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'We got a great challenge ahead': Everything Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said Monday

Kyle Kellyby: Kyle Kelly11/24/25ByKyleKelly

On Monday, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman addressed the media and answered 16 questions in his weekly news conference. Here is everything Freeman said in his 30-minute meeting with reporters five days before the Stanford game.

Opening statement

“I want to start with just the tough news with Chance Tucker and KVA, Kyngstonn (Viliamu-Asa), obviously having season-ending injuries. Chance, this is his second one, so he’ll have to decide if football is something he’ll want to continue to do. I mean, it’s just tough — five years and has really been a valuable member of our team.

“And then, Kyng, he was playing at such a high level. You feel awful for him because he puts a lot into it. I was talking to his mom this morning. Outside, everybody evaluates what he does outside his performance, but this challenge is going to be one that he’s going to have to face inside. But he’s built the right way. His mom is a strong woman that has really instilled valuable inside skills. I always talk about what’s on the inside.

“So we’ll be on the journey with him as he recovers from this injury. But he’s got a bright future. He’s got a bright future, but you just know that right now it’s just tough as you go through the situations (he’s) going through with the season-ending injury. 

“So moving forward, just obviously Saturday was a great victory for senior night. As you evaluate the film, our guys executed their responsibilities at a high level, which in turn created some really explosive plays and scores, and game-changing type plays. 

“And so I think what I’m most proud (of) was the way they prepared with their mindset for that game. They were expecting, they were ready for the fight of their lives. Like, they were ready to go. And I’m proud of the way mentally they were prepared. 

“And for two reasons, one, because the film showed that we better be prepared for a tough game. Watching film, you don’t think the score was gonna be 70 to 7. And so they were prepared for a tough challenge, but also, they went out there and did it too. 

“As we all evaluated the film, there was probably the fewest, we always say, MAs — mental errors or missed assignments — that we’ve had all season. But there still were some, all right? And as I told you Saturday after the game, there’s always opportunities to improve. 

“And a guy might have missed a signal, we might have went the wrong direction on one, we didn’t execute on the first kickoff. We didn’t always get to our guy on some of the run schemes, and so we weren’t 100%. And that’s the mindset that we have to have, because that’s what reaching your full potential is, is being perfect, right? Is being 100%. Not being perfect, but if you reach your full potential, you’re at 100%. And that’s the mindset we gotta have, 11 guys are graded every play.

“And the outcome can’t make you think you did your job if you didn’t, right? I said, every play you’re gonna get graded, thumbs up or thumbs down. And so if you didn’t grade thumbs up on that play, we gotta figure out why and we gotta find a way to fix it.

“Now, there were some guys that did grade 100%, and their challenge is to, ‘How can we do that the next Saturday?’ And the only way I know how to do that is to — the only way I know how to even give myself a chance to do that as a player — is to prepare the right way. And if you didn’t get 100% or grade at 100%, let’s go to work and let’s try to attack and find ways to fix it.

“So we got areas to improve, and we got a great challenge ahead of us as we get ready for Stanford. The thing that sticks out to me as I really kind of evaluate Stanford is their 4-1 at home, and their statistics are showing they’re playing better at home for whatever reason. They have played really well at home.

“And I know it’s Coach Frank Reich’s last game coaching the team. And so I know they’ll be emotionally invested to making sure they send him out the right way at senior night, I’m sure for them. And so we have a great challenge. 

“I think about the last three times we played Stanford, and we’ve been tied or down in the first quarter — at the end of the first quarter. So we know the challenge. This program has improved since I first got here in ’21. I think about the ’21 game at Stanford to where there are now, they’ve improved, and I’m betting they continue to improve.

“So we gotta go to work, we gotta prepare for a good offense that’s balanced. Tough downhill run team. They got some skill on the outside that are good players. Their tight end, I think, is number five in FBS and receptions. I mean, they got some good players.

“And on defense, they’re tough, they’re gritty, they run to the ball, they’re physical, they tackle well. They got a deep D-line, some good linebackers and it’s gonna be a great challenge. So we gotta go to work and focus on our preparation. If we get better this week, then we got a chance on Saturday to have success. So that’s what we gotta focus on.” 

