Quick-hitters: Marcus Freeman on Notre Dame wide receiver depth, the transfer portal, pregame Mass
On Saturday, reporters were able to speak with head coach Marcus Freeman following the conclusion of Notre Dame‘s eighth spring practice.
With the Blue-Gold game just three weeks away, here’s what he had to say.
On Joe Wilkins’ injury
“He had a Lisfranc, so he had surgery. We expect him back for the season. He injured it last Saturday, and we didn’t know how bad it was. You hear about the injuries he’s had. What a tough kid. He’s gone through a lot in his life. He can overcome adversity. He’s got a good mindset.”
On the transfer portal and wide receiver
“We’ve still got a guy coming in. We’ll look after spring at our roster and see if there’s something we need to go into the portal for. We’re always looking to enhance our roster, so if we don’t feel like we’re efficient at the wideout position in terms of depth, we’re have to find ways to make sure we bring in guys that can help us.”
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On the practice progression
“The installs are pretty much done, now let’s get better at the things we have done. It was good today to put the ball down and let them scrimmage a little bit. They went back and forth, and there was good offense and good defense. Special teams made some good field goals. I’ve been really pleased with what I’m able to see.”
On concern with the size of the interior defensive line
“Not one bit at all. I’m telling you, Howard Cross is really tough to block with some really good offensive linemen. Jacob Lacey is really tough to block. Gabe Rubio is continuing to improve. Jason Onye is improving. You haven’t even seen Jayson Ademilola. I am not worried one bit about our interior defensive line.”
On the early enrollees at linebacker
“The early enrollees are getting better. They’re all improving. Probably the most college-ready one right out of high school is Junior (Tuihalamaka). Just his physicality, (he’s) physical, big. He’s done a really good job. The other three guys are athletically gifted, I think they’re just continuing to learn. (Nolan) Ziegler played wideout and safety, (Joshua) Burnham was a linebacker plus defensive end plus quarterback, and (Jaylen) Sneed just rushed off the edge. So they have to learn how to become linebackers, whereas Junior played linebacker. That’s probably why the transition for him has been a little bit smoother than the other guys. But they’re all showing a lot of progress.”
On reinstating pregame Mass
“We’re going to have Mass on our way to the stadium, kind of like it used to be. They used to do it, and it was what I remembered from my recruiting trip, watching the players walk out of the Basilica on the way to the stadium. I was a little bit caught by surprise when we didn’t do it last year.”
