Marcus Freeman Attributes Recruiting Success To The Value Of Notre Dame
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Notre Dame has been recruiting at an extremely high level over the last couple of seasons. Since Marcus Freeman's arrival, the recruiting powerhouse in South Bend has been on the rise. Last season that culminated in the Irish bringing in the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the country by Rivals/On3. This season, they're seemingly picking up where they left off and have commitments from several top-end recruits in the 2027 cycle.
Yesterday afternoon, the fifth-year head coach discussed the recent recruiting success. But instead of taking personal credit for Notre Dame's achievements on the recruiting trail, he attributed the wins in recruiting to the belief he and his staff have in what the University offer young people.
"I truly believe when I say there's not a better opportunity for you to go to school and play college football than Notre Dame," Freeman shared. "I believe that and I hope our staff believes that. When I speak to people about this program and what it offers a parent, your son or your child, I speak about it with passion because I believe in it. I believe your son and I believe you should go to Notre Dame."
The proof is in the pudding, and the Irish have been able to add top level talent over the course of Freeman's tenure in South Bend, but it's not just with the 2026 recruiting cycle. The majority of the 'star power' on this roster lives in the 2024 recruiting class when you consider players like quarterback CJ Carr, cornerback Leonard Moore, linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, safety Brauntae Johnson and offensive linemen Guerby Lambert and Anthonie Knapp.
Players in the 2023 class are considered the foundation of this team and will anchor this unit on their journey to winning their 12th national title. Leaders like middle linebacker Drayk Bowen, safety Adon Shuler, defensive end Boubacar Traore and cornerback Christian Gray will lay the foundation and set the tone for the program this season. The one thing all of these standouts have in common is their fit at Notre Dame, which is something Freeman is very intentional about during the recruiting cycle.
"We've got to identify the ones that aren't going to fit here and don't want the things we're offering," Freeman explained about the recruiting process. "The quicker you can identify that, the quicker you can move on. You can tell through their responses, their communication and their follows ups which recruits are really interested and which ones are not."
Obviously, the product on the field also has to back up the recruiting pitch to get a player on campus. One of the biggest causes for the bump in recruiting is the recent success the team has had between the white lines. Over the last two seasons, Freeman has gone 24-4 and played for the national championship in 2024. Last season, they ended on a 10-game win streak, breaking the modern day program record in points per game, yards per play and passer efficiency rating. Freeman also understands that plays a role as well.
"Did playing in a national championship game in the last year help get more eyes on us? Yeah, I believe that," Freeman stated. "I hear that from recruits. Their parents know about Notre Dame; the national championship made us, I don't know, a little cooler I suppose. Then, the following year, we had a good year, but I know we didn't finish the way we wanted. But it's gotten them to the point where they want to go see Notre Dame."
This recruiting operation is showing no signs of slowing down. The 2027 recruiting cycle is coming to a close, with the Irish hoping to land one more commitment with Brother Rice defensive tackle Brayden Parks making his decision tomorrow between Notre Dame and the Oregon Ducks. Freeman has built this program up on the recruiting trail unlike anything I've seen with this level of consistency in my lifetime. But he's doing it by leaning on what makes the university great.
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