This week there has been multiple talking points amongst Notre Dame fans that it has to be written about. This column is purely out of opinion influenced by facts. Not everyone has to agree with the points being made, but it certainly should start a debate. While an article has been already been written about whether the team will make the playoffs as that has been one of three major points made this week, but these two are some others that have to be discussed more.
Should Notre Dame Move On From Marcus Freeman?
This is a contentious talking point considering he’s still a young coach. That being said he is in year three, there has to be a discussion. It is not Freeman’s fault he was thrusted into the position when Brian Kelly got up and left before a Bowl game in which he had little time to prepare. He was always going to have bumps in his first couple of years as a head coach, but after year three? What is the excuse right now? Honestly, the excuse of being a young head coach could still be a reasonable one. Freeman is a great recruiter and he’s hired on two great coordinators at offense and defense (Mike Denbrock and Al Golden respectively), so he should hold all the keys to be successful. That being said, no one including Freeman himself expected him to be a head coach right now. The thought process when Freeman was hired on to be the defensive coordinator when Kelly was the head coach was that he would eventually take over the job once Kelly decided to retire so he could learn under him. No one expected Freeman to be thrusted into the position once Kelly left for LSU. With that in mind, it’s probably best to give Freeman some more ample time to actually seriously consider firing him.
The fact of the matter is that Freeman has now had four losses to teams they should have beaten. Marshall, Stanford, and now Northern Illinois, are games the Irish should have won. Clemson can be the exception as they are a good football program despite being unranked last season, but still it counts as an upset under Freeman’s tenure. So the question becomes how short is the leash now? Overall, Freeman’s record is 20-9 (20-8 if the 2021 Bowl game doesn’t factor into it), however, he is 8-4 against ranked opponents. A bit frustrating, but at the same time it shows the promise that Freeman possesses as a head coach. While some fans and pundits may have good points about whether he is capable of the job, the fact of the matter is that he needs time. The results are there that suggest that Freeman IS the guy, but the frustrating losses to unranked opponents sprinkled in there is inexcusable. If by year five and things like this keep happening then there should be a very serious discussion about whether Freeman IS the guy. That being said, if Notre Dame does miss the playoffs this season, expect Freeman to be on the hot seat.
Should Riley Leonard Be The Starting Quarterback?
This one is a bit frustrating as Leonard is clearly the more talented quarterback on this team, but the last game he looked horrible. While he is injured and that can be a reasonable excuse, his throwing arm might not actually be affected. Freeman is sticking to his guns and keeping Leonard as the starter, but after how horrible he looked against NIU, one has to question whether that’s a good idea or not. There were talks that Steve Angeli should be the guy under center, but is that even a viable option? Fans were calling for Leonard to be benched after feeling like he can’t throw very well (the injury might’ve been the reason, but that’s unknown), however, it is unfair after one bad game to suggest that he isn’t the guy. Leonard’s rushing ability adds a different dynamic to the offense and that alone should help his case to be the starter.
However, if Leonard continues to struggle, then a conversation amongst Freeman and the coaches on offense about whether he should be the starter or if there’s another possible way to make things better needs to happen. Should Angeli start? No idea as he really hasn’t proven himself plus other quarterbacks options like Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr, who might actually be more talented players, could get a chance to start. It happened to Ian Book, it could happen to either Carr or Minchey. Leonard has proven that he is a great college quarterback, but that was at Duke. Another option is to use a rotational system where Leonard could be more successful at especially as he will still be able to use his legs and throw for short gains, but then have Angeli out there throwing deep and game management. That’s very hard for opposing defenses to develop a game plan against. Either way, Leonard’s leash should be short, but benching him right now is probably not the right decision. He was expected to be the most talented quarterback the Irish have had in a long time, but if people are raising their eyebrows over his play so far this year then Freeman needs to evaluate what to do with him. Whatever Freeman sees best for Leonard and the team is up to him, but monitoring what he does is probably likely now.
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