You guys lately made the scheduling settlement with Clemson, which I feel is nice. We’d like to see extra video games like that involving premium manufacturers. Are there another groups that you simply’d wish to play yearly?
I really feel such as you’re attempting to get a sure crew that’s been buzzing (laughs). You consider rivalries, and I’m certain you possibly can return to once you performed highschool soccer and even earlier. I feel again to my highschool years. I used to be from Ohio and performed at a highschool known as Huber Heights Wayne. Our large rival was Centerville Elks. The fellows which have come from Centerville that you simply would possibly know are AJ Hawk, Kirk Herbstreit, Mike Nugent and a few actually nice gamers. That was an enormous rivalry. Then, you go to Ohio State and also you play Michigan yearly.
The factor about rivalry video games is that no one cares what the document is. You win that sport, you view that season as successful.
Michigan final yr with Ohio State.
Amen. So, for us, certainly one of them that’s repeatedly introduced up right here over the past month or so is the rivalry with USC. Earlier than I even received to Notre Dame, there are reminiscences I’ve in my head of nice performs within the USC-Notre Dame rivalry. I feel it’s essential to proceed that rivalry.
In the event that they ask my opinion, I wish to repeatedly play USC yearly. It takes each events to tangle. It’s to suit each establishments. They’re in a convention, we’re not, after we play – all of these various things. However I feel it’s essential that we proceed to have this rivalry.
Notre Dame and USC haven’t any video games scheduled in opposition to one another following the 2026 season, placing the way forward for certainly one of faculty soccer’s prime rivalries doubtful. (Picture by Ric Tapia/Getty Photos)
You guys simply made an unbelievable run within the College Football Playoff. You performed for a nationwide championship. What are you aware now in regards to the head coach of Notre Dame that you simply want you could possibly inform that man after the loss to Marshall in your first yr in 2022?
In all probability one very clear assertion: The best issues in life take time and there’s no such factor as instantaneous gratification when you’re speaking about creating one thing nice. You study a lot extra from the losses. You possibly can’t lose otherwise you’re not going to have a job. However dropping is part of steady development. No one enjoys it, however there’s a desperation that each particular person naturally has once they’re within the dumps, once they’ve misplaced and really feel embarrassed. I feel I’ve had my most development as a pacesetter from a few of these tough losses.
However when you would’ve informed me after I was employed as the pinnacle coach right here that I’d play in a nationwide championship sport in 12 months 3, I’d’ve been like, “Heck ya, that’s an superior begin.” However when you additionally would’ve mentioned that you simply had 9 losses in your document earlier than you probably did that, oof, that’s laborious to swallow. However that’s what it took. That’s the expertise that I’ve needed to undergo, and we’ve needed to undergo as a program to place ourselves within the place we’re in now. We’ve received to proceed to make use of these experiences from the previous as a brand new basis for the long run.
Is there a second or sport that stands out the place you’re feeling you discovered probably the most?
I feel every loss might need taught me one thing totally different. The very first loss to Oklahoma State, we’re up large. We’re up 21 preparing to enter half, they find yourself scoring and we’re up 14 at half. I’m like, “Man, that is simple, the pinnacle teaching factor.” Then, impulsively, you discover a option to lose that sport and also you go, “Oh, this isn’t as simple as you thought.” We play at Ohio State within the first sport within the following yr. We’re up, I feel, within the third quarter, 10-7 perhaps. We’re up within the third quarter and I’m like, “We’re good.” We ended up dropping, [but I thought] we’re going to be nice.
Then, you lose to Marshall. And I feel, that loss, I had by no means received a sport as a head coach, and also you begin dropping slightly bit of religion, like “Do I do know what it takes? What’s occurring? We’re a greater crew than how we simply performed. What’s it going to take?”
Marcus Freeman misplaced his first house sport as Notre Dame’s head coach to Marshall in 2022. (Picture by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photos)
So, you study via these losses. Then, you lose to Northern Illinois this previous yr. The lesson I discovered from that was methods to deal with success. We weren’t prepared. I wasn’t able to deal with success as a head coach. That was the primary time in my three years as head coach that we had received that large sport early. … That is the primary time that we had received that large sport. Everybody’s saying you’ve received a simple schedule, you’re going to the playoff. Then, you don’t put together mentally and bodily the precise manner. The soccer Gods taught us an excellent lesson. I feel each loss, you study one thing totally different.