Here is a list of the topics covered beyond Freeman’s opening statement:

  • Jeremiyah Love’s impact beyond touching the ball
  • How rising player grades shape game-planning
  • Expanded scheme options with higher player execution
  • Challenges of a late-night kickoff
  • Madden Faraimo’s growth and performance after Viliamu-Asa’s injury
  • Why Notre Dame thrives in must-win stretches
  • Sharing a fan’s family tragedy and its effect on the team
  • Freeman’s Thanksgiving message to the team
  • Comparing this year’s late-season surge to last year’s
  • Missed-assignment standards and 100% graders
  • Team chemistry and its role in success
  • Jalen Stroman and examples of “Team Glory”
  • Handling Noah Burnette’s injury and the kicking plan.
  • Balancing recovery, finals and signing day in coming weeks
  • Stanford’s improvements beyond the numbers
  • Chris Ash’s defensive convictions and their impact

Q. Jeremiyah Love is not gonna get 300 carries like we’ve seen from some other recent Heisman-caliber running backs. But when you turn on the tape, how does he impact the opponent, even when the ball doesn’t go to him?

FREEMAN: “Yeah, I think, you look at Jeremiyah Love and you say, ‘OK, one, every time he gets the ball, there’s a chance that he can go all the way.’ And I mean, yes, he’s not gonna get the carries that maybe all the other running backs in the country get. But what he does when he does get the carries is — I mean, his yards per carry is tremendous.

“Then you see what he does in the pass game, right? And he doesn’t always get the ball, but he’s a legitimate threat as a running back out of the backfield in the pass game. 

“But the thing I’m most pleased about, which people that watch him probably don’t care about, is the way he protects. I mean, the pride he takes in protecting the quarterback. There was times previously in his first or second year that we would say, ‘Hey, if it’s a passing situation, you might put somebody else in there.’ But there’s never a time where we say, ‘Take him off the field.’ He’s just, he’s that consistent in his play. 

“I really love it every time we run the QB power. Just watch every time we run a QB power and Jeremiyah Love’s in there, what he does to that linebacker, that safety, to whoever’s in front of him. He tries to go punish him. 

“And that’s what you respect about him. He’s not a guy that just says, ‘When I get the ball, I’m gonna go make something happen.’ Every play he’s in there, he’s trying to do his job with physicality. I mean, he is a true, complete running back.”

Q. Hey, Marcus. As you guys continue to grade out better and better over the weeks, because I think you’re trending — it seems to me like you’re trending that way. I’m wondering if you could share what that does for the coaching staff as you start to put together game plans and you have more confidence in more guys. 

Like, what does that do for you guys? And is there maybe an example or two you can share?

FREEMAN: “In terms of, give me a little bit more, Pete [Byrne], like in terms of?”

Q. I guess if your guys grade out so high that your confidence in them is naturally high, that whatever we’re asking them to do, they’re doing that. How does that allow you to expand what the team’s repertoire is?

FREEMAN: “Yeah, I think it starts with just always evaluating what you’re asking them to do. ‘OK, they’re grading out really well.’ What did we ask them to do? I think as you look at Syracuse — I’m just talking about the (Notre Dame) defense right now — they did so much defensively that you had to be a little bit more simplistic in terms of some of your run game schemes. 

“And I think as you get ready for this next one, we’re gonna do the things we do well. We know that. But how can we enhance off of the foundation of what each week the game plan’s gonna be? And I think that’s the math equation of the tactical side of football. You have to start with, ‘OK, here’s the things we know we’re gonna do, and we do them well. How can we now find different creative ways to maybe fit that scheme, but maybe it looks different for a defense or an offense? 

“And the same thing goes for the defensive side of the ball is that, ‘OK we know we’re playing these couple coverages well, this pressure well. How can we disguise it in a way that it’s gonna look different for that quarterback as he sees it pre-snap?’

