To properly analyze the Freeman hire everyone must look at all the texture and layers that AD Swarbrick had to consider. Once considered it is clear this was the wisest course of action given the circumstances. Notre Dame's decision was forced on them by Brian Kelly. For those that are unsure or uncomfortable with the Freeman hiring (I am not among them), remember Brian Kelly has done something unprecedented for a coach trying to cement a positive top tier college football legacy. No coach leaves a program on the eve of a possible decision for that team to make the college playoffs, with a possibility to compete once again for a National Championship. NO COACH. A coach trying to instill a Hall of Fame legacy sticks it out, and then after the season, if he's had too much, or worn out his welcome he retires, suggests he needs to spend more time with his family and long days in the sun. He recommends a coach as his heir and allows Swarbrick to go on a national coaching search with the 2022 class intact, and assistants not looking to jump ship ASAP, and him not trying to poach them too. For recent perspective this is how Bob Stoops, and Urban Meyer (unbelievable giving this guy credit for something classy) went out from Oklahoma, and OSU respectively, hell even Lou eventually took a job at South Carolina, but spent some time away. You spend a year in the broadcast booth surveying the landscape, surely if ND made the playoff once again this year, he would be the top candidate for any job that opened up....Penn State, FSU, UF....just as Bob Stoops' name gets bandied about virtually every time a job comes open.
Brian Kelly instead chose the path of least resistance, and worse than that he chose the classless route leaving the program on the alter staring down the precipice once again of greatness, a national title. Who has ever done that in the history of college athletics, let alone leaving one of the top programs of all time in that circumstance? Brian Kelly affirmed to all he cared very little for those players, coaches, certainly the University, and fans. It almost feels like Brian Kelly was afraid of the thought this team might actually make the playoffs, not measure up, and his legacy would get further cemented as the guy failing to win the big one, which could possibly mean no LSU, or PSU, or FSU, or UF offer in the future. This could go down as the most selfish decision of all-time among coaches from college and pro- WHICH IS SAYING A LOT!
Now about the decision to hire Freeman, Brian Kelly's decision to sneak out of town in the dead of night with no concern for the state of the program left Swarbrick very limited room to work with. This is a 6th ranked 11-1 team, with a real chance to make the playoffs. What is bigger for Notre Dame is not how we perform in the playoffs, but rather possibly getting selected and being capable of telling the world, AND RECRUITS, we are the ONLY TEAM who has been in the playoffs 3 of the last 4 years (presuming Alabama loses to UGA this weekend as expected). That's huge, historic even, and to think Brian Kelly's decision could have possibly derailed this circumstance makes it as appalling as it was shocking.
Swarbrick could have spent a long time deliberating over this, as some say don't let a recruiting class dictate a long-term decision....however that's looking at this decision in a vacuum, that's assuming BK gave ADS time to deliberate and do a true national search. That's presuming maybe things in the football program were not what they seemed and new blood, and new life needed to be injected. By ALL ACCOUNTS, this football program is now on as good of footing as it was since the 88-93 period, which is amazing. Players and recruits all talk about the 'family atmosphere' created at ND, a 'brotherhood' which was established and maintained by that football staff, and the football operations staff like Balis. Sit around and wait for Fickell to get through this run, as it has been rumored was his desire, could destroy all that has been built around the program. This isn't about one, or two classes, this is about an environment and atmosphere, a brotherhood where players coming in want to play for, and stick around in. Yes, Kelly helped forge that, but he's not what maintained it, and nurtured it, those were all the coaches retained. Those type of environments are hard to create, but easy to breakdown. An environment where there are now rumors Foskey, and the twins are considering returning, possibly Lugg (don't be fullish to argue that losing a 6th year versatile lineman would be good), and Bauer, as well as possibly Austin, and Lenzy. Those guys don't even contemplate that if this all fell apart this week. That's a culture that is hard to re-create, and one we would undoubtedly take a risk, or hope that a Fickell or other coach could replicate once we made that decision on them in the next 1-4 weeks.
In today's world of hypersensitivity, and rapid-fire decision making it's critical for leaders to make decisions quickly and contingency for change not concerning themselves with outside influences- everyone has an opinion and are not afraid to voice it on social media. The thought of seeing a half-dozen or more of the staff walk out the door, several kids transfer out, few NFL eligible players decide not to return, and a recruiting class disintegrate and a future class looking to be top 3 to fall apart while we wait, weeks upon weeks for a possible successor to Kelly wasn't prudent at this juncture, because Kelly made it that way. Furthermore, if a few chips fall this weekend and by chance 2-3 teams ahead of ND lose, it would be even more horrible to see the Selection Committee decide on a two-loss program like Alabama, or OKST hop ahead of us because the Selection Committee deems to much turmoil in the ND program to warrant a selection, we lose miserably in whatever NYD bowl we attend....and then Fickell or the new coach are in a modest rebuild job, and the existing culture is decimated.
This decision was an easy one, a no brainer quite frankly, particularly since it came with most of the key components of the existing coaches, and support staff as well as full player, and recruiting class buy-in. That speaks to how they all think of Freeman too which is an outstanding sign, and quite a bit of what they think of Kelly which is also interesting. This decision could have the potential to end like Coker at Miami, which is fine by me, if it warrants a national title and going 35-3 over the next 3 years which is what Coker did his first 3 years chalked full of top tier talent at Miami. As assistants departed, and less quality returned, and Coker didn't have the chops to replenish and maintain the culture things slowly slid sideways (and many University related issues plagued Miami that were out of Coker's control too), but I think anyone would take that legacy if it came with a National Title. You see really it is not about this decision, which was the only prudent one for AD Swarbrick to make because Brian Kelly forced it, it is about the next one. The sample size is large enough to clearly illustrate Freeman is among the most elite recruiters in the nation, so worst case is Freeman struggles a bit, and as someone analogously compared this circumstance to possibly the Ron Zook era at UF where Zook went 23-15 but assembled an unprecedented amount of talent at UF which allowed Urban to immediately step in and dominate- I believe the worst case will be a blend between Coker and Zook, because Coker's situation more closely resembles Freeman's- so this decision was the right one, the one that will be critical is Swarbrick's next one. Swarbrick smartly didn't risk breaking everything down with hopes his next hire could rebuild, he instead maintained with hopefully the sense to keep a close eye on the program and ready to pull the trigger if he sees anything starting to faulter. If Freeman doesn't turn out to be the next Dabo how quickly will he pull the trigger to get the program right, and if he does turn out to be the next Dabo...well turn the lights out Swarbrick was a genius, or rather Brian Kelly's dirtbag move did us all a favor.
