It seems like Notre Dame football is at a major crossroads, with significant changes happening after an impressive 14-2 season. Despite the success, it's clear that the program's staff turnover is creating some big challenges for head coach Marcus Freeman. But it also looks like Freeman is working diligently to navigate these changes by bringing in some strong new hires.
Chris Ash replaces Al Golden
The decision to replace Al Golden with Chris Ash seems strategic, especially considering Ash's background with defensive backs and his leadership beside Luke Fickell. Golden's style was clearly popular, so it'll be interesting to see if Ash’s fiery approach can maintain that same level of success. His expertise should complement the strong defensive talent already present, but the transition could still have its bumps.
Ja’Juan Seider is a big get
With the talented trio of Jerimiyah Love, Jadarian Price, and Aneyas Williams at running back, having someone with Seider’s track record will certainly keep that position as a strength. His experience with developing 1,000-yard rushers at Penn State is a major win for the Irish.
A new GM (Mike Martin)
The search for a new General Manager is definitely an intriguing one. The evolving nature of college football’s rules around recruiting, the transfer portal, and NIL demands a savvy, experienced leader. Mike Martin seems like an excellent choice to help navigate this new era, and building out a robust scouting department could help the Irish gain an edge on the competition, especially with such a complex landscape.
Building for Long-Term Success
All in all, Marcus Freeman is making moves to stay ahead of the curve, and while there are inevitable challenges, these hires could help position Notre Dame for continued success. It's exciting to see how these changes will unfold and if they'll pay off in the long run. What do you think of these moves? Does the future of Notre Dame football look bright to you?
I am the first to say that I don't think we'll win this Saturday.
But my "gut feeling" is we're going to win. I don't know why. I keep thinking about this special season. Stanford beat USC and my head said we were going to lose to them as well. Last night I rewatched the Stanford game and we punched them in the mouth. We outphysicalled them. Golson played outside himself at times.
I have no idea why but I think we take this Saturday! I don't see Oklahoma as a "tough" team. I see them as a very good finesse team relying on execution of finesse offense and "speed" on a smaller defense. We have become a power smash mouth football team and my gut says they can't handle dog fight.
My head says we're losing but every time I think about it, I get this feeling that we are going to beat the ever living shit out of them and wear their OL and D down by the 4th. I don't remember feeling this way about an important game before. Very strange. Anyone else?