Quick Hits From Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman's Presser
Head coach Marcus Freeman met with the media on Wednesday following the Fighting Irish’s first day of fall camp. Exactly one month out from Week 1 against Texas A&M, Freeman spoke positively about where his squad was at as Day 1 came to a close.
Here are some quick hits from his presser:
Get The Ball in Jeremiyah Love’s Hands
While the talk of camp among the wide receivers will be who fits into the six-man rotation that position coach Mike Brown wants to run, Love could provide an interesting wrinkle to the passing game.
After receiving some reps in the slot in the spring, Freeman isn’t shying away from the fact that they want to get the ball in Love’s hands.
“You have to find ways to get Jeremiyah Love the ball, and that’s where we have a creative offensive coordinator and a creative offense that will do that,” Freeman said.
“As we get towards game week and those types of things, we’ll gameplan specifically how we get the ball into his hands. But, I mean, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist—in our offense, you have to find ways to get Jeremiyah Love the ball.”
QB Reps
With Riley Leonard missing the winter and spring, a question heading into fall camp was how Freeman planned on splitting the quarterback reps. While Leonard may need extra reps, it is an interesting conversation considering the talented QBs behind him.
“It’s something we have taken into consideration,” Freeman said. “Riley got a lot of reps this summer in terms of just what he missed in the spring. We’ve got to make sure he gets enough work to make sure he’s prepared to go.”
After seeing how Day 1’s reps were split, it appears Steve Angeli is the clear No. 2 while Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr battle for the third spot. Reports from camp suggest Carr received more reps, but it is hard to tell exactly.
“We've got to give these three other quarterbacks a chance to develop and continue to improve also,” Freeman said. “It’s not a perfect formula, but I think we do have a good plan for that.”
Denbrock Raising The Intensity
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is making his return to South Bend following eight years as the OC at Cincinnati and LSU—and he isn’t wasting any time reacclimating.
While Denbrock brings a certain intensity on the field, Freeman believes it’s a perfect mix of that intensity and leadership.
“Coach Denbrock brings an intensity, but leadership to our offensive side of the ball,” Freeman said. “And I think great leaders understand when things need to be said, right? It’s not just yelling and screaming over and over and over that makes you a great leader.
“It’s understanding, ‘Okay, at this point, this needs to be a point of emphasis. I need to get these guys going, hold them accountable.’ And I think he has a great feel for that.”
Denbrock’s leadership is starting to infuse itself within the culture of the program, with players such as Leonard leaning more into being a leader than QBs of the past.
“You can see our offense respond to that. And this isn’t something that just happens in practice. This is something that happens over the course of a year, and I’ve definitely seen a level of leadership in our total offense, coming from Coach Denbrock, but on down, has really risen.”
Battle It Out
When Rod Heard announced he was transferring from Northwestern to join Notre Dame this offseason, many assumed he would fill in the role of No. 1 safety. That assumption appears to be wavering following Day 1 of fall camp, as Adon Shuler is quickly rising the ranks.
“Yeah, they both had reps with the ones a day,” Freeman said. “I’m trying to do a really good job of getting our guys to focus on every day, right? And each day, I don’t care who’s with the ones today and who’s with the twos today. If you’re rotating, focus on your reps. We’ll get to tomorrow, and it’ll be another guy and another group. Focus on your opportunity. I know that’s coachspeak, but it’s reality.”
Shuler only appeared in five games in 2023, but after receiving reps with the No. 1 defense in practice, it appears he could contest for the starting job as the Irish progress deeper into camp.
“Them worrying about who’s going to be the starter against Texas A&M doesn’t matter,” Freeman said. “It really doesn’t. Take advantage of today, and if Adon does that, Adon’s going to be the best version of him. If Rod does that, Rod’s going to be the best version of him. And when we get to Texas A&M week, we’ll figure out who’s going out there with the first group.
“Both of those guys are gonna play for us. I’ll tell you that right now. And, I just want to make sure their mindset is right. It doesn’t matter who goes out with the ones. Take advantage of your opportunity today.”
Another possible position battle to watch for is among the offensive line, especially between Rocco Spindler and Pat Coogan.
“There’s ongoing competition at the o-line, especially with Rocco and Coogan and some of the guards,” Freeman said. “We still have an identity on offense, still being able to run the ball, and we have to be able to run the ball. And one of the challenges we’ve had for the offensive line is to create a new line of scrimmage. We want to play football on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage, and so that’s what I want to see.”
Both guards started a majority of the games for Notre Dame in 2023, with Coogan starting in all 13, but in 2024 the two will be battling it out for the position.
“We have to be able to create movement in the run game to make sure we can run the ball effectively,” Freeman said. “Then the second part will be to protect the quarterback. We have to protect the quarterback. We know that, but the mindset of this offense, we have to be able to move the ball and run it.”
Prepping For The Heat
With the temperatures touching 90 degrees on the field, the Fighting Irish were doing their best to simulate the Texas heat they’ll encounter on the 31st. Freeman believes practicing in the heat will only be beneficial as the weeks go on.
“As much as we can practice in the heat, we’re going to. Today was a good, hot, humid day, and we know that’s going to be the atmosphere Week 1, but I think it’s for our guys—the ability to understand what they need to do to replenish and hydrate for a practice like today,” Freeman said.
“There’s no nothing else that gives you experience but practicing in it. So what they’re going to learn today post-practice is, ‘Okay, is the routine I have to get me ready for tomorrow, exactly where it needs to be?’ And you don’t know until you have practice tomorrow. And so we have to really help them figure out their routine, to replenish and rehydrate, to make sure they’re ready to go in any temperature.”
Another interesting note that Freeman touched on is his plan regarding the intensity of this year’s fall camp. The timetable for getting the Irish in the best shape possible is shorter than in years past when considering their Week 1 opponent.
“It wasn’t like we didn’t prepare hard in training camp last year because we played Navy,” Freeman said. “You prepare to win (against) whoever you play against, no matter if it’s Navy, if it’s Ohio State, if it’s Texas A&M.
“We have a plan, I think a great plan, that we put together that will make sure this group is prepared, one, but also healthy enough to make sure we go out there and we compete versus Texas A&M. But you know that I believe in our plan and what we have. But, again, the focus has to be on taking care of right now and what’s right in front of us.”
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