The old coach did what he could and used to be very successful. Won like we haven't seen in years! Brought in players we haven't seen in years. But he had been here so long that I think the game has passed him by. The winning schools are doing things differently offensively and with great success. Since our head coach and his wife has been sick, he gave the reigns to his defensive coordinator. Wow! He's really opening up the playbook. Not as much running/option but passing. It looks sexy! I have an idea, let's get rid of the head coach and replace him with the defensive coordinator. Bring in young blood, new ideas. No head coaching experience? No problem! Attention World, Bob Davie is the new Head Coach of Notre Dame! Results...

"In five seasons at Notre Dame, Davie compiled a 35–25 record including three bowl games, most notably the 2001 Fiesta Bowl, a 41–9 loss to Oregon State, which was the first Bowl Championship Series game in school history. His final season included the 2001 AFCA Academic Achievement Award when the Notre Dame football team posted a 100% graduation rate.

Notre Dame's performance on the field was inconsistent from year to year during Davie's tenure. Following a 7–6 campaign in 1997 which saw Notre Dame overcome a 2–5 start, the Irish were poised for a major bowl bid with a 9–1 record going into their 1998 season finale against USC when quarterback Jarious Jackson suffered a knee injury on the last play of the LSU game. Jackson did not play against the Trojans and Notre Dame, its offense rendered powerless, suffered a 10–0 loss. The team had to settle for the Gator Bowl and lost to Georgia Tech to finish 9–3. A 5–7 campaign followed in 1999 and the national media began to question Davie's abilities.

In 2000 the Irish bounced back and finished 9–3 once again. Newly hired athletic director Kevin White promptly gave Davie a five-year contract extension.^[6] Within weeks of signing the contract extension, Davie's team lost in the Fiesta Bowl.^[6] During the next season, Davie presided over the first 0–3 start in Notre Dame history in 2001. The Irish won their next three games to even their record, but losses to Boston College, Tennessee and Stanford sealed Davie's fate as the Irish finished 5–6."

Be careful what you wish for!

Just now, SpeedsterX said:

The old coach did what he could and used to be very successful. Won like we haven't seen in years! Brought in players we haven't seen in years. But he had been here so long that I think the game has passed him by. The winning schools are doing things differently offensively and with great success. Since our head coach and his wife has been sick, he gave the reigns to his defensive coordinator. Wow! He's really opening up the playbook. Not as much running/option but passing. It looks sexy! I have an idea, let's get rid of the head coach and replace him with the defensive coordinator. Bring in young blood, new ideas. No head coaching experience? No problem! Attention World, Bob Davie is the new Head Coach of Notre Dame! Results...

"In five seasons at Notre Dame, Davie compiled a 35–25 record including three bowl games, most notably the 2001 Fiesta Bowl, a 41–9 loss to Oregon State, which was the first Bowl Championship Series game in school history. His final season included the 2001 AFCA Academic Achievement Award when the Notre Dame football team posted a 100% graduation rate.

Notre Dame's performance on the field was inconsistent from year to year during Davie's tenure. Following a 7–6 campaign in 1997 which saw Notre Dame overcome a 2–5 start, the Irish were poised for a major bowl bid with a 9–1 record going into their 1998 season finale against USC when quarterback Jarious Jackson suffered a knee injury on the last play of the LSU game. Jackson did not play against the Trojans and Notre Dame, its offense rendered powerless, suffered a 10–0 loss. The team had to settle for the Gator Bowl and lost to Georgia Tech to finish 9–3. A 5–7 campaign followed in 1999 and the national media began to question Davie's abilities.

In 2000 the Irish bounced back and finished 9–3 once again. Newly hired athletic director Kevin White promptly gave Davie a five-year contract extension.^[6] Within weeks of signing the contract extension, Davie's team lost in the Fiesta Bowl.^[6] During the next season, Davie presided over the first 0–3 start in Notre Dame history in 2001. The Irish won their next three games to even their record, but losses to Boston College, Tennessee and Stanford sealed Davie's fate as the Irish finished 5–6."

Be careful what you wish for!

I hear ya. It worries me too. I don't think there was another decision the way Kelly left. Holtz I believe resigned after Rutgers but coached the bowl game. So they had plenty of time and plenty of losses. ND can reverse course if this doesn't work, but doesn't a top 10 team deserver to finish strong?

I kinda think all coaches and situations are like fingerprints...  none are the same and can't be compared ...   all that matters is that Freeman does his best in all facets of the job , and at the end the day..  as long as he does his best..  win or lose ..  he asks Swarbrick "did you hire the right man for the job".   If not ..he looses his job..  if so..  well then thats great !     Anything else is really irrelevant now..   GO IRISH!!

