I have been all in on Marcus Freeman since Day 1. Many here were not, but he has done a wonderful job of convincing even the most diehard skeptics. Not all, mind you, but most. There was a large contingent of ND fans that thought it was a huge mistake hiring a young coach with no previous head coaching experience of any kind, let alone college head coaching experience. Many feared it would be Gerry Faust Act II--a nice guy in over his head.
For me, there was something intangible about Freeman that just resonated with me from the very beginning. His likeability, for lack of a better term. His authentic nature, which is rooted in humility. His work ethic. How the team embraced him when he was announced as the new HC. How important his parents and family are to him. How he understands Notre Dame and doesn't complain about its challenges, but instead welcomes those challenges, and indeed embraces them. This has given rise to his mantra, "choose hard." How he has sought out former players and brought them back to campus after previous coaching regimes didn't give those players the time of day. Joe Montana--a legend at Notre Dame--hadn't stepped foot on campus for years. Why was that? But Montana has spoken in glowing terms about MF and has since been a regular figure at many big ND games. How MF has sought out current and former coaches for advice, including beloved figures like Lou Holtz. How he has shown up to support other ND sports programs and coaches--he has been a regular figure at WBB games and for the last 2 men's lacrosse championships, and I imagine there are many other athletic programs he has supported. How he has become a part of the fabric of the university and become such an important spokesman and representative. You listen to MF give interviews, and he just oozes class. Indeed, Marcus Freeman is almost too good to be true.
I think maybe what I like most about Marcus Freeman is that he isn't afraid of failure and is confident and secure enough about himself to know what he doesn't know. I don't think Freeman is necessarily a brilliant X's and O's guy, but he has become a much better game day coach and has surrounded himself with excellent coordinators and assistant coaches who are also good men. Freeman knows how to motivate his team, and this year has certainly proven that. It would have been easy to throw in the towel after the disaster of NIU and all the season ending injuries we have experienced, but here we are in the CFB semifinals. We have gotten here because Marcus Freeman is a leader of men that his team wants to follow and to go into battle for. Those kinds of coaches don't come around very often.
Faith is believing in someone or something when you don't have a concrete reason to do so. I am happy to say, Marcus Freeman has fully rewarded my faith in him. I am now in my seventh decade, and could not be more excited about where I see the Notre Dame football program going. It was a dark day for many ND fans--but certainly not for all--when Brian Kelly chose to leave ND for LSU, but what a remarkable turn of events has transpired since then.
Go Irish!
