I was reading The Athletic this morning and saw an interesting bit from Bruce Feldman, a college football writer I respect, about what MF is doing with the ND football program. Here is what Feldman said:
"14. Last Saturday’s trip to South Bend was a blast. It was just an awesome scene in a very special place. It was actually the first game I’ve seen at Notre Dame since the Bush Push game and the atmosphere was terrific. The school has done a wonderful job with the game day experience. Marcus Freeman has had to learn on the job over the past year-and-a-half and no doubt there have been some rocky moments, but I get the sense he’s building something pretty special there. The Irish have a lot of athletes on both sides of the ball. Can they do what Jim Harbaugh has eventually gotten Michigan to, and elevate this program from very good to great? Maybe. That was the sticking point that the Brian Kelly regime never was able to get past in South Bend. The recruiting and development piece of all that takes a lot of time, as it has in Ann Arbor. I am curious to see where this program goes now that it has some real momentum — and some time to catch its breath.
"The Irish have the No. 8-ranked recruiting class according to 247Sports. It’s led by QB C.J. Carr, the No. 36 overall prospect, and top-50 WR Cam Williams. Notre Dame hasn’t finished higher than No. 9 since 2013 — the year it signed Jaylon Smith."
I know Marcus still has his doubters here, but I am all aboard the Marcus Freeman train. Has he made some mistakes? Most certainly. Will he make more in the future? Probably. But I have a sense of optimism I haven't had for many, many years, and when I read something like this from a writer I believe knows a thing or two about college football, I am bullish on the future. When I see former ND greats like Joe Montana, Tim Brown and Jerome Bettis on the sidelines for a game, as they were this past weekend for the USC game, that tells me that former players sense something special is happening, too. I had my hopes with Brian Kelly, but it became obvious to me after a couple of seasons that he wasn't likely to get the job done. I still had hope, but deep inside I just didn't think--in fact, I knew--it wasn't going to happen. But when I see what Marcus Freeman is doing with the program, I feel differently. If C.J. Carr or Kenny Minchey turn out to be the QBs I think they can be, and we can bring in more guys like Cam Williams at the skill positions, watch out. Have patience my fellow ND fans--a commodity that is often in short supply here--a national championship is going to happen with Marcus Freeman.
Maybe I had too much Koolaid this morning, but that is how I see things.
Carry on.
"14. Last Saturday’s trip to South Bend was a blast. It was just an awesome scene in a very special place. It was actually the first game I’ve seen at Notre Dame since the Bush Push game and the atmosphere was terrific. The school has done a wonderful job with the game day experience. Marcus Freeman has had to learn on the job over the past year-and-a-half and no doubt there have been some rocky moments, but I get the sense he’s building something pretty special there. The Irish have a lot of athletes on both sides of the ball. Can they do what Jim Harbaugh has eventually gotten Michigan to, and elevate this program from very good to great? Maybe. That was the sticking point that the Brian Kelly regime never was able to get past in South Bend. The recruiting and development piece of all that takes a lot of time, as it has in Ann Arbor. I am curious to see where this program goes now that it has some real momentum — and some time to catch its breath.
"The Irish have the No. 8-ranked recruiting class according to 247Sports. It’s led by QB C.J. Carr, the No. 36 overall prospect, and top-50 WR Cam Williams. Notre Dame hasn’t finished higher than No. 9 since 2013 — the year it signed Jaylon Smith."
I know Marcus still has his doubters here, but I am all aboard the Marcus Freeman train. Has he made some mistakes? Most certainly. Will he make more in the future? Probably. But I have a sense of optimism I haven't had for many, many years, and when I read something like this from a writer I believe knows a thing or two about college football, I am bullish on the future. When I see former ND greats like Joe Montana, Tim Brown and Jerome Bettis on the sidelines for a game, as they were this past weekend for the USC game, that tells me that former players sense something special is happening, too. I had my hopes with Brian Kelly, but it became obvious to me after a couple of seasons that he wasn't likely to get the job done. I still had hope, but deep inside I just didn't think--in fact, I knew--it wasn't going to happen. But when I see what Marcus Freeman is doing with the program, I feel differently. If C.J. Carr or Kenny Minchey turn out to be the QBs I think they can be, and we can bring in more guys like Cam Williams at the skill positions, watch out. Have patience my fellow ND fans--a commodity that is often in short supply here--a national championship is going to happen with Marcus Freeman.
Maybe I had too much Koolaid this morning, but that is how I see things.
Carry on.
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