Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman’s first-year grade

[88ND]

Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman’s first-year grade

Notre Dame football started the season off poorly but has since righted the ship; what grade does coach Marcus Freeman earn in his first as head coach? Of ...

slapthesign.com

 

[john0gaunt]

hmm. He lost to stanford AND usc, the 2 oldest rivals, and barely beat navy. No playoff spot and no major bowl. C or C+ at best.

 

[BGI User 1596]

hmm. He lost to stanford AND usc, the 2 oldest rivals, and barely beat navy. No playoff spot and no major bowl. C or C+ at best.

Epic fail vs. Marshall!

 

[HarlemIrish]

Losing to Marshall & Stanford. Big marquee win to Clemson. I would say c+ / B -

 

[baron100]

Reloading year? We were preseason #5 with more 5 and 6 yr players then I can ever remember and Patterson, Mayer, Joseph and foskey all projected by multiple outlets as 1st rd picks. Probably a favorite vs all opponents except OSU Preseason we were probably a td or more favored vs a totally rebuilt usc. Btw Tyler rewatch the sc game we were never in it. They were up by 17 with a min to go in the 4th, held our vaunted rushing game to under 100yds and their back up tailback gashed us for 150. First half we literally had 2 good gains—td to Mayer and a Tyree scamper for 20. And then of course there was there qb. To say we literally gave the game away is absurd. Anyway, in freeman’s defense he played most of the season with his backup qb but lots of other schools have to do that too. Pyne‘s numbers weren’t that bad and it’s on the coaches for not dipping into the portal for a transfer qb. His recruiting hast been very good and filled some holes but also a few big misses. Obviously freeman can go after virtually anyone he wants to—-we’ve offered 63 top 100 guys same as usc, Bama has offered 73, Stanford, NW, Duke all under 20. Let‘s see how recruiting ends up but I think the 8-4 (5) start given preseason expectations gets him a c/c +. If he finishes recruiting class in top 5 he gets a b-. Hard to give him a B with two horrible home losses when we were favored by 3 scores. Even with back up qb he had more talent then every team we played except OSU

 

[Golson5]

Reloading year? We were preseason #5 with more 5 and 6 yr players then I can ever remember and Patterson, Mayer, Joseph and foskey all projected by multiple outlets as 1st rd picks. Probably a favorite vs all opponents except OSU Preseason we were probably a td or more favored vs a totally rebuilt usc. Btw Tyler rewatch the sc game we were never in it. They were up by 17 with a min to go in the 4th, held our vaunted rushing game to under 100yds and their back up tailback gashed us for 150. First half we literally had 2 good gains—td to Mayer and a Tyree scamper for 20. And then of course there was there qb. To say we literally gave the game away is absurd. Anyway, in freeman’s defense he played most of the season with his backup qb but lots of other schools have to do that too. Pyne‘s numbers weren’t that bad and it’s on the coaches for not dipping into the portal for a transfer qb. His recruiting hast been very good and filled some holes but also a few big misses. Obviously freeman can go after virtually anyone he wants to—-we’ve offered 63 top 100 guys same as usc, Bama has offered 73, Stanford, NW, Duke all under 20. Let‘s see how recruiting ends up but I think the 8-4 (5) start given preseason expectations gets him a c/c +. If he finishes recruiting class in top 5 he gets a b-. Hard to give him a B with two horrible home losses when we were favored by 3 scores. Even with back up qb he had more talent then every team we played except OSU

No

 

[savvyandsassier]

These hater geeks are such trash, they're not even slightly bothered by revisionist history, in fact they welcome the opportunity, and love nothing more than to lie about and slander their enemies, in this case the all-time winning coach in ND history Brian Kelly....

I'm just impressed that MF managed to pull it back together and have a very decent year, with a ton of hope for the future, in spite of losing Buchner, and in spite of the horrible start, where things looked really bad for the first three weeks, as in we could end up with a losing record if it stayed that way.

So I give MF a B+. Or a solid 'B', how about that.... The fact that we took a nice big step backward in the W/L department, was offset by several excellent performances, including thumping Clemson. And he's a rookie HC, so we got to cut him a little slack.....

 

[BGI User 756]

Should have finished 10-2. So a B-

 

[sjb75]

Should have finished 10-2. So a B-

Agree. B-. Losing to Stanford and Marshall at home was inexcusable; however, a big win over Clemson, and recruiting classes in 2023 and 2024 that, combined, are currently very good/outstanding, counts as well.

 

[eshupe]

C- for coaching and an A for recruiting so I guess that puts it at a B overall. Not given it was his first year as an HC. Also, thanks think the OC performance did not help him.

 

[Fightingirish595]

B

 

[NIN Irish]

hmm. He lost to stanford AND usc, the 2 oldest rivals, and barely beat navy. No playoff spot and no major bowl. C or C+ at best.

Michigan, Purdue, and Michigan State are older rivals than Stanford, bigger rivals too imo, despite not playing every year right now.

I do agree with your grade. Marshall and Stanford losses drop the grade a full letter, easy.

 

[Shakin' Down the Thunder]

Incomplete. I want to see him finish his first recruiting class and this bowl game.

