Notre Dame Notebook: Marcus Freeman Talks Drew Pyne, Opt Outs, Undergrad Transfers

Don’t expect any more bowl opt outs or other surprises before Notre Dame’s Dec. 30 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. Michael Mayer and Isaiah Foskey both announced last week their intentions to bypass the bowl and give up their remaining eligibility to prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman gave his players the better part of two weeks after their Nov. 26 season finale against Southern Cal to decide if they would opt out or stay and play in the bowl.

"That was what last week was for,” Freeman said on Saturday when asked if any other players might opt out of the bowl. "After the USC game we had those conversations. We gave them time to really reflect and make decisions. We told them that by this past week we wanted to make sure that our guys have made decisions on opting out or going to the transfer portal. Again, I can’t predict the future, but I don’t anticipate anybody else not playing in the bowl game or going into the portal right now.”

Opt Outs Equal Opportunities

Mayer and Foskey are the only players to opt out of the bowl to declare for the draft. With them gone, there are players who were behind them on the depth chart who will have more chances to shine on the field.

"I’ve told our coaches and some of our players, you’re not replacing Michael Mayer’s production .... and Isaiah Foskey’s production with one person,” said Freeman. "Those guys are going to be future NFL draft picks. They’re some of the best that have done it here at Notre Dame. But you replace their production through different ways, through multiple people, through schematic changes that you make.

"But yeah, it’s going to increase the expectations of Holden Staes and of Mitchell Evans and that group of tight ends and Jordan Botelho and Junior Tuihalamaka and those guys that are playing Vyper,” Freeman continued. "It’s definitely going to increase their roles, but they don’t have to be Michael Mayer. They don’t have to be Isaiah Foskey. They have to understand that in order for us to replace that production they’re going to have to do their job extremely well.”

Having Honest Conversations

Drew Pyne didn’t opt out of Notre Dame’s bowl. The junior quit the team and decided to leave after Freeman told him of his plans to give Tyler Buchner a chance to play in the bowl if he’s healthy as well as bring in a transfer quarterback in the offseason to compete for the starting job.

It’s not an easy conversation, but it is a candid an honest conversation that Freeman says he has to have with players in order for his program to improve going forward.

"You’re very honest and you’re very clear with your expectations. If there’s questions about, what’s my role in the bowl game, I don’t know if I can give you a specific answer,” Freeman expounded. "We’re not going to make any promises. That's what we can’t do. That does a disservice to your program but also that kid. If you start making promises that you don’t know if you can fulfill you lose that trust factor that you have between you and that player. But you have to be as honest as you can. That’s what I told our coaches, we have to be honest with our players.

"I love Drew Pyne, but part of that love for him was to say we’re possibly looking into the transfer portal to take a quarterback,” Freeman continued. "I could have not told him and lied and said we’re not going to take a quarterback and waited until after the game and said, hey we’re going to look for a quarterback. But that’s not what we’re built on. We’re built on real, authentic relationships and having those honest conversations. You know what? Drew made the best decision for Drew. I say it’s the best, because he made it. I love him. Again, we’re so grateful for what he did for our program this year. I wish him all the best, but I’ll never go back and regret the conversation that we had about our plans moving forward. I can’t wait to see him thrive and do great things in college football this upcoming year. We all have to continue to move forward. Again, my job is to make decisions and continue to evaluate what’s best for our football program and that’s what I’ll continue to do.”

Any Easier To Admit Undergrad Transfers?

Due to Notre Dame’s academic standards, it has always been harder for the Irish to bring in an undergraduate, degree seeking transfer than a grad transfer who already has a degree in hand. It does not sound like it will be any easier to bring in undergrad transfers in the near future.

"There’s been very clear transparency between myself, our admissions, our coaches,” Freeman began. "Yeah it’s difficult, but we understand that. This university is difficult for anybody to get in and that’s what makes it so unique and we can’t dilute that. We can’t take that for granted as a football program. The things we sell in terms of not just playing national championship caliber football, but being a part of a university that offers you so much. We have to embrace that and understand, not every recruit or not every football player is going to be the right fit for this university. This is what we chose. This is what I chose. This is what these coaches chose.

"We can’t pick and choose when we want to embrace that,” Freeman continued. "We want to embrace it when we sell Notre Dame, right? You can play top notch caliber football, but you’ll also get an education that is top notch. We can’t want to sell that to high school kids and then all of a sudden the transfer portal comes, who cares about that education, you know, we just want the best football players. We can’t do that. We can’t pick and choose. We have to embrace what makes this place special and the opportunity to play at Notre Dame special. We understand it takes certain individuals, academically, to be able to transfer in here. But if they’re good students and their credits transfer over and it’s the right fit for us and for them, we’ll be able to get them in.”

Bowl Game Prep – Winning vs Development

Not playing in a College Football Playoff game or even a New Year’s Six bowl game brings a different vibe to bowl season. Freeman has used the early practices to rest some veterans and give the less experienced players on the roster the chance to practice and develop. That early focus will change though as the Gator Bowl draws closer.

"Your only focus as you get close to this game is to win the game,” Freeman said. "I think right now, being 20 days away you still have time to truly just go and to game plan and the focus all being game plan. Right now, that’s the great part about playing in a bowl game is you’re going to get 10 to 15 extra practices. For us, you’re not going to spend 15 practices on just one opponent. It’s no different than fall camp. You spend a part of fall camp developing your roster and that’s what we’re doing now.

"Part of that is getting those guys that have played a tremendous amount of reps this season time for their body to recover, keeping them still integrated in what we’re doing, but also being smart in terms of how many reps they’re getting in practice” he continued. "So, this is crucial development time for those young guys. That’s why we’re focusing on them right now. We’re slowly integrating to South Carolina and as you continue to get closer and closer to the game it will be all South Carolina. The focal point will be to win the game.”

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