“But for our guys, we’re just showing them something, and we’re playing with velocity. And so you always start with, the foundations, the things you do well, and then you build it from there.”

Q. Are there any different challenges or concerns that come with playing a game so much later at night than normal?

FREEMAN: “Yeah, it’s gonna start with the mental approach. And I gotta make sure that the mental approach to this 7:30 Pacific kickoff time is that it’s Notre Dame time. And that’s the first thing is the mindset we have to have.

“But there’s also small adjustments that we’ll do probably towards the end of the week in terms to making sure that physically our guys are ready at 7:30, right? When we’re out there. And we got a long flight out there. 

“We know that Saturday’s gonna be a little bit different to the body in terms of wake-up time. And so there’s little things that we do as a sports performance staff to make sure we can help them be ready at 7:30. They gotta be ready to go. But to me, the number one thing is the mental approach to it.”

Q. Hey, Marcus, with the KVA news, Madden [Faraimo] obviously already played more on Saturday. I think third on the team with five tackles. What did you like about his performance Saturday, and where has he grown the most in recent weeks?

FREEMAN: “Yeah, he is a ascending player, right? And the more he’s out there, the better he continues to play. He’s preparing in a really positive way. I think the greatest thing Kyng did for Madden was they hung out a lot. And so Madden learned how to prepare in a similar way that Kyng did. 

“But he’s getting better. He’s getting better at all facets of playing the linebacker position. And he’s doing a really good job, (including what) we’re asking him to do on special teams. And so his role will increase, as well as Kahanu Kia’s, and as well as some of those other guys that have been playing.”

Q. And then, I know every team’s different, but last year you guys won basically 13 consecutive must-win games. This year, you’ve won nine consecutive must-win games, for lack of a better term. 

What translates? What makes your team so successful in those settings? And also, how has it done so while still appearing to play loose? Like, you guys don’t get real uptight on Saturdays.

FREEMAN: “I mean, the biggest thing is right now you’re just focused on this one, right? And so, I always say is you look back at something, you say, ‘Man, you guys went on a run, or you guys had a great season, or you guys did some really good things.’ But in the moment, you’re just so entrenched on this opportunity right in front of you. And I think that’s what’s important.

“Like that’s enough pressure, right? You start thinking about this big picture and what’s happening in an uncertain future, that’s added pressure that you don’t need. You need to focus on — I mean, this is the Super Bowl. And I’ve said that plenty of times. But it is. You learn from the past, you let it go, and you say, ‘OK, we don’t talk about an uncertain future, this game Saturday is the Super Bowl.’

“And it can’t be lip service, your actions have to follow that. And if our actions do follow that, I’m confident. I’m confident in terms of being prepared for the opportunity Saturday. If it’s lip service and we all don’t commit to doing the things that it takes to improve and treat this game like it’s the Super Bowl, then we’ve all been a part of what that outcome can be. 

“And so it’s just the maturity to understand the great opportunity you have on Saturday. If you believe it’s a great opportunity — it’s my job to make sure they understand the great opportunity we have for Saturday. If you believe it’s a great opportunity, you’ll value the moment. If you don’t believe that’s a great opportunity, you’re just gonna lose this moment cause you’re gonna just start thinking about other things.

“And so it all starts with believing this is a great opportunity Saturday night. If you truly believe that, then you’ll go and focus on and value the moment that you have.”

Q. Marcus, Dan Hicks shared an anecdote on the broadcast this past weekend that you caught wind that a young Notre Dame fan’s father passed away at the Pitt game the previous week. And I was wondering, and he said that you shared that message with the team on Wednesday. 

Why did you feel that was important, and what kind of impact can that make on a football team?

FREEMAN: “Yeah, I think for me, obviously I meet with Katy [Lonergan] every morning. We go through important emails or things that we need to go over. She told me about a young man from Steubenville named JJ that his father passed away at the Pitt game. 

