The last we looked at the state of Notre Dame coaching was after week five of the regular season, following a Notre Dame home win against Louisville. Up to that point, there was still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the program as the Irish had yet to find their rhythm, but the Louisville game was certainly a step in the right direction. Since then, Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish have hit their stride, running the table en route to a College Football Playoff Appearance. Let's provide a much needed update.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
Head Coach - Marcus Freeman
There is probably no one on the staff who deserves more credit than Marcus Freeman does when it comes to turning this ship around, and rightfully so. Following the NIU loss, there were many people calling for his job. Three months later, his name is being brought up in NFL coaching circles.
“Sometimes you gotta lose to gain. Sometimes that’s life...I told our program, I told our players Monday after that game, I said, ‘This will be the greatest thing that ever happened to this football team if we learn from it and continue to use it. It would be the greatest thing that could happen to us.’ It was."
Freeman nailed it with this quote. Since that loss, this team has played with a different attitude and energy, and that starts at the top with Freeman. To start the year, Freeman still had his usual charismatic and upbeat attitude. The loss changed all of that, though. That change can be seen on and off the field. Off the field, he approaches press conferences a lot differently. There wasn't nearly as much smiling, and he appeared a lot more focused on the task at hand on a week to week basis. He often talked about fixing the little things, playing a complete game, and striving for perfection. This mirrors his demeanor on the field. Freeman has become a lot more animated on the field when there is a missed assignment, bad penalty, or just poor play. He appears to be holding his players to a higher standard than he had before. Even in blowout wins, he still coaches his players hard until the final whistle. That attitude seems to have transferred over to the players based on their dominate play on the field. This new attitude has led this team to become a top five team in offensive and defensive scoring. Notre Dame is no longer a team that will overlook an opponent.
The NIU loss appears to be the valuable lesson he needed to learn to become the coach many thought he could be. Although it was a rocky start, Freeman's ability to rally his players and raise the standard of play has pushed this team to a spot to host a home playoff game. He's already proved that he has what it takes to win a big game this season. Now we get to see if Freeman has this team emotionally mature enough to handle a playoff run.
Overall, you have to be extremely impressed with the way the season ended if you're a Notre Dame fan. We've seen Marcus Freeman stumble before, but this time, the comeback felt deeply personal. The team improved drastically week by week to get to where they're at now, and the culture and mindset of the program is in one of the healthiest spots it has been in a very long time. Freeman has clearly elevated in year three. Let's see if he can finish the job.
Offensive Coordinator - Mike Denbrock
Mike Denbrock was seen as the savior that the Notre Dame offense needed when the season started, but the glitz and glam quickly faded once the play on the field was far below the standard to start the year. This offense saw a lot of new pieces inserted when the season began, and the issues were glaring. The Irish offense ranked near the bottom of the country in nearly every offensive metric, and the results on the field reflected that.
Since then, Mike Denbrock and the rest of the coaching staff have done a great job to right the ship. Riley Leonard was a huge topic of discussion in the first half of the season. There was not a lot of trust that he would be good enough to win this team games. Credit to the staff, Leonard and the offense have turned into a well-oiled machine that is now fourth in the country in scoring, averaging nearly 40 points per game. To compliment, they are one of the top teams in scoring differential. During this 11-game winning streak, the offense has been winning in convincing fashion, scoring over 40 points in six of their games. The passing game has seen steady progression throughout the year, although it's still far from the strength of the team. It hasn't always looked great, but it has proven to be serviceable when called upon. Mike Denbrock started this progression by slowing things down for Leonard, giving him high percentage throws to help build his confidence. Since the rocky start, Leonard has looked far more comfortable, isn't breaking the pocket unnecessarily, and has been hitting easy throws. All this without mentioning the use of his legs. Speaking of, this Irish rushing attack has been as explosive as any in the entire country, and ranks third in yards among power five schools.
Mike Denbrock had perhaps some of the highest expectations of any Notre Dame staffer in his return to South Bend. Though it took some time, he has fleshed out an identity on offense that is playing (and scoring) at an elite level. There isn't another unit in the country that is more improved than this Notre Dame offense.
Defensive Coordinator- Al Golden
To put it quite simply, Al Golden was arguably the best defensive coordinator in the country entering the season, and nothing has changed. Golden's impressive defense has him in contention for the Broyles Award, given to the best coordinator in the country. Golden's complex and pressure-oriented defense has become a staple for Notre Dame football, and this year's unit is clearly his best yet.
The defense has shown all year that it is one of the best units in the country, resulting in it becoming the third ranked scoring defense, with only 13.6 points allowed per game. The defense has been able to keep the team in every game this year, or just outright win it, allowing the offense a safety blanket to develop. They have held teams to 14 points or less nine times this year, something they did six times the year before. Notre Dame has leaned on this defense all year, and more often than not, they responded to the challenge. Against a dynamic USC team, where the defense had their worst game, they came up huge in the clutch with back-to-back pick sixes to seal a playoff appearance. Maybe the most impressive part of this defense, and a true testament to Golden's coaching acumen, is how they've been able to overcome injuries. This injury bug started with losing senior pass rusher Jordan Botelho for the year with a knee injury. The defensive line faced another injury when breakout star Boubacar Traore suffered a season-ending injury. The secondary wasn't immune to injuries either, as All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison's season ended with a hip surgery. The defense also lost cornerback Jaden Mickey to the transfer portal, Howard Cross III missed a game with a sprained ankle, and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa has missed time with a knee injury. With all of these injuries, Golden has handled the change gracefully, and has kept this defense playing at an extremely high level. Having worked hard to develop players at depth positions, Notre Dame's defensive future is looking extremely bright. Notre Dame has won the turnover margin in every win this year, and has set a program record for pick-sixes. Altogether, this is one of the best defenses in the country and a lot can be attributed to Golden's elite coaching.
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