 

[88ND]

These hater geeks are such trash, they're not even slightly bothered by revisionist history, in fact they welcome the opportunity, and love nothing more than to lie about and slander their enemies, in this case the all-time winning coach in ND history Brian Kelly....

I'm just impressed that MF managed to pull it back together and have a very decent year, with a ton of hope for the future, in spite of losing Buchner, and in spite of the horrible start, where things looked really bad for the first three weeks, as in we could end up with a losing record if it stayed that way.

So I give MF a B+. Or a solid 'B', how about that.... The fact that we took a nice big step backward in the W/L department, was offset by several excellent performances, including thumping Clemson. And he's a rookie HC, so we got to cut him a little slack.....

Perhaps losing Buchner was a blessing in disguise.

I can tell you this...had anyone other than Pyne been taking snaps we don't go into a full blown power football offensive team.
Thus more the same. .
Trying to force a QB to throw for 300 yards ( see Brian Kelly's 12 years) rather than playing to our stengths and allowing a 300 yard passing game to happen naturally

If Buchner plays we lose to Syracuse and Clemson and maybe others in addition to the losses already had.

What happens going forward is anyone's guess but if Buchner is Rees and Freeman's answer then we don't have the correct answer. He's not good enough to put us over the top.

He's a conference USA QB who could gash a ranked team if he had a hot evening and didn't get hurt runninh the ball. ..he's not accurate enough to beat the usual suspects at the top.

 

[burmafrd1943]

After the first three games he was a F

By Clemson he was a B

SO I give him a B-

Not really his fault we were weak at QB and a much better QB probably means we win Stanford and Marshall



Anyone not understanding that his inexperience was killing us early in the season is a true football idiot

BUT he seemed to learn VERY quickly

One must hope he continues to learn as he still has a ways to go before he can be called a top CFB HC

 

[BGI User 1596]

A+ for overcoming the deficiencies inherited from Kelly’s abysmal QB/WR recruitment and development.

 

[sjb75]

A+ for overcoming the deficiencies inherited from Kelly’s abysmal QB/WR recruitment and development.

Even if you were the Head Coach... losing to below average at best Marshall, and lousy Stanford, both at home, are inexcusable.

Losing at USC and at Ohio St. I get.

And if you don't like the QB room, try the transfer portal, like Brian Kelly did with Jack Coan in 2021.

 

[BGI User 1596]

Even if you were the Head Coach... losing to crappy Marshall and lousy Stanford at home is inexcusable.

True, although a steep on the job learning curve for his first year considering the QB limitations. The light went on for Clemson…some regression for USC. Fantastic recruiting effort with no BS shopping in a different aisle excuses. No player throwing under the bus was refreshing!

 

[BodiTheGreat]

hmm. He lost to stanford AND usc, the 2 oldest rivals, and barely beat navy. No playoff spot and no major bowl. C or C+ at best.

Marcus needs to be more like Ike Turner and quit being so nice. He needs to ride Tyler (his mind) like Ike rode Tina and develop Buchner into a Superstar. Simply the Best ! Better than all the rest ! If he does that he will get an A + !

 

[sjb75]

U

True, although a steep on the job learning curve for his first year considering the QB limitations. The light went on for Clemson…some regression for USC. Fantastic recruiting effort with no BS shopping in a different aisle excuses. No player throwing under the bus was refreshing!

If you don’t think the QB room is adequate try the transfer portal like Brian Kelly did with Jack Coan in 2021.

5-Star DE Keon Keeley flipping to Alabama and struggling to land a 2023 5-Star illustrates that Notre Dame Football recruiting does “...shop down a different aisle...” than Alabama and other elite teams. Brian Kelly simply told the truth.

 

[sjb75]

Marcus needs to be more like Ike Turner and quit being so nice. He needs to ride Tyler (his mind) like Ike rode Tina and develop Buchner into a Superstar. Simply the Best ! Better than all the rest ! If he does that he will get an A + !

Who is Ike Turner?

 

[Chitown11]

C+, Absolutely no excuses for losing to Marshall and Stanford

 

[Telx1]

Head coaches are typically rated based on the won loss record, and I get that. But there is more to being a head coach…recruiting, staffing, and representing the university, etc…. All this considered, along with the weak position areas he inherited, I think Freeman deserves a solid B. I thought he assembled a strong staff, albeit Washington is a big question mark in my mind. He represents the values of ND exceptionally well, and we are fortunate that he is the face of ND football. He was a huge factor in securing a very good class of 22, and then keeping it together when Kelly left. Our 23 class is very good, albeit not elite, and our class of 24 is off to a great start. We had the talent to go 10-2 or 9-3 this past season, but the loses to Marshall and Stanford were unacceptable, as was the second half against Navy. He excels at recruiting and representing the values of ND, but seems to be learning how to be the head coach and figuring out the distinction between delegation and abdication with regard to his coordinators. ND is not a great place to learn to be a head coach, but that‘s what we got with his hire, and I expect Freeman will be a seasoned successful head coach at ND in season three.

 

[Airzee23]

D-. Brutal season.