“And as I thought about that moment. They talked about his father died the perfect death. He said he was at a Notre Dame game with his family. And it hit me — like the gratitude I have for this opportunity. But also it reminded me that it’s gonna be somebody else’s first game, watching our team play. It’s gonna be somebody else’s lifelong dream to watch us play on Saturday. And sometimes you need to remind yourself of that because you take it for granted sometimes. And we can’t take it for granted.

“So I just thought it was a way for me on a Wednesday to remind our team, ‘Yes, Team Glory matters for each other.’ If that ain’t enough motivation to get you to practice — let me remind you about the seniors. The seniors at their last guaranteed opportunity in Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday. If that ain’t important to you, let me tell you about this young man that lost his father at the Pitt-Notre Dame game. 

“We have an obligation to make sure we put on a performance the right way because it’s a lifelong dream of some person that’s gonna see our team play. And we have an obligation to make sure that we give it all to have a performance, not an outcome, but a performance that’s worthy of what that kid or adult’s paying their money to come watch you play.

“And so whatever motivation you need to value the moment, I hope Team Glory is enough. I hope that’s enough. But if it’s not, then let me tell you a couple other situations that you better value what Saturday brings to you because then you’ll do the work in the moment.”

Q. And to that last point, I know you usually use Thanksgiving as a big week to motivate your players. So what are you thankful for about this Notre Dame football team? And kind of what’s the message going into this regular season finale on that front?

FREEMAN: “The message right now is gonna be the opportunity to play for the Legends Trophy. We got it and we gotta do everything in our power to try to keep this thing. And it’s a rivalry game. And that’s what’s most important, we gotta respect our opponent. We gotta respect the history and tradition of this game. 

“And as we probably get into Thanksgiving, I’m gonna talk about, I’m sure, the gratitude I have to be a part of this program, to lead this program, to be a part of this with this group of coaches and players and staff members. But also this university and what it stands for and the people it impacts. And I’m grateful for it. 

“And because I’m grateful for it, it’s my job to do everything in my power to make sure that I’m being the best in my position that I can be. To me, gratitude reminds you to value the opportunity you have. And so I’m sure at some point, somewhere on Thursday, I’m gonna bring that up when we talk. But right now, the focus is gonna be on this great opportunity we have versus Stanford on Saturday.”

Q. Marcus, question is similar to John’s [Brice’s], just about last year, this year. The run that you’ve been on, not just winning games, but playing really well and getting better as the season goes on. Does this feel similar or different to last year? If it’s different, what way is it different?

FREEMAN: “I think as you look back at last year, you just see it as a whole. It’s hard to remember what it was like in the moment. Like right now, we’re in the middle of this thing, and it’s high pressure. I mean, it’s like an anxiousness for this opportunity. You’re in the middle of the grind.

“And that’s what it is. I’m sure this is what I felt last year at this time. But as you look back, you just see the big picture, what it turned into. You don’t remember how you felt after Northern Illinois, or as you got ready for the season finale at USC. I’m sure it was the exact same way I feel now. 

“That’s what I told the players the other day. ‘Is your motivation to prepare the same as it was after Texas A&M? What was your motivation on that Tuesday or Wednesday as you got ready for Arkansas?’ Yeah, we gotta make sure that same eagerness to prepare is what we have right now as we get ready for Stanford. Because you gotta let the things that happened in the past go. You gotta just look at this opportunity that we have right in front of us.”

Q. You mentioned missed assignments. Like, what’s the average performance for that? What’s the goal? How often do guys get 100%? Who’s your leader in 100%ers?

FREEMAN: “Very seldom do guys get 100%, very seldom. I mean, I can’t exactly remember everybody. I think there was one or two DBs. I know Leonard [Moore], I think, graded out 100. [Anthonie] Knapp, I think might have. [Jalen] Stro[man] might have.

“I mean, it doesn’t happen often — very, very often. But I love it because you can. If you do your job, every snap, you know what I mean? You can grade out at 100%. But you said, ‘What’s the goal?’ The goal is 100%. That’s always the goal, is to grade out at 100% and be perfect. Are we ever that? Very, very seldom. As a team, I’ve never been part of a team that’s been perfect, but that’s what we’re chasing. That’s what reaching your full potential truly entails. 

