"I'm excited for them": Marcus Freeman raves about strength of WR corps at Notre Dame

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a massive campaign last season, finishing 14-2 and advancing to the national championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Despite losing to the Buckeyes at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Fighting Irish gave their best and walked away with some great learnings.

Speaking about the past and the national championship, coach Marcus Freeman revealed how proud he was of his receiver corps that stood up when they needed it the most.

The 39-year-old coach spoke with Greg McElroy of ESPN on Thursday and discussed the resilience his receiver corps has shown, as well as how the return of Jade Greathouse and Jordan Faison will prove vital for the team's progress. He also credited Malachi Fields and shared an analysis of how these players shared their parts.

“Some of the guys that are returning with Jaden Greathouse, Jordan Faison, some of those guys, man there, they just continuously improve,” Freeman said on the ESPN podcast on Thursday. [Timsestamp - 23:00]

“And I think what you see out of those guys is that there's a belief, if they're covering one on one, I don't know if they're covered, give them a chance to make a play, and that's what you saw out of them last year. But you know, what I really respect the most out of will. Will was here for spring. You know, the way he practiced. I got a lot of respect for him, the effort he gave, the pride he took in blocking, the pride he took in doing things when he didn't have the ball in his hands. To me, speaks volumes about him.

"He's a productive guy. He's going to find a way to win, find a way to get open. But you know as well as I know the White opposition. You won't always determine if the ball is going to be in your hands, and the things he does without the ball in his hands,” he added.

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Marcus Freeman will aim for 2026 CFP national championship this season

It was a huge disappointment for the Fighting Irish to get outdone 34-23 when they were able to gain momentum in the second half of the championship game. But the Buckeyes looked extremely strong. For every touchdown by ND, they had a perfect response and managed to run the ball quite smoothly deep down.

After the game, Freeman took responsibility for the mistakes and shed light on the takeaways from the game. This season, the Notre Dame coach has reinforced the roster and made his intentions clear about returning to the playoffs. Expect nothing less than a 12+ winning season and a playoff ticket by ND this year.