Everything head coach Marcus Freeman said about Notre Dame’s signees

By Kyle Kelly

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman spoke publicly about the program’s 2024 recruiting class for the first time Wednesday. During his signing day news conference, he left few stones unturned.

In about a 45-minute presser, Freeman dedicated about half of it to the high school football recruits it signed Wednesday. Here is everything he said about them, including comments on Cam Williams, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Guerby Lambert, CJ Carr and others.

On the importance of signing a five-star wide receiver and what Cam Williams can add to the group: 

“I don’t know if Cam (Williams) was maybe a five-star when he committed. I don’t know when he became one, but the thing that attracted us to Cam was his speed. When we said, ‘Hey, we need to address speed.’ That was part of Loren Landow. That’s a part of recruiting. We want to continue to enhance our speed on the outside on both sides of the ball. 

“That was the thing with Cam. We saw him, multiple times, run 4.4s. We had him in camp. We had him live. He is a tremendous player from Chicago. And we got to make sure that the best players in Chicago that fit this place continue to come to Notre Dame. That was the case with Cam.”

On the additions of Aneyas Williams and Kedren Young to the running backs room:

“I remember when Aneyas (Williams) came here for camp, we had not offered him. He was here with a lot of great prospects, and he was the best one. We offered him at that camp. Then he went on to get a whole bunch of offers.

“He committed probably shortly after that — in the summer sometime. He is a very unique player that, again, believed in Notre Dame but also in the development that Deland McCullough would do for him. We have a history of producing great running backs, and Deland McCullough has a history of continuing to develop great running backs. 

“Again, there were a lot of people pulling at Aneyas, but he stayed strong. He continued to come over here and be a part of this thing. I’m really excited to have him here. 

“Kedren (Young) was the second-to-last home visit that I went to. I remember sitting in his home with his mother, Coach McCullough, and a couple of us there, his three brothers and sisters — what a unique family. What a strong mother he has.

“You talk about being close to a lot of schools in Texas that I know wanted him. For him to be committed to us for such a long time — he came on his official visit. He wasn’t committed then, and then right after the official visit, he said, ‘This is where I want to be. And this is who I believe in.’ For him to stay solid — I left his house saying, ‘We’ve got a special one there.’ 

“I believe both of those guys are going to do tremendous things here. But both of them understand Notre Dame and want to be a part of it.”

On the importance and evolution of quarterback CJ Carr practicing with the team before the Sun Bowl: 

“With a quarterback, I think it’s unique to get here early to learn the playbook. It’s different, especially for the quarterback. It’s been great to have him here. 

“There can be two rights, in that I have recruits and parents ask me all the time, ‘Is he going to be behind if he doesn’t start mid-year?’ Academically, yeah, you miss a semester, but in terms of the opportunity to play football — some of the greatest players we’ve had as freshmen here or in my career, had been in the summer, right? 

“Ben Morrison was a summer guy. I can’t remember if Kyle Hamilton was a summer guy. I think he was another guy that started. When I was at Cincinnati, Sauce Gardner was a summer guy. I’m talking about three guys that started as true freshmen. 

“There’s also an added benefit to coming in early, too. So, there’s no wrong with coming in early or coming in the summer. It’s whatever is the preference of that student-athlete. But to have CJ here in this bowl practice time has been great for him in terms of the adjustment and to the expectations for football.”

On what makes Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa a special linebacker:

“(Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa’s) probably the most, I would say right now, college-ready recruit we have — physically, mentally. He comes from an unbelievable program at St. John Bosco. But he’s so mature. The more you talk to him — he’s got a goofy side to him — but Kyngstonn is mature. I always say, ‘He’s like a grown man.’ 

“Great parents. They are two of the strongest parents that I’ve been around. And his mother, when we recruited him, she said, ‘I want him to go somewhere where he’s going to get a great education. I want him to go somewhere that education is important. 

“I think back to his father, when (Kyngstonn) committed in my office saying, ‘Just take care of my boy. Take care of my son.’ It was an emotional meeting. But that is just a reflection of how he was raised, right? 