“We probably average 10 (MAs), maybe throughout the season. I would say 15 would be high, maybe 20 would be really high. Eight is the lowest it’s ever been. I think we were eight, we had eight in our two deep. But as I’m gonna tell them in the team meeting, it was 14 as an entire team and that’s what matters. I don’t care if you’re in the two deep or not. And so the goal we strive for is zero.”

Q. Jalen Stroman, after the game, talked a lot about the love that everyone has for one another on the team and the special bond. How does that feel for you as the coach of the team? And how is that such a crucial part of the team’s success?

FREEMAN: “Yeah, I think team, I love that word, team. It’s a team game. And this team needs everybody to embrace their role and to put individual accolades and opportunities behind team. 

“And to hear a guy like Jalen Stroman say those things. One, there is a organic, if you care, really care about your team and enjoy being around them, there’s gonna be a natural care factor to get your job done. I always say it ultimately is a choice, but if you really have a feeling of love and care for your teammate, there’s gonna be a little extra to, ‘I don’t wanna let you down.’ This isn’t just for me, it’s cause I don’t wanna let you down.

“And Stro’s just a great example of that. I’m so happy for him on Saturday because, I mean, he could argue, ‘Well, why am I not playing more? I’m as good as anybody else.’ But he embraces his role. And he got a bigger role on Saturday, and he capitalized off of it and made some game-changing play — I mean, did some really, really good things. 

“And I’m proud of him because a similar person in that situation that would complain about their role, they’re not gonna be ready for that opportunity that happened Saturday. 

“But it was funny, we did a senior parent video where parents speak to their child, and I haven’t really gotten to know his parents that well. But at the end of the video, his parents said something about, their advice to Jalen was, ‘Go out and be the best teammate you can be. Put team in front of yourself, find a way to win.’ It wasn’t, ‘Go out and ball.’ He said, ‘Go out and … you’re team.’ And I said, ‘He gets that from home, he gets that from home.'”

Q. How else do you see that Team Glory in people like Jalen Stroman, who have kind of had to really work their way up the stats? And how has that been such a valuable lesson for them that they’ve brought on to the field in their performance?

FREEMAN: “Yeah, I think it’s, yes, it’s a reflection of what we do on Saturdays, right? Is that you embrace your role, you put team before self. Because I want the scout team player that never got a chance to step on that field, which a lot of people did on Saturday, to feel as a part of that Team Glory feeling as everybody else, because he put everything into his role.

“Like that’s what Team Glory is — that if you put everything into your defined role, you should feel a success. Like there is nobody that gets more credit because you threw a touchdown or J-Love ran for these touchdowns. Like every person in this room should feel a part of us achieving Team Glory. And that’s why we talk about, we don’t have a lot of individual praise and individual glory. We let you guys do that.

“But it’s also a reflection of life, right? And the great example is a marriage. If you put individual needs in front of your spouse’s needs, I don’t know how long you’re gonna be married. That’s what I tell them all the time. It’s the same thing being a father. You’re gonna have to learn to be selfless and put others in front of yourself. It’s one of the greatest traits a person can have.”

Q. Hey, Marcus. Marty Biagi kind of indicated last week that Noah Burnette could get back in the mix, if he gets healthy, I think was the keyword. So I’m kind of, with him specifically, how similar or dissimilar is his injury to [Mitch] Jeter last year? And then how do you wanna kind of handle that place kicking/kickoff going forward?

FREEMAN: “Yeah, it’s a different injury. They’re both groin/hip/lower leg/muscle tear/strains. But it wasn’t the same as Mitch’s. But that’s something we just kind of talked about. Postseason, we gotta figure out what’s going on. Even talking to him, what we asked him to do here isn’t as much as maybe what they’ve done previously. But we look at all soft tissue injuries and say there’s gotta be a cause and effect. What’s the issue and how do we fix it? 