Just now, Irish-scoop said:

I kinda think all coaches and situations are like fingerprints...  none are the same and can't be compared ...   all that matters is that Freeman does his best in all facets of the job , and at the end the day..  as long as he does his best..  win or lose ..  he asks Swarbrick "did you hire the right man for the job".   If not ..he looses his job..  if so..  well then thats great !     Anything else is really irrelevant now..   GO IRISH!!

great post thanks. This hire  is bold. It's frankly so bold in fact only a Success AD like Swarbrick, close to retirement can make it. Only time will tell.

I get this. The only thing I see that’s different is Nd kept almost all of there staff. Most of players should be coming back from an 11-1 team. Freeman at least appears to seem receptive of the ND culture and left the ego out the door. Which is what I heard was the problem with Washington and Lake. Which most fans from Washington seem to think this is an identical situation in every way. Which it’s not as an earlier poster just posted. 
The big question for me with Freeman is, how can he do all the other 9 things that comes with coaching. The CEO type stuff. Plane rides affecting weather, and game starts, gelling with boosters, in game management, where to spend his focus daily, when it’s windy where to practice…etc. There will be things that will pop up that he’s never had to deal with and it will be his job and his character on how to solve these issues.  Grades, sexual misconduct, gets involved with the police, cheating, NIL’s, Transfers  

I hope he reaches out to all his staff and even former coaches and players to get a feel on all this 

 

I'm cautiously optimistic.  Time will tell what we have here.  Freeman is hard not to like as a person and it'll be difficult I think for anyone to say he won't work his ass off to achieve his goals.  The players and recruits have spoken and this is their guy plus staff like no other HC since Lou.  No excuses.

Point taken.  Remember when “bringing in the young blood” was 53 year old Bob Davie?  Ah, the inexperience of such youth.  The infusion of energy that was…. Bob Davie.

 

Sure, this is a risk, but it’s a calculated risk.  Knute Rockne was an assistant coach elevated to HC for his first college HC job.  Other schools did it successfully.

 

I won't miss BK at all.  Good riddance!  There are no guarantees with any coach.  I hope MF is the answer and elevates us to new heights.  If he doesn't, I am confident that there will be another coach to step in and get it done.  BK put the program in a better place, but we still got the smack down in nearly every big game we played in 12 years.  Don't put him on a pedestal.  Time to move on and quit worrying about the bad things that "could" happen in the future.  That's no way to live life.  Be positive, embrace the opportunity to be better!

I think the parallels here are simply coincidence, but I also tend to think it's myopic to think that a fan being excited about this hire is somehow a guarantee of lifetime support for MF. As of right now - to keep the class(es) together, to keep the team together, and the staff that maybe now gets to show out for themselves, they get to stay together - MF accomplishes all that. He's a known quantity in enough facets that JS feels he is the right choice right now. 

The timing of this is obviously an issue. The guy probably everyone really wants isn't available and may not be for months. The fantasy names thrown around - Urban, Saban, not sure who else really - just aren't realistic. Whether they'd win or not here is irrelevant if they are likely to coach the team as Santa Claus being named head coach at Notre Dame.

The groundswell of optimism and positivity is conspicuous. It's important. But I think we all know to not put the cart before the horse. MF knows he needs to prove it with the product on the field, and so hopefully we all root for his ambitions to be reached, and for JS and ND to be vindicated in all this. Be hopeful, but not extreme. Optimism is not a replacement for realism, but hopefully it enhances our daily lives a little bit while we all wait to figure out where this ship is really headed.

9 minutes ago, toddrhodes said:

I think the parallels here are simply coincidence, but I also tend to think it's myopic to think that a fan being excited about this hire is somehow a guarantee of lifetime support for MF. As of right now - to keep the class(es) together, to keep the team together, and the staff that maybe now gets to show out for themselves, they get to stay together - MF accomplishes all that. He's a known quantity in enough facets that JS feels he is the right choice right now. 

The timing of this is obviously an issue. The guy probably everyone really wants isn't available and may not be for months. The fantasy names thrown around - Urban, Saban, not sure who else really - just aren't realistic. Whether they'd win or not here is irrelevant if they are likely to coach the team as Santa Claus being named head coach at Notre Dame.

The groundswell of optimism and positivity is conspicuous. It's important. But I think we all know to not put the cart before the horse. MF knows he needs to prove it with the product on the field, and so hopefully we all root for his ambitions to be reached, and for JS and ND to be vindicated in all this. Be hopeful, but not extreme. Optimism is not a replacement for realism, but hopefully it enhances our daily lives a little bit while we all wait to figure out where this ship is really headed.

