By John Brice
Special Contributor
Marcus Freeman strolled through warmups Wednesday morning inside the Irish Athletics Center, handshakes and hugs to coaches and players alike from the Fighting Irish’s second-year head coach a continued part of Freeman’s pre-practice routine.
And while Freeman’s intentional method of engendering a communal feel within the program isn’t new, many of the faces Freeman greeted – players, assistant coaches, analysts and graduate assistants among them – were experiencing their first Notre Dame football practice.
Marty Biagi is Notre Dame’s new special teams coordinator, Gino Guidugli the program’s new quarterbacks coach and Joe Rudolph now in charge of the Irish’s vaunted offensive line.
In a new role for his second year in the program is Gerad Parker, now Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator after previously serving as tight ends coach.
Too, there’s nearly 20 new players already on campus: five additions from the NCAA Transfer Portal, perhaps highlighted by former Atlantic Coast Conference record-setting quarterback Sam Hartman, a dozen midyear enrollees from the 2023 signing class and a couple of new walk-on players.
It’s a lot, but Freeman already is seeing the bonds formed within his family-centric program.
“Most of [the new coaches] were on offense, so really I’m just trying to stay away and let them meet and be together,” said Freeman after the first of Notre Dame’s 15 spring practices, which conclude with the annual Blue & Gold Game April 22 inside Notre Dame Stadium. “They’ve been together a lot and they have met a lot.
“Really, you have to meet to get everyone on the same page but it’s cohesion and viewing each other as teammates. It has been really good. I’ve been in there a little bit. We have our staff meetings to understand our culture and expectations. It’s not where it’s a finished product, but it is progressing to where we want to see it.”
Calling it a really good day for an opening practice but acknowledging nothing about Wednesday’s session is where he wants it by spring’s end, Freeman is moving toward Practice 2 Friday with numerous positives.
“You obviously don’t want to see injuries; that takes preparation from our strength staff, and they’ve done an unbelievable job throughout the winter and spring of getting our guys to a level that they can practice for 18 or 19 periods today,” Freeman said. “We had a lot of team reps and didn’t have anyone get pulled and no injuries. That is a credit to our strength and medical staff. They’ve done a great job.
“We have to find ways to continue to practice at a high level and develop our depth. We have to be able to roll guys in there to get really good reps. That is what I wanted to see. I wanted to see good reps, guys staying off the ground, which we have to do a better job, but it’s a process to get where we want to go. That is what our guys are going to understand. It won’t be perfect Practice 1, but we have to watch the film, evaluate it, and as we put more schematic stuff in, we need to perform at a high level.”
To that end, Freeman is continuing to examine last year’s spring camp – Freeman’s first-ever time as a head football coach – and seeking ways to elevate the Irish in Year 2 for an enticing season that kicks off Aug. 26 in Dublin, Ireland, against Navy.
Fresh off an 9-4 campaign that saw the team win six of its final seven games punctuated by a captivating comeback-win against South Carolina in the Gator Bowl, Notre Dame returns the nucleus of what could be the top offensive line in college football, a stable of proven running backs, depth and versatility throughout the defense and the additions of Hartman, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Thomas Harper, Spencer Shrader and Kaleb Smith from the Portal.
“For me, it was more looking at ways to enhance the practice structure,” Freeman said of his approach in advance of camp. “I spent time doing that. Last year was more about taking the things I’ve done, the different spring practice structures I’ve been a part of and say this is what we will do day 1-15. This year I kind of said let’s look at last year’s Practice 1 and look at the progression and look at how the first week went and then the second and do we need to have more time here or less time here or can we add a high running period here or a period that is not as intense.
“I’m looking at the structure of how we practice and finding ways to enhance so they perform better on Saturdays. That is what we are looking for. Enhance practice to perform better on Saturday.”
Freeman said both Hartman and returning signal-caller Tyler Buchner, clutch in the bowl win after his return from shoulder surgery, flashed sterling moments on the indoor field Wednesday, and he touted the impending Irish quarterback battle.
“I think there were times where I said, ‘Ooh, that’s pretty good!’ and others where I didn’t see the right decision there,” Freeman said. “We will have to watch the film and evaluate it. Credit to Coach Guidugli and those two guys, that entire quarterback room, they spend a lot of time together.
“They compete and push each other knowing there is only one starter vs. Navy. They have respect. It’s you and the street. They are choosing to love each other and have their back, but also compete. They have an ability to make each other better. That is a reflection of the leadership and the type of personalities those guys have.”
The Irish practice again Friday as they continue their NCAA-mandated acclimation period without pads, and they will log their third workout of the spring schedule on Saturday morning.