Marcus Freeman Caught Off Guard By Balis’ Resignation, Respect Remains

News of Matt Balis’ resignation caught everyone at Notre Dame off guard, including Marcus Freeman.

Balis called Notre Dame’s head coach on Sunday to inform him. They met in person on Monday, Freeman told the players Tuesday morning and the program shared a press release shortly after. 

“Ultimately, his reason was that he couldn't serve the players in the capacity that he felt he should in his position,” Freeman said. “It's a personal matter, and that's how he left it with me. I tried to talk him out of it.

“I have the utmost respect for Matt Balis and we have a great relationship, but ultimately, it was a personal decision.”

Rumors surrounding the news swirled once the news broke of Balis’ abrupt departure. Why would the program’s renowned director of football performance resign days before the start of fall camp?

At least for now, fans and those around the program — including Freeman — must honor Balis’ privacy. 

“He didn't really tell me exactly what those personal reasons were,” Freeman said. “But at the end of the day, when he says, ‘this is what's best for me and my family,’ you’ve got to respect that.”

Freeman may have been caught off guard by Balis’ resignation, but he entered the summer prepared for the possibility.

“I didn't foresee Coach Balis leaving, but I always had plans in place,” Freeman said. “What happens if coach Balis leaves? What happens if this person leaves? What happens if a player leaves? You have to make sure you have a plan. You're proactive instead of being reactive. It never gets easier, but the ability to move forward faster is, to me, what has to happen.”

At least for now, Fred Hale will lead Notre Dame’s strength and condition program after spending two years under Balis as the Fighting Irish associate director of football strength and conditioning.

Hale worked at Eastern Michigan University from 2014 to 2021. He began his tenure as the Eagle’s assistant strength and conditioning coach before becoming the football program’s co-director of sports performance in 2016. 

Before EMU, Hale worked as a strength and conditioning assistant for the Buffalo Bills and the University of Tennessee. He played football and wrestled at Mercyhurst University, where he also earned his master’s in exercise science.

“He has the experience of doing it. So, the plan has been already created,” Freeman said. “As I told those guys, we don't need to reinvent the wheel. We need to continue to carry on a plan that's been really created from myself, Coach Balis and our whole strength and performance staff. I think they'll all do a great job.”

Freeman says he will consider Hale a permanent replacement after the season.

Still, Balis loomed large at Notre Dame and will be difficult to replace. A few former players shared their admiration on social media on Tuesday. 

The good news is much of Balis’ day-to-day impact came during the offseason, when the NCAA limits how much Freeman and the Notre Dame coaching staff can interact with the players.

In January, February and over the summer, the strength and conditioning coach is responsible for implementing the team’s culture, which won’t change no matter who’s in charge.

“It's not Balis. It's not Freeman. It's our culture,” Freeman said. “That culture won't change.”

Balis also wasn’t in sole charge of the team’s on-the-field performance. Freeman also works closely with John Wagle, who signed on as the university’s associate athletics director of sports performance in 2022. 

“It's something me and coach Balis were talking about. We've had these meetings. We have a sports performance staff led by John Wagle that gives us feedback, and I can tailor practices or different things based on what those numbers are telling us.

“What is their workload? What's their max velocity? What are we expecting to get out of them? And so if we're able to get some type of feedback, I think we can tailor certain practices to ultimately get the outcome that we want. So it's something that I'm still growing in, but I'm definitely using it.”

In modern college football, change is inevitable. Balis’ resignation doesn’t change the fact that Notre Dame opens its season against Navy in one month. Freeman and the entire program will do their best to wish Balis well and push ahead.

“We understand that we have an objective in front of us and making sure we're ready for Dublin, Ireland,” Freeman said. “Our guys did a great job of refocusing themselves. Listen, it’s not saying it doesn't affect them, but we have to continue to move forward.”