Golden Dome Column: It's The Beginning Of Something Great And Special At Notre Dame

To think that some in the fan base wanted Marcus Freeman to be fired is mind boggling to realize. The same guy who just took Notre Dame to a National Championship game was scrutinized earlier in the season? Yeah, that actually happened and those people still need to apologize, but at least it's nice to see that Freeman shut up all those haters. That being said, something is brewing in South Bend as the Irish look to become a formidable force in the college football landscape.

2024 was a special year. It had been 30-something years since Notre Dame had won a major bowl game. As the season went along, you could see what Freeman was starting to build. But the fruits of his labor had honestly started right from the get-go as he had built an elite defense that was one of the best in the nation for the last couple of seasons. Al Golden might've been the defensive coordinator, but realistically that was mostly Marcus Freeman considering he was a former defensive coordinator before becoming a head coach, though they probably both collaborated on what the defense has done. Then last season, Freeman was able to bring Mike Denbrock on to the staff as the offensive coordinator as he had just led LSU to having the best offense in the nation in 2023. It paid off in 2024 as Denbrock's offense started clicking on all cylinders and they became a very tough unit to defend.

Sure, every season teams lose their best players due to graduation, their eligibility ends, transferring to another school, or declaring for the NFL draft. It's going to hurt with Rylie Mills, Benjamin Morrison, Xavier Watts, Jack Kiser, Mitchell Evans, Riley Leonard, Jordan Clark, RJ Oben, and Howard Cross all leaving for the NFL and players like Steve Angeli, Pat Coogan, Jaden Mickey, Jayden Thomas, Kennedy Urlacher, and Rocco Spindler to transferring to a new school, but every program in the country experiences this. However, the beauty of college football is the recruiting and Freeman is fantastic in doing so. Freeman has consistently been one of the best recruiting head coaches in the sport and he is building a roster that should be built for deep runs in the college football playoffs and possibly a national championship. Notre Dame is primed for becoming a consistent contender along the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, etc. While Notre Dame isn't going to consistently recruit five star players for a multitude of reasons like academic standards, but they are actively recruiting four and three stars who have high ceilings and also help build depth. Yes, it's hard to compete with those schools that were mentioned, but Freeman has been actively recruiting top notch classes and it will eventually lead to better recruiting. It's cannot be stated any more how exciting to see what Freeman is doing with this program.

The pundits in this sport are excited about what Notre Dame is becoming as it's better for the sport when the Irish are consistent contenders. It's been since the Lou Holtz era when the team was at their best and while there was a good run there with Brian Kelly, he never put the Irish at that same level despite some playoff appearances and the national championship game in 2012. Freeman has the opportunity to do something special and it's going to be an exciting era for Notre Dame fans.

While it certainly hurt when Al Golden took the defensive coordinator job with the Cincinnati Bengals, Chris Ash, who is coming from the Jacksonville Jaguars, is a great hire as he should pick up where Golden left off and possibly could even have the defensive reach newer heights. Associate head coach and running backs coach Deland McCullough also left to become the running backs coach for the Las Vegas Raiders, but luckily he was replaced by Ja'Juan Seider from Penn State who's helped coach some amazing running backs as well coached two great ones last season in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen whom formed a lethal duo in the backfield. So, they possibly upgraded at both coaching positions. That being said, hires like these help set up for successful in the long run and that's a great sign.

Now, will Freeman become the greatest head coach in Notre Dame history? Possibly. Will he be among the ranks as the best in the sport while he coaches? Only time will tell, but if anything he clearly is building some great and it's something Irish fans have been craving for 30 years. Before we make comparisons, let Freeman cook and just enjoy the ride as the things look better on the other side of the horizon.