Marcus Freeman’s Value Oriented Coaching
How the Notre Dame HC’s Values are Becoming Team Core Values
When speaking about a collegiate football coach, or any coach in general, you typically hear about the wins. The win/loss record, the number of players drafted from their teams, any national championships… but you rarely hear about the successful people these coach’s lead.
Notre Dame’s Head Football Coach, Marcus Freeman, understands there’s more to life than just a sport. He won the 2024 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year, as the coach “whose team excels on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.” Don’t get me wrong, the Notre Dame football team had a lot of success on the field, a National Championship appearance in the first ever College Football Playoff, an All-American selection (Xavier Watts), 6 draft picks, 3 Undrafted Free-Agent signees, and 3 additional players getting mini-camp invites. However, the praise Marcus Freeman gets from his players and those around him for the all-around excellence is what should truly shine. These young men that he leads are getting an opportunity to learn more than just the game of football, but about the reality of life.
Coach Marcus Freeman grew up with a father who was a United States Air Force veteran. Coach Freeman talked about learning “discipline and hard work from his father, and selflessness from his mother,” (CBS Sports College Football Interview) and that’s the exact same qualities that he is teaching his players. Take a look at Jack Kiser, 2023 Notre Dame Special Teams Player of the year, also a four-year starting linebacker for the Irish who under Coach Freeman’s guidance became the leader in Games Played at Notre Dame. Kiser was named to the 2024 AFCA Good Works Team, also being awarded to Coach Marcus Freeman. This is an award given to those who exemplify outstanding community service, also known as selflessness. It’s not just the success of a team captain that was drafted. The team success is deeper than that.
Notre Dame in 2024 graduated 99% of their senior class. Continuously rising from when it dipped to 91% in 2022 after Coach Freeman took over. The players Coach Freeman is recruiting are graduating with undergraduate degrees. This is a core value for Notre Dame and is going to prepare players for life after football. The team lost in the National Championship game, but turned a season that seemed doomed from the start into something that caused fans to be proud of. Coach Freeman changed the outlook of Notre Dame football for the foreseeable future.
Coach Marcus Freeman knows something that most sports fans don’t focus on… while the teams’ on-field results are important, the success of the individual athletes on-field AND off-field, is more important. He’s been doing an amazing job of driving those values of hard work, discipline, and selflessness. As Coach Freeman said after the 2024 National Championship game, "The outlook of Notre Dame football is extremely high. As long as the people in that locker room that come back understand what it takes, the work these guys have put in, there's a lot of success in our future."