Marcus Freeman Understands The Need To Dominate The Trenches
There isn't one formula that leads to a national championship, which means there isn't a general playbook that Notre Dame's head coaches must follow. Current head coach Marcus Freeman has shown a great appreciation for Notre Dame's history from the moment he arrived, and since taking over he has shown he also understands what it takes to win a championship at Notre Dame.
Winning a championship at Notre Dame requires a number of things, but at the top of the list is the need to have an elite quarterback (more on that another time) and the need to dominate in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
We've seen teams win titles in recent years that weren't dominant on both sides of the line (Clemson OL in 2016 and 2018, LSU DL in 2019), but for Notre Dame it is a must. The Irish can recruit skill positions better than we've seen in the past, and the 1988 title team had some elite football players on the roster, but even then it didn't quite have the across the board depth of athletes that Miami had, and the same was true of the 1993 matchup against Florida State.
What made those Notre Dame teams so good, and capable of playing for and competing for championships, was its ability to dominate teams in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Those Notre Dame teams were incredibly physical and outstanding up front on both sides of the ball.
Notre Dame's 1993 team had a Hall of Fame lineman on offense (Aaron Taylor) and defense (Bryant Young). The 1988 squad had a Hall of Fame defensive lineman (Chris Zorich) and a pair of blockers (Andy Heck, Tim Grunhard) that became high draft picks that combined for over 320 career NFL starts.
Freeman seems to understand that Notre Dame must be dominant in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and his moves so far have shown that.
His first coaching staff moves included bringing in arguably the best offensive line coach in the business in Harry Hiestand, and then Chris Watt as the graduate assistant coach. That duo should get the Notre Dame offensive line back to being a dominant unit in a hurry.
Freeman also hired Al Washington to coach the defensive line, a move that is paying very early dividends. The last time Washington coached the defensive line he had one of the nation's best edge rushers (Harold Landry) and the Boston College defense he coached the line for finished 4th in sacks, 7th in rush defense, 9th in tackles for loss and 9th in total defense.
The expectation is that Hiestand, Washington, Freeman and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees will combine to be elite developers of outstanding line play and will become a force on the recruiting trail.
The coaching and development aspect remains to be seen, but the recruiting is already becoming crystal clear.
Hiestand already has a commitment from a four-star offensive lineman in Sam Pendleton, and another top four-star target - Sullivan Absher - is making his decision this Friday. Notre Dame is in great position with a pair of elite tackles in Monroe Freeling and Charles Jagusah. Closing is still needed, but the Irish are on the verge of an outstanding line class.
Washington and Freeman have had far greater early success on the trail. Freeman played an instrumental role in getting five-star edge Keon Keeley and standout edge Brenan Vernon on board before Washington arrived. Since then the Ohio native has been crushing it on the recruiting trail.
In the last month alone Washington has landed a pair of Top 100 defensive linemen in Boubacar Traore (2023) and Brandon Davis-Swain (2024). Yesterday Notre Dame picked up four-star Devan Houstan, who grades out as a Top 150 caliber recruit on the Irish Breakdown board.
Now, Washington and Freeman have their sights set on Top 50 defender Jason Moore in hopes of landing a truly elite defensive line class.
Combine that with picking up Top 100 defensive linemen Tyson Ford and Aiden Gobaira in the 2022 class and Notre Dame is starting to recruit the defensive line as well as any team in the country. Freeman and Washington together appears to be an incredibly potent combination on the recruiting trail.
If Hiestand and Rees do what I expect them to do, Notre Dame could soon become one of the nation's premier programs when it comes to producing championship caliber line play.
That's the recipe Notre Dame needs to add championship No. 12 to its trophy case, assuming it can also land the aforementioned elite quarterback to go with the great line play.
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