“As a football player, he is a physical tackler, physical block destructor. There are a lot of traits that he has that make him one of the highest recruited linebackers in the country. But to get him here, get him here early, he’ll have a chance to compete right away, I’m sure.”

On the growth of defensive lineman Bryce Young after Notre Dame was the first school to offer him:

“Well, (Bryce Young’s) last name obviously tells us what his bloodlines are like. I told him, ‘Nobody talks about his mom, that was the track star.’ She ran track. I said, ‘He gets it from his mom.’ He came to camp and he was tall and skinny. But he showed some skill sets that said, ‘Okay, this guy is going to be good.’ And now you look at him, he’s huge. 

“I mean, in a year, I mean, it might’ve been a year and a half, he’s gained weight, and I think he’s even gotten taller. But he has the tools. He’s got everything that I’m sure his father had when he came here. He’s going to be a great player for us.  

“He’s a great young person that, you know what I told him is that, ‘If you don’t see the value of Notre Dame by looking at your parents, then if I can’t convince you to come here, then I’m going to struggle, right?’ Because you can look at Mom and Dad and realize the power of this place and this university. So, he didn’t commit right away, but we were able to get him to understand how important it is to get him here.”

On safety Kennedy Urlacher and what it is about Notre Dame that appeals to NFL families: 

“When your dads are Hall of Famers, the fathers can say, ‘This game will end.’ You want to make a decision that will help you reach all your athletic goals. Don’t cheat your athletic goals. But understand the game of football ends so fast. 

“You’re talking about guys that have played multiple years —13, 14, 15 years — in the NFL. But I think even talking to Brian Urlacher, he’s able to tell Kennedy (Urlacher), ‘Hey, man, this game’s is going to end. So, go somewhere where you can maximize your football opportunities, but understand, set yourself up for life after football. 

“I think that coming from the Urlacher family, a guy that didn’t come here, right? But understood the value of Notre Dame. He had a huge impact on his son Kennedy. 

“I think Bryce is different because his parents both went here. But Brian didn’t and still understood how special this place was. I think it speaks volumes to guys that have played the game, at the highest level, one of the best to ever do it — talking about both Urlacher and Young — but also the understanding that ‘Hey, football, the career, no matter how long you play is short.'”

On the physical and mental side of offensive tackle Guerby Lambert:

“It came down to us and Harvard. You’re talking about a top 50 recruit in the country. We call (Guerby Lambert) the dancing bear; that was his nickname. He was a soccer player. His whole family was big into soccer. He played soccer up through his freshman year. He’s only played football for four years, starting his freshman year. 

“He is a great player. When we were recruiting Boubacar (Traore), I remember his coach telling me, ‘There’s a kid in the next class that’s going to be one of the best offensive linemen in the country.’ From that point, we started recruiting him. 

“For him to commit to this place because education was important. Not just football. Especially for his mother, education was so important in this decision to get him here. I mean, he fits everything this program looks for.”

On CJ Carr’s ceiling:

“I don’t know how high it will be, but it’s extremely high. I watched (CJ Carr) throw the ball in practice these last couple of days, and he’s got a great arm. His decision-making. He processes information and makes decisions at a high level.  But he’s a freshman. 

“The one thing you can’t take into consideration when you talk about hard work, you have a goal, and we know it’s going to be hard work, but you’d never know how much time has to be put in to reach those goals. We’ll see how much time it will take him. But I truly believe he has such a high ceiling in terms of where he’ll be as a football player. 

“He’s so competitive. That’s the thing about CJ. He’s smart, athletic and talented, but he’s competitive. And those are things that are hard to measure. He comes to some junior days, where he’s around some of his teammates. I mean, he’s one of the most competitive guys there is. So, that’s what you want in a quarterback.”

On the moment CJ Carr committed:

“The first commit, CJ Carr, sitting on our balcony. What a unique situation with his family and both grandfathers. His father played at Michigan. 

“I remember him saying, ‘This is where I want to be.’ When he left my office, I said, ‘That’s the leader you want for your program. A guy that says, ‘I want to create my own road.’ As a quarterback, that’s what you need. You need a leader. That’s what he was and what he is. I’m excited to see the growth of him.”