Don't get me wrong, I will root MF with all I have but what we also have to consider is the only coach in ND history that didn't get a full 5 years to prove himself was an African-American named Tyrone Willingham., We, I included, was to the moon with his hire. But it didn't work out. IF Freeman, another African-American, starts losing BIG, there's no way Swarbrick will or could fire him in let's say, 3 years. The looks of that would be catastrophic for the University. Shouldn't be about race but there's NO way he can fire him in less than 5 years. So no matter how he does, even if he's a terrible HC, we are stuck for half a decade. Personally, I love the guy! Seems like a great guy and I want nothing but success for him. Would love for all this to end with a statue of the guy right at the entrance of the stadium some day. Maybe I'm old school and not with the college football times these days but us older guys have been through something very similar before and are twice shy. Good luck Marcus Freeman! We are all in your corner wishing you nothing but the best!

Obviously I don't know the man personally, but at least in my own mind, Marcus seems like the type of dude who has the integrity to step down if he's not achieving what he and we all expect. Obviously we all hope we don't have to find out if that's the case anytime soon.

I do get what you're saying though and it sucks to even have to worry about such things but that's so far out of our control, I just hope you don't bother yourself too much with all of that. Continue to stay well, safe, and healthy. We appreciate what you do in the community, and we're all arm in arm rooting for the next man in charge to succeed.

Cheers, Speedy!

2 minutes ago, SpeedsterX said:

Don't get me wrong, I will root MF with all I have but what we also have to consider is the only coach in ND history that didn't get a full 5 years to prove himself was an African-American named Tyrone Willingham., We, I included, was to the moon with his hire. But it didn't work out. IF Freeman, another African-American, starts losing BIG, there's no way Swarbrick will or could fire him in let's say, 3 years. The looks of that would be catastrophic for the University. Shouldn't be about race but there's NO way he can fire him in less than 5 years. So no matter how he does, even if he's a terrible HC, we are stuck for half a decade. Personally, I love the guy! Seems like a great guy and I want nothing but success for him. Would love for all this to end with a statue of the guy right at the entrance of the stadium some day. Maybe I'm old school and not with the college football times these days but us older guys have been through something very similar before and are twice shy. Good luck Marcus Freeman! We are all in your corner wishing you nothing but the best!

The only thing Freeman and Willingham have in common is that they are both African American. All similarities stop there. If Freeman goes 8 - 5 3 years in a row choices will have to made. If he has losing records 3 years in a row no one will question him being fired. You are making an issue where there is none.

Experience is great, but I don't think it's as necessary in today's game. Look at some of the current head coaches of the top teams. Kirby Smart at Georgia, Ryan Day at Ohio State, Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma/USC, Dave Aranda at Baylor. None of those guys were head coaches before. All were promoted from coordinator roles (whether they were already at the school - Day, Riley - or came from elsewhere - Smart, Aranda).

The key in today's game is the ability to bring in elite talent. It's always been about that, but I think it's even more important now. I'm pumped about the Freeman hire because I really believe he can consistently bring in Top 5 recruiting classes. Get those guys in the door, surround them with great coaching, and ND is in a great spot moving forward. 

I've got another story. 

One day, a guy heads up on the roof of his house to do repairs. In addition to being fastidious about maintaining his home, he's also got a pretty clever, if biting, sense of humor. After a few minutes, he sees another guy running down the street at a modest pace. Wanting to add some color to the dull task at hand, he yells down "Hey buddy, are you running or walking?". The runner looks around, spots the source of the joke, shakes his head and keeps on running. 

Some time later, that same runner comes back the other way. This time, however, he has a response. He shouts up, "Hey, you think you can beat me? Why don't you just come down here and try?". Only, he's not kidding. He's 100% serious.

Two things to take away from this story. First, it's true. Second, Bob Davie was an insufferable asshat that couldn't take a harmless joke, even from a stranger. 

I've made this same BD corollary before but the fact is, he was a spectacular failure because A) he was a complete asshole and B) he's an idiot with a career-crippling lack of self-awareness.

Marcus Freeman might bomb out and it's a bold/risky move promoting him to HC with no prior HC experience. But, if he fails, it will have nothing to do with why Bob Davie failed.

4 minutes ago, soulpatch said:

I've got another story. 

One day, a guy heads up on the roof of his house to do repairs. In addition to being fastidious about maintaining his home, he's also got a pretty clever, if biting, sense of humor. After a few minutes, he sees another guy running down the street at a modest pace. Wanting to add some color to the dull task at hand, he yells down "Hey buddy, are you running or walking?". The runner looks around, spots the source of the joke, shakes his head and keeps on running. 

Some time later, that same runner comes back the other way. This time, however, he has a response. He shouts up, "Hey, you think you can beat me? Why don't you just come down here and try?". Only, he's not kidding. He's 100% serious.

Two things to take away from this story. First, it's true. Second, Bob Davie was an insufferable asshat that couldn't take a harmless joke, even from a stranger. 

I've made this same BD corollary before but the fact is, he was a spectacular failure because A) he was a complete asshole and B) he's an idiot with a career-crippling lack of self-awareness.

