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?
Decent week of games, one top 10 match-up and a bunch of semi-interesting or competitive games among the Power4. NFL starts back up, so there are only Friday-Saturday games
* All times are Central Time Zone
Friday Night
6:00 - BYU @ SMU - ESPN2 - Competitive game #1
8:00 - Duke @ Northwestern - FS1 - Competitive game #2, battle of the academics!
Morning Games (Saturday)
11:00 - #3 Texas @ #10 Michigan - FOX - Biggest game of the day, I think Texas wins by double digits
11:00 - Arkansas @ #16 Oklahoma St - ABC - Not sure what to expect from this game, I can see OkSt blowing them out or a super close game
11:00 - #23 Georgia Tech @ Syracuse - ACC Net - Will Ga Tech continue to shine?
11:00 - Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati - ESPN2 - This should be a competitive game in case the other games arent fun to watch
Afternoon Games (Saturday)
2:30 - Northern Illinois @ #5 Notre Dame - NBC - Go Irish!
2:30 - Baylor @ #11 Utah - FOX - While I dont think Baylor will be any good, I am curious to see how Utah looks
2:30 - California @ Auburn - ESPN2 - Would like to see Cal win this one, I just want to see the SEC lose
2:30 - South Carolina @ Kentucky - ABC - I would normally say this is competitive, but South Carolina sucked last week.
Evening Games (Saturday)
6:30 - #14 Tennessee @ #24 NC State - ABC - This could be a very fun game to watch, while not as big as the Texas/Mich game, this may be a nailbiter
6:30 - Colorado @ Nebraska - NBC - This game will be fun to watch and should be very competitive
Late Night Games (Saturday)
9:00 - Boise State @ #9 Oregon - Peacock - Oregon didnt look so good last and Boise State is a solid team, if you have Peacock, might be worth a watch
9:00 - Miss State @ Arizona State - ESPN - This would be competitive as well if you can stay up this late.