Pat Coogan Embracing Leadership Role on Biggest Stage
Pat Coogan may have a future in motivational speaking, but for now he’ll have to settle for being Notre Dame’s starting center.
The Palos Heights, Illinois native’s colorful speeches have been gaining traction on social media as of late, and it’s clear Coogan lacks no creativity when firing up his fellow offensive linemen.
“It's a moment with the guys, and obviously it's 2025 and everyone has their phones and recording it, but it's just a part of our pre game,” Coogan said. “The guys buy into it, and it's really just a passionate moment for all of us.
“That's what we do every single game now, and we've been doing it since Texas A&M. They've seen all the posts or whatever, and they've kind of been joking around with me a little bit about it.”
While his speeches have just started to go viral, Coogan has been doing it all season long away from the cameras and the noise. He doesn’t do it for notoriety, but he does it for the passion he has for his teammates and school. He doesn’t practice the speeches either — it comes straight from the heart.
“No practice,” Coogan said. “That's never what it's been about. never was for clicks never was to get posted on Twitter or anything like that. It really is just a passionate part of pre pre-game that we've been doing ever since Texas A&M So, no, I don't really put that much thought into it.”
Coogan hasn’t had the most linear path to success for the Irish this year. When he delivered that first speech in College Station — he was the backup. Now he’s once again a starter on the offensive line, but his leadership never wavered, even when he was on the bench.
“Coogs is an unbelievable leader,” Freeman said. ”He is passionate about this place and he's passionate about that position. He was a returning starter, and to start the season, we felt like what was best for that game was, you know, to have him as a backup, and he didn't complain. He just worked.
“Now, he's in the position he's our starting center, and he's just battling and doing a great job, and he's leading a group, and he's a mature individual that there's some young guys in an offensive line room that he is leading, and he's having a major impact on that room.”
Coogan wasn’t always the outspoken leader that he is now. Instead he naturally grew into the role by watching the guys before him, soaking it all in before it was his time to step up.
“This is kind of the first year that I’ve been outspoken,” Coogan said. “Obviously, last year, we had guys like Joe Alt and Blake and Zeke and Sam Hartman, who kind of led the charge, and that was great. I learned a ton from them, me being a first-year starter. I didn’t have to be that guy. This year, going into the offseason, I knew my role as a leader would increase, just based on guys leaving, guys coming in, age-wise, growing in that position group as well.
“And then being passionate, it’s kind of who I am as a person and my passion for Notre Dame as well. It’s easy to get fired up and stuff like that because of how much I love this university and how much I care for these guys.”
When the Irish took the field on Jan. 2 against Georgia, Coogan led the team out with the American flag on his shoulder, another sign of Coogan’s deep leadership within his squad. Coogan decided to run out with the flag the day before when he and fellow lineman Rocco Spindler were locked down in their hotel room due to the terrorist attack on Bourbon St.
“Really special opportunity, obviously we were all part of a tragedy down there in New Orleans,” Coogan said. “It was a really special opportunity, and I was honored to do it for the team.
“Football is a game that can unite people in the midst of tragedy, no matter the color that they're wearing. So, a really, really special opportunity there.”
One of Coogan’s highlight plays against Georgia came on a Beaux Collins end-around as he collided with a Bulldog defender, driving him all the way to Notre Dame’s bench. It looked like a statement play, but for Coogan, he was just doing his job.
“I wasn't trying to make a statement, I think I'm just doing my job, and I knew I had a good grip on them, and just finished,” Coogan said.
Coogan’s unit pulled off their best drive of the game in the fourth quarter to clinch a spot in the CFP Semifinals. Up 13 points the Irish wore down the Bulldogs with a 12 play, 41 yard drive that ate up 7:36 minutes of the game clock.
“That last drive, starting on the minus nine and having the ball for almost eight and a half minutes, was pretty special,” Coogan said. “But still, they played their butts off too. So props to them for really never giving up as well. We had to go earn it every snap, and Riley (Leonard) made an unbelievable play on that third and seven there, which really propelled us to keep that drive going, but that was a pretty, pretty special opportunity right there.”
But Coogan also knows that the path isn’t going to get a whole lot easier going against Penn State. Abdul Carter poses the threat to be a game-wrecker when healthy, which is a question mark heading into the Orange Bowl.
“Obviously a really talented player that we’re really going to have to do a great job of preparing for,” Coogan said. “It’s an exciting opportunity and he presents a bunch of unique challenges just being as talented as he is. Throughout the week, that definitely has to be a guy we hone in on just because of what he brings to the table and how talented he is. Definitely a really good opportunity for us.”
Even if Carter doesn’t play Thursday night in Miami, the Nittany Lions still pose a massive threat for the Irish offense. Coogan embraces that fact, and he embraces the chance to be a member of this Notre Dame team, which is trying to accomplish something the university hasn’t seen in a long time.
“That's what you kind of live for when you come here, when you come to a place like Notre Dame, you play for games like this,” Coogan said. “You play for games like Georgia. Play for games like Indiana in the first round of playoffs, and you certainly play for games to get to the national championship, but we got an unbelievable opportunity on our hands coming up on Thursday, and we got to prepare for it.”
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