre Dame’s marathon season culminates on Monday night Freeman emphasized that it is the work the players have put in throughout the season which will bring them success, not any speech or motivational exhortation he might give before the game.
“Sometimes maybe outsiders can think that a pregame speech that’s going to help the team win. The reality is … what you've done to get you here is what you’ve got to go out there and do … You’ve got to do what we’ve done and got to do it better,” Freeman said. “We’re facing a great opponent.”
At one point during the press conference, Freeman noted the importance of faith for both him personally and the team.
“Amongst our football program [faith] is promoted,” Freeman said. “We’re not saying you have to be Catholic, we’re saying we want our young people to grow in their faith. And when you have a leader like [senior quarterback] Riley Leonard that is very outspoken about his faith and is very intentional about putting together Bible studies and helping his peers grow in their faith I think it’s big, it’s huge.”
During the players’ media day Saturday, Leonard himself repeatedly pointed to his faith as a key part of his success this season.
“I don’t think I necessarily deserve it, but God has put me in this situation so I’m going to do everything I can to glorify him,” he said.
Speaking to reporters during Saturday’s media day, Freeman similarly explained the importance of bringing back the team’s pregame mass tradition when he was instituted as head coach.
“I remember being a recruit and coming to a Notre Dame football game, I was in high school, and watching the football team come out of the basilica for pre-game mass, and I thought that was the coolest thing,” Freeman said. “So when I was named head coach it was something that I had talked to the administration about when that decision was made not to have pregame mass. And that was something that was important to me to change that for multiple different reasons.”
Much media attention has been given to the fact that Freeman will be the first Black and Asian-American to coach in a national championship game. While Freeman acknowledged the importance of the milestone, but also pushed back against the focus being placed on himself and not the team.
“When you start putting focus on me being the first African-American, me being the first Asian-American coaching this game, that takes away from the team, and I wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for the team and everyone getting their job done,” Freeman said.
ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit argued Freeman is bringing back the “mystique” to Notre Dame.
“It just feels different when they take the field. There’s just something about him, and there’s something about that brand that I feel like is on its way back,” Herbstreit said. “He’s a special leader.”
With Freeman’s success has come national attention, with the Chicago Bears reportedly having interest in interviewing Freeman for their head coach opening. Freeman said that while he has not considered the position, he did not rule anything out.
“The reality is that with team success comes individual recognition, and you know to hear that the Bears have interest, it’s humbling, it’s the NFL,” Freeman said. “I have put zero thought into coaching in the NFL. All my attention has just been getting this team prepared for the opportunity we have in front of us.”
Ultimately, Freeman urged his team to tune out the distractions and focus on the game ahead of them.
“We started this season talking about reaching our full potential, and we got one guaranteed opportunity to do that, and let’s continue to put all the work we can in these last 48 hours, or however many hours we have left, to prepare for this moment and then go play,” he said.
Speaking to reporters, Leonard thanked the student body for their support throughout the season.
“Thank y’all for your support, y’all keep praying for us,” Leonard said. “I appreciate every single one of you for sticking through, believing in me. Sorry for the early heartbreak this year. Still love y’all, and I appreciate the support.”