“And so with Noah, as soon as he gets healthy, which it could be this week, it’s to be determined based off today and tomorrow. Once he gets healthy, let’s let him kick and let Erik [Schmidt] kick. And we’ll make a decision by the end of the week on who’s doing what or who’s doing all on Saturday. But Noah’s gotta get healthy first before we can even come to that decision.”

Q. And then from a little bit bigger team perspective, bigger picture after this week, obviously, you’ve got signing day coming up, and finals are coming up, and things like that. How much of the next few weeks maybe is about recovery, and then when do you get into practice and ramping up again?

FREEMAN: “Yeah, I mean, we’ve kinda scheduled out the next couple weeks. You have to have a plan. I mean, you can’t wait until after Stanford to have a plan, but we have a plan.

“We gotta recover where we can, but we gotta stay ready. We can’t drop too much. We gotta recover in certain areas. We gotta stay in the weight room. We’ll do some football specific stuff. They got finals coming up that we gotta make sure we give them time to prepare there, and we gotta practice too. We can’t take a couple weeks off. We gotta still be able to practice while also helping some of the guys that have played a lot of plays recover. 

“And so it’s an equation, right? And at times it can be individually specific based on what we’re asking you — based off the load you’ve had over the course of 12 games versus what we asked this person to do, who maybe hasn’t played as much. What you’re gonna ask them to do in the weight room, on the football field could be different. But ultimately, we gotta make sure if we get an opportunity after this one, that when that opportunity presents itself, everybody’s at a position of peak performance before that game.”

Q. Coach, you mentioned that you’ve seen statistically the improvement, some of the improvements that Stanford has made. I wonder if there’s anything that you’ve seen beyond the stats, considering that their head coach this season has an extensive background in the NFL, and Andrew Luck, as their GM, is maybe invested in ways that a lot of GMs aren’t.

FREEMAN: “Yeah, I see there’s a lot of guys that are playing this year that played last year. So it tells me that they didn’t have a mass exodus. A lot of those guys have been there. They believe in their culture. They believe in Stanford. They believe in what they’re building there.

“They’re a well-coached team. They have a system on offense, defense and special teams, right? There’s always — when it’s hard to figure out what somebody’s doing, because I’m involved with the scout teams, you wonder sometimes, ‘What’s the system? Where’s the core rules and foundation of it?’ But they have, obviously, a system on offense, defene and special teams. 

“You can tell they pride themselves — the stats don’t matter on this one — but they pride themselves on being able to run the ball. They wanna run the ball. They wanna run the ball. And on defense, they’re gonna do everything in their power to stop the run.

“They’re playing a little bit more man this year than they did previously, but they play hard. They play hard, they’re tough, they’re disciplined. They don’t often beat themselves, and so that shows me that this is a well-coached team.”

Q. It was mentioned in the broadcast, and I don’t know if this is an accurate depiction or it’s a paraphrase, but the comment was made that with regard to the defense and Chris Ash, that he hung with his convictions. Does that resonate in any way specifically? And if so, what were the convictions that Chris Ash hung with?

FREEMAN: “I think it’s, he has a little philosophy in terms of what we’re playing. Yeah, but it’s more so how we’re coaching it. The fundamentals of successful defense. We all believe it wasn’t a call. It was the fundamentals and the execution of what we’re asking our guys to do. 

“Those are the convictions I know that Coach Ash is really talking about. It’s like, ‘Hey, there’s a lot of different ways to play defense.’ The things we’re doing are wrong, it’s just the execution of them. And we have to double down with finding ways to get them to execute better.

“Is it technique, is it concepts, schemes? But it was, ‘Guys, we are, this thing isn’t wrong. We’re not wrong, we just gotta do it better.’ Maybe we have to simplify a little bit before we can expand. But what we’re doing at the core isn’t wrong, and we all agree.

“He had conviction, I have conviction. The whole defensive staff had conviction. Our players had conviction. Even if the ones that might have wavered, I don’t know who they are, but the leaders had conviction and buy in to the staff and what we’re being asked to do.

“And so I knew that, but that was going to be what it took to get it fixed, right? To improve, not get it fixed. We have to get it to improve and that’s what happened.”