Marcus Freeman might bomb out and it's a bold/risky move promoting him to HC with no prior HC experience. But, if he fails, it will have nothing to do with why Bob Davie failed.

 

I love insight like this into how people operate. I do understand it takes a certain type of person and personality to endure a job like Head Football coach at Notre Dame. But... I don't think I could ever take myself as seriously as the guy you paint a picture of. Thanks for sharing that.

I think many of us (Freeman supporters) are well aware of what could happen.

Part of us wanted him because of what's happened before with the program falling apart before and realize that continuity and recruiting are major components of success. Part of us wanted him because of his youthful exuberance and relatability with his players (although that can be a crutch in an of itself).

Notre Dame is a different place. I think Notre Dame is in a position to rebound quickly if this era doesn't pan out.

You can feel the excitement around the program and I don't think that was the case with Bob Davie. I was only 13 or so I don't really know, but I will remember that 41-9 ass kicking like it was yesterday. Lovecchio couldn't get that offense to cross the 50 yard line until after half time. Notre Dames talent disparity was on full display and after suffering through that I was convinced that Notre Dame couldn't recruit elite talent. Here we are getting ready to ink a top 5/10 class with another potentially top ranked class on deck for '23. 

This program is back and while it might never translate to championships, this program has shown that it will commit to winning and playing at a high level. CW, Swarbrick and Brian Kelly paved the way and we should be forever grateful as a loyal fan-base. 

Welcome Coach Freeman. I'm looking forward to seeing a fired up squad in a bowl game this year to kick off this era the right way. 

To me the comparison between Davie and Freeman ends at the fact they were both DCs, and took over for a long time coach. Davie was not loved by the players, was a mediocre recruiter, and was kinda weird. 
I know Freeman does not have experience has a HC. Freeman was a great college football player, played in the NFL before a heart condition forced him to stop . He can relate to players that want what he has already done. He has had adversity with how his career ended, and can use that as well. I also believe he will be able to sell ND for what it is , and also who he is. 
 

I was never impressed with Davie. He was the hot commodity at the time. But, that’s the only comparison I see.

4 hours ago, Kid Gloves said:

I won't miss BK at all.  Good riddance!  There are no guarantees with any coach.  I hope MF is the answer and elevates us to new heights.  If he doesn't, I am confident that there will be another coach to step in and get it done.  BK put the program in a better place, but we still got the smack down in nearly every big game we played in 12 years.  Don't put him on a pedestal.  Time to move on and quit worrying about the bad things that "could" happen in the future.  That's no way to live life.  Be positive, embrace the opportunity to be better!

Why are you confident ND would find the right coach if it’s not Freeman? Since Holtz, Kelly is the only hire that worked out. 
 

I hope Freeman is even better, but you’re naive in thinking it’s easy to find a quality Head Coach. Just ask Texas, Tennessee or Nebraska. 
 

This is why I don’t have a lot of respect for the majority of fan’s opinions. Replacing a HC is not something you want to do. ND was lucky to have a suitable candidate in house, but many other years it’s a craps shoot. Right now, there are several good external candidates, but they won’t be available if things don’t work out with Freeman. Remember the other candidates when Kelly was hired? That was an extremely weak pool of coaches. Same issue when Kelly was almost fired in ‘16. 

Just now, ELDER06 said:

Why are you confident ND would find the right coach if it’s not Freeman? Since Holtz, Kelly is the only hire that worked out. 
 

I hope Freeman is even better, but you’re naive in thinking it’s easy to find a quality Head Coach. Just ask Texas, Tennessee or Nebraska. 
 

This is why I don’t have a lot of respect for the majority of fan’s opinions. Replacing a HC is not something you want to do. ND was lucky to have a suitable candidate in house, but many other years it’s a craps shoot. Right now, there are several good external candidates, but they won’t be available if things don’t work out with Freeman. Remember the other candidates when Kelly was hired? That was an extremely weak pool of coaches. Same issue when Kelly was almost fired in ‘16. 

I think Randy Edsall finished 2nd to Kelly. Edsall struggled at both Maryland and a second stint at UConn most recently.

How many “top coaching candidates “ over the past 10 years have worked out for other upper echelon schools vs. Coordinators stepping in for successful coaches stepping in? The % is much higher for the ladder. There is an established culture, continuity etc. This is why gives me hope for Freeman.
 

The coaching staff will have continuity and the players will be behind him. My hope is Freeman keeps a lot of what Kelly did, adds a few things, and does more with recruiting. 

If you have a good recipe, you don’t scrap it and start over, you change a few things here and there to make it great. 

Again, be careful what you wish for. I just saw the start of Davie 2.0. Not calling for his head yet and will be patient to see how next season goes but in 1 game, I seen this before. Hopefully this was an outlier. We shall see.