"Had to regress a little bit" - Marcus Freeman makes feelings known on losing to Marshall after taking over Notre Dame's reins from Brian Kelly

Marcus Freeman took the reins of Notre Dame in December 2021, after Brian Kelly parted ways with the program. Kelly had led the Fighting Irish to a 92-39 record during his term, capping his final season in 2021 with an 11-1 finish before the Fiesta Bowl.

Freeman’s tenure, however, got off to an unsteady start. After overseeing the team’s bowl game in 2021, which saw the Irish lose to Oklahoma State, Notre Dame opened the 2022 campaign with back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Marshall, the latter being a particularly surprising defeat.

Despite being heavily favored and entering the matchup as a three-touchdown underdog, the Irish fell 26-21 to a Marshall team that pulled away in the fourth quarter.

Marcus Freeman talked about the start during Monday’s episode of “The Joel Klatt Show.”

“I think we were in a really good position when I took over,” Freeman said (Timestamp: 11:41). “What Coach Kelly had done for this program had been tremendous. And how do you elevate from that point we were at? For us, actually for me, it actually took a dip. We lost the first game, which was the bowl game.

"We lost the next game. … Then we lost the third game in a row, which was Marshall. And for me, it was almost you had to take a dip. You had to regress a little bit to understand what it takes to progress forward.”

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Marcus Freeman on his growth as a coach

Since that shaky beginning, Marcus Freeman has grown into his role, evidenced by his 2024 campaign, which saw Notre Dame make a national championship appearance against Ohio State. On the show, Joel Klatt asked Freeman what advice he would give his younger self following that unexpected loss to Marshall.

“Losing is a part of continuous growth, and nobody enjoys it,” Freeman said (Timestamp: 14:02). “But there's a desperation, I think every individual naturally has, when they're in the dumps, when they've lost, where they feel embarrassed, and then I think I've done my most growth as a leader from some of those difficult losses.”

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will open their 2025 season on the road against the Miami Hurricanes and will hope to continue their momentum from the 2024 campaign.