 

[baron100]

U

If you don’t think the QB room is adequate try the transfer portal like Brian Kelly did with Jack Coan in 2021.

5-Star DE Keon Keeley flipping to Alabama and struggling to land a 2023 5-Star illustrates that Notre Dame Football recruiting does “...shop down a different aisle...” than Alabama and other elite teams. Brian Kelly simply told the truth.

We’ve offered 63 of top 100 recruits this year, same as SC. Bama has offered 73. There are over 200, 000 HS sr playing football and virtually everyone of our recruits is in the top 300 nationally. You’re dreaming if you think we’re in a different aisle. It’s the same one has every other football factory

 

[SouthFloridaIrish88]

IF ND and Freeman come up short in the Bowl Game, Marcus Freeman's overall record as Head Coach of ND, will be 8-6. That means Marcus Freeman will have lost in ONE year, the same about of games Brian Kelly lost his last FIVE years at ND (44-6)

I will allow him to pass with a grade of a D, only because these incoming recruiting classes appear to be strong "on paper". However, until a HS recruit steps on to a college football field and does something? These recruiting rankings are pure conjecture and message board fodder.

Now, should these HS recruits not pan out relative to their rankings? Then i will change Marcus Freeman's grade this season to an F.

 

[Golson5]

IF ND and Freeman come up short in the Bowl Game, Marcus Freeman's overall record as Head Coach of ND, will be 8-6. That means Marcus Freeman will have lost in ONE year, the same about of games Brian Kelly lost his last FIVE years at ND (44-6)

I will allow him to pass with a grade of a D, only because these incoming recruiting classes appear to be strong "on paper". However, until a HS recruit steps on to a college football field and does something? These recruiting rankings are pure conjecture and message board fodder.

Now, should these HS recruits not pan out relative to their rankings? Then i will change Marcus Freeman's grade this season to an F.

LOL

Still would be 2 games ahead of the 8 Kelly lost in year 7 with all his players....

 

[88ND]

And if you don't like the QB room, try the transfer portal, like Brian Kelly did with Jack Coan in 2021.

Or....
Rather....
Put another way....

Don't actually recruit and develop a top flight QB just take someone else's failed project....

Like Brian Kelly does

 

[88ND]

Grade on Freeman?

Not so sure...

What's the baseline?

Holtz first year?

Brian Kelly's first year?

Dan Devine's first year?

Gerry Faust first year?

Bob Davie's first year?

CW's first year?

TW's first year?

In an era of the above coaches who inherited the most similar situation?
Probably Ty Willingham because the QB situation was nearly identical.

 

[baron100]

No

And your grade is?

 

[Airzee23]

LOL

Still would be 2 games ahead of the 8 Kelly lost in year 7 with all his players....

Kelly and Freeman have had talentless rosters at ND. They shopped at Aldi while SC, Bama, UGA shop at Whole Foods.

 

[Chitown11]

And your grade is?

Hes an apologist. A++++

 

[Golson5]

And your grade is?

I was referring to your talent point.

My grade will be a B after we beat SCar. Probably a B- right now

 

[Golson5]

Kelly and Freeman have had talentless rosters at ND. They shopped at Aldi while SC, Bama, UGA shop at Whole Foods.

You dont even believe your nonsense. You like to be a troll

 

[baron100]

I was referring to your talent point.

My grade will be a B after we beat SCar. Probably a B- right now

Ok, which teams did we play that had more talent then us? OSU I agree with but who else?

 

[Golson5]

Ok, which teams did we play that had more talent then us? OSU I agree with but who else?

Clemson has more talent than us

 

[sjb75]

We’ve offered 63 of top 100 recruits this year, same as SC. Bama has offered 73. There are over 200, 000 HS sr playing football and virtually everyone of our recruits is in the top 300 nationally. You’re dreaming if you think we’re in a different aisle. It’s the same one has every other football factory

Offering is one thing. Finding elite recruits who want the day to day challenges of Notre Dame after you enter, such as attending class towards a meaningful degree, are quite another.

Many elite recruits want the easiest path to the NFL. And that isn’t at Notre Dame.

 

[baron100]

Offering is one thing. Finding elite recruits who want the day to day challenges of Notre Dame after you enter, such as attending class towards a meaningful degree, are quite another.

Many elite recruits want the easiest path to the NFL. And that isn’t at Notre Dame.

It can’t be that hard no one ever flunks out. Seriously though from the few players I’ve known and talked to the message has been “ it’s almost impossible to flunk out”. You’ve got 200 tutors and virtually 0 STEM majors. It’s not the gauntlet many make it out to be

 

[Kreinard]

C

 

[chaseball]

We’ve offered 63 of top 100 recruits this year, same as SC. Bama has offered 73. There are over 200, 000 HS sr playing football and virtually everyone of our recruits is in the top 300 nationally. You’re dreaming if you think we’re in a different aisle. It’s the same one has every other football factory

Local media people/insiders have always shot down the topic of "ND shopping down a different aisle" and have used your same argument. They've gotten the sense throughout the years that the ND community way overstates the academic barriers and that ND is simply getting out recruited for football reasons. This has been a regular sentiment of Pete Sampson listening to his podcast throughout the years.