Marcus Freeman resumed his weekly Monday press conference by looking back at the rout of Navy, citing turnovers as a major aspect of the victory. He announced the Players of the Game: Jeremiyah Love on offense, Jaylen Sneed on defense, and James Rendell on special teams.
Freeman’s injury report indicated that defensive back Tae Johnson, who’s been out because of a foot injury, will be available against Florida State. However, placekicker Mitch Jeter and defensive lineman Loghan Thomas remain question marks. Later on, Freeman indicated that Jordan Botelho will return in 2025 after suffering a season-ending injury against Purdue and that Jason Onye will remain away from the team indefinitely as he deals with personal issues. Freeman also noted that the current depth at quarterback is why there’s been no rush to bring back quarterback C.J. Carr as he continues to rehabilitate an elbow injury.
Asked about how much of a roster balance he wants between recruits and transfers, Freeman noted that recruits are still the main focus.
“The foundation of our program has to be built through high school recruiting … We’ll utilize the transfer portal for very specific reasons, specific positions we need to enhance immediately.”
Despite Florida State’s miserable 1-8 campaign, Freeman indicated that he and the team are not looking past the Seminoles, given their talent potential.
“Their record might not be where they want it to be but I’m not trying to make this team something they’re not. They’re a talented, talented football team and that’s going to be my message to the team is that we respect our opponent. You don’t have to watch many plays to realize how talented they are.”
The pending release of the college football playoff rankings on Tuesday were not something that Freeman said he won’t be thinking about much:
“Somebody will tell me what we’re ranked and I’ll continue to remind them, ‘That’s great, but that has no impact on our future.’ We gotta make sure right now that we take care of what’s important because if we think that the rankings of tomorrow are gonna be what the rankings are at the end of the season, then we’re crazy. We gotta take care of what we have right in front of us.”
Freeman noted that no changes will be made among starters on the offensive line, despite hints after the Navy win that some shifting could occur.
“It’ll be the same for Florida State that it was for Navy. That’s what our depth chart says right now. Every week, the roles could change at any position, including offensive line.”
Given the popularity of the transfer portal, Freeman was asked what he does to keep current players who may have limited prospects to play and may consider leaving:
“You’re trying to build a relationship with a high school recruit or somebody to get them to choose your program. That’s why we recruit you. We try to build relationships, we show what’s great about this place, why you should choose this place. I hope we never lose that relationship that we’ve built with them.”
Freeman indicated that attention is being paid to potential redshirt players, including players who have played less than four games. In addition, getting enough playing time for less active players while maintaining their redshirt status was discussed.
“We’ve had those conversations about guys that have played three games or four games .. and do we wanna burn his redshirt.and here’s guys that maybe we can utilize in a special teams role or offensive or defensive role.”
Asked to describe the Irish program’s offensive identity, Freeman pointed to the running game as the linchpin of this unit.
“I still think our ability to run the ball is something that we have to be able to do and we’ve done a really good job at doing that, which creates some abilities to throw the ball down the field.”
Instilling motivation to play a struggling team like Florida State was something Freeman
“You’re playing Florida State, at home in a night game and what a great opportunity. You have to respect that opportunity by the way you prepare.”
Freeman noted the ways quarterback Riley Leonard has improved since the team’s first bye week:
“He has confidence in what he’s being asked to do, he’s making fast decisions. They’re not always perfect but he’s making fast decisions and confident decisions.”
A key part of the Notre Dame defense’s success in pressuring opposing quarterbacks was attributed by Freeman to the work of interior linemen Howard Cross and Rylie Mills.
“I think it still starts with those two big guys (Cross and Mills) in the middle. Rylie and Howard, they create some disruptions for the offensive line that … maybe other people get the credit for the pressure.”
