Marcus Freeman reveals his emotions on returning to Ohio State

Marcus Freeman will be in a familiar setting when he leads Notre Dame onto the field at Ohio Stadium on Saturday for a matchup against Ohio State. A Buckeyes alumnus, Freeman played linebacker for the program from 2004-08 and was a graduate assistant in 2010 under Jim Tressel.

But as the new Fighting Irish coach gets set to return to “the Shoe,” he isn’t getting caught up in nostalgia for his old team. Instead, he is focused on the challenge of taking Notre Dame into an environment he knows firsthand can be extremely intimidating for opponents.

“I am pretty, right now, emotionless about going back to Ohio State,” Freeman explained Monday. “More it’s about the emotions you have of, ‘We get to go play a great team.’ You get to go play in a great, hostile environment. That’s to me where the emotions come. Like any competitor, you get those butterflies. You get that excitement about going into a place like that and going to compete against a great program like Ohio State.

“That to me is the focus, but how do you make sure you can keep it contained and focus on the things that matter? The preparation is what matters. That’s what we control now until Saturday is how we prepare. We’ve got to be very intentional and have a great week of preparation.”

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Freeman is set to take over for Brian Kelly, who departed this offseason for LSU. This won’t be Freeman’s first game as the Notre Dame head man, as he also coached the Fighting Irish in the Fiesta Bowl last season. However, like that bowl game, it represents a massive challenge for the 36-year-old.

Ohio State finished as the No. 1 offense in the country last season, and returns its leading rusher TreVeyon Henderson, leading receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and starting quarterback CJ Stroud. That trio helped the Buckeyes average 45.7 points per game this past season and will definitely put the Notre Dame defense and its first-year coach to the test.

However, based on his past experience at Ohio State, Marcus Freeman is ready. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Columbus.