Marcus Freeman Praises Notre Dame’s Competitive Edge During Spring Practice
Spring ball brings a mix of excitement and uncertainty. New players and coaches are adjusting to a new program, while younger players get their first real opportunity to show development.
It’s also 15 practices where some teams can drift, as the spring lacks the urgency of fall camp or game week.
That hasn’t been the case for Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame.
If anything, the Irish have stood out for the opposite reason.
Despite more than 30 new faces on the roster, Notre Dame has shown an edge while staying connected, something Freeman believes is setting the foundation for 2026.
“It feels like the closest group we've had,” Freeman stated. “They compete against each other. They're tough. They might get into a couple scuffles, but they can continue to move forward and that's a good sign. That you have a close group that's competitive and they're really making each other better.”
Scuffles during spring practice aren’t unusual. They’re almost expected when the same players line up against each other day after day.
Freeman welcomes it, especially given he doesn’t have to force it.
“There's plenty of go-to guys, but I don't really have to do that,” Freeman said when asked if there are guys he can go to if the team needs some juice. “These dudes are competitive. I don't want them to lose that competitive spirit. If we don't have scuffles or tussles, we're probably not as competitive as I aspire to have our team to be.
“We do have a simple rule. Two guys fighting is the max and we're not gonna have full teammate melees. So two guys are fighting, they're fighting, everybody else's job is to break them up.”
This group hasn’t lacked the ability to chirp.
The return of tight end Cooper Flanagan has likely added fuel to the fire. Flanagan has been in the middle of several scuffles in the past with his physical style of play
“It's football,” Flanagan said last week. “Tempers are going to flare. It's just fun. I love doing that stuff. It's competing.”
Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, CJ Carr, is another one of those players who won’t hold back with his trash-talking.
The Irish have also found the balance of ensuring Notre Dame has an edge, but also making sure No. 13 doesn’t get touched, despite Carr’s chirping at times.
“Don’t touch the red jersey,” said Freeman. “CJ Carr and the quarterbacks are in red jerseys. I don't ever want to see our quarterback in a scuffle. It hasn't happened, let's make sure it doesn't happen.
“Now, CJ can probably get some fights started, especially with his mouth, you know? But he's going to stay out of them.”
Freeman also has another rule regarding the scuffles. Don’t waste time.
“Our guys do an unbelievable job at pulling guys apart,” explained Freeman. “So then you're not wasting time. We got so much work to do, we can't waste two minutes breaking up a fight. There are some consequences if we waste too much time. I'm gonna get some time back somehow, some way, but again, you want that.”
Freeman, who grew up with an older brother, is used to this. Brothers fight, and Notre Dame’s culture allows practice to be chippy.
“I say this all the time, me and my brother, when we would fight, but there's a line you don't cross,” Freeman explained. “When you're fighting your brother, if you love them, some people might think I'm crazy, but you just don't cross a certain line. Everybody's line might be a little bit different, but that's ours.”
The ability of Notre Dame’s players to leave their differences on the field speaks to the culture Freeman has created. It’d be easy for a scuffle to linger into The Gug, but the Irish have done a good job of making sure it doesn’t.
“It can't be personal,” said Freeman. “OK, you went too hard, I thought you went too hard. I'm mad, I threw a punch or whatever, let's break it up and let's go. But non-negotiable is to carry everything off the field and if I hear about that, then we have a bigger issue.
“Our captains and our leaders gotta make sure we stop it, or I ultimately do.”
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