Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman’s consistency on display in ‘Here Come the Irish’ before CFP opener vs. Indiana

On By Littum

Before Notre Dame head coach Marcus FreemanFriday’s College Football Playoff opener against in-state foe Indiana is no different from the previous 12 games, 11 of them wins that got the Fighting Irish there.

It’s just another Super Bowl.

Sections 5 and 6 of “Here come the Irish“, the Peacock-exclusive Notre Dame football documentary series, shed light on the coaching style that makes Freeman so admired in the Notre Dame locker room — and that has made the Irishman so successful in Year 2 of his tenure at the helm of the program.

“Coach Freeman — I’ve said it my whole time since I’ve been here — is a coach that you want to win for,” quarterback Riley Leonard says towards the beginning of episode 6, titled ‘Win and You’re In.’ “It’s because every single day he’s so consistent. He’s the man we all aspire to be one day.”

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard talks to Nicole Auerbach about overcoming self-doubt to lead Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff, the Irish’s Week 2 loss to NIU, head coach Marcus Freeman and more.

That consistency has defined Freeman all year, from the preseason to the CFP.

Even when Notre Dame’s season could have derailed early with a Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois. Instead, the shock defeat was a blessing in disguise. The sting of that game helped the Irish right the ship — and it’s a sting the second-year head coach wants his team to remember.

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“Don’t lose the pain,” Freeman tells his players at the end of Episode 5, ‘Next Man Up,’ before Notre Dame takes on Florida State. “Because we figured out after NIU what we had to do to get to where we are.”

The latest episodes, available on Peacockhighlight some of the ups and downs Freeman has guided his team and players through this fall – including a season-ending injury to key cornerback Benjamin Morrison.

It was a huge blow to the defensive unit and the team as a whole. But it was a moment when Freeman knew he had to resist feeling sorry for himself and instead focus his attention on supporting his player.

Freeman says being there for his program, coaches and players when they need him is what defines leadership. And it’s not lost on any of his players, including Morrison himself.

“You look around the country, see different head coaches, but like — there’s not a guy that I’d want to play for more than Freeman,” Morrison says in episode 5. “Freeman just embodies everything it means to just be a leader.”

Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry discuss Marcus Freeman signing an extension with Notre Dame through the 2030 season and what it means for the Fighting Irish’s chances of getting the CFP moving forward.

Recent episodes also highlight the other key qualities Freeman has emphasized for his 2024 team: urgency to improve, preparation, conviction, attention to detail, rejection of complacency, how only team glory can breed individual glory. In Episode 5, he even arranges for the coaching staff’s kids to hand out candy to the players for Halloween – hoping the kids will learn gratitude and the players feel like kids again.

Irish’s off-field bonding breeds trust, sacrifice

In “Here Come the Irish” episode 5, learn how Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame put so much emphasis on bonding off the field — like through pumpkins and cookies — that they’ll go the extra mile for their teammates.

Above all, however, Freeman’s mantra is: consistency.

“What we’ve done won’t be good enough to reach our full potential, to reach the goals that we have. But what are we willing to do? It will be,” Freeman says in episode 6. “But we have to make sure we understand that what we did last week is not good enough. We have to be consistent and consistently do better.”

“Here Come the Irish” Episodes 5 and 6 show how that message resonates with his players, helping Notre Dame soar to heights it hopes to keep building on in the coming weeks.

How can I watch the documentary “Here Come the Irish” on Peacock?

Episodes one through six of “Here Come the Irish” are currently available on Peacock.

The seventh and final episode will be released on Thursday 16 January.

What devices does Peacock support?

You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. See the full list of supported devices here.

Students, now you can get Peacock at a special discount – only $1.99/mo for 12 months. Visit Peacock to learn more and get started!