You got here up quick in opposition to Ohio State within the Nationwide Championship Sport. What did you study in that sport?
In these largest video games and people largest moments, you’ve gotta play your finest. You possibly can’t make errors in opposition to a crew like Ohio State. You consider that first drive on offense, I feel it was a 19-play drive. We execute, we’re bodily, and we go down and rating. Defensively, we didn’t play our greatest. Credit score to Ohio State. They’d some elite playmakers. They performed actually, rather well. I want we might return and play our greatest. The outcomes would possibly nonetheless be the identical, however there have been moments in that sport the place I assumed that’s not how we play all yr lengthy.
However hear, we fought till the very finish. We have been down 14 at half, 21 [later on] and it was an eight-point sport. This group isn’t going to stop. Ever. As I give it some thought, it’s like, OK, what didn’t I do to organize them the precise manner for that chance? What didn’t I do as the pinnacle coach to ensure we have been able to play our greatest in that second? Was the sport too large? Did I make it too small? I consider many alternative causes. I would like everybody in our program to assume that manner, “What didn’t I do to ensure I used to be ready to reap the benefits of that chance?” It’s actually laborious to get there.
So, it’s one thing I’ll all the time bear in mind. We made some adjustments. We already debriefed from that sport. If we’re in that state of affairs, listed here are some various things as we put together for it. On the finish of the day, you’ve received to play your finest once you’re enjoying the most effective.
You bought some curiosity from the NFL from that run. As an alternative of asking you particularly about that, right here’s how I’d somewhat ask you this query: What are the one or two issues we have to repair in faculty soccer to ensure the Marcus Freemans of the world keep?
I all the time take into consideration our employees and the way I, as the pinnacle coach, do the most effective job potential to ensure our employees enjoys coming to work right here. A part of that’s attempting to not overwork them. Generally, faculty coaches can overwork their staffs. We’re going to work laborious. I’m not saying it’s going to be simple. Nothing nice in life is simple. However how can we proceed to have a look at the calendar and make it in a manner that there’s a while of steadiness for the assistant coaches? They’re those which are on the street 24/7 continuously. We’ve received to create some sort of steadiness for these coaches and I feel we’re. I see us trending, from my first yr to now my fourth yr, in a path that’s attempting to create some sort of steadiness for assistant coaches and that’s essential.
However how can we proceed to have a school soccer construction that helps younger individuals frequently turn out to be self-sufficient? I feel again to my time at Ohio State. I used to be a reasonably large recruit. There was a thought in my head, “I’m going to stroll in right here and begin.” Nicely, you’ve received three linebackers, two of them have been first-round picks – AJ Hawk and Bobby Carpenter – and the opposite was a third-round decide, Anthony Schlegel. I wasn’t ok to start out. I needed to study for 2 years to embrace my position and proceed to work, regardless that I wasn’t enjoying as a lot as I wished. How do I, as a person, reap the benefits of my alternatives and get higher? That’s the way you turn out to be self-sufficient. You overcome challenges. There was no thought for me to stand up and go some place else.
That’s the best factor I needed to study to do. Keep there, overcome some adversity, reap the benefits of the alternatives that I received, graduate and get a level. I simply don’t desire a construction that’s created the place when issues get laborious, it’s simple to select up and go some place else. I feel it’s essential that we create guidelines and a few sort of construction that continues to advertise self-sufficiency for younger individuals and overcoming obstacles.
Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame misplaced to Ryan Day and Ohio State within the 2025 Nationwide Championship Sport (Picture by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Photos).
Once I first got here to Notre Dame, I used to be like, “I don’t wish to like Notre Dame.” However after we received right here a few years in the past to organize to name Notre Dame’s sport in opposition to Wisconsin, you have been the defensive coordinator on the time, we did some interviews and I’m strolling round, “It’s not that cool.” Then, we go to the Grotto, the Basilica, we stroll on this locker room and I stroll out on the sphere. I used to be like, “Dang it, this place is so superior.” I nonetheless really feel that manner. It’s a very particular place.
It’s. It’s an honor to be part of this place. You’ve received to be cautious about how a lot you brag about it as a result of someone that hasn’t been right here to know could be stunned as a result of the way in which individuals have a lot ardour about this place. I feel again to earlier than I grew to become the defensive coordinator right here. I was like, “Notre Dame followers are excessive. These guys are loopy.” Then, you get right here, and it’s such a ardour for this place and college.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports activities’ lead faculty soccer sport analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Comply with him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.
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