Marcus Freeman Praises Badgers' Stars: 'Might be as Good as Anyone we see'

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has achieved a very specific facet of the American Dream: surpassing your old boss in the same profession.

Freeman, the Irish skipper who led Notre Dame to the doorstep of a national title three years into his tenure, used to play for and coach under Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell.

He was a linebacker at Ohio State while Fickell coached the Buckeyes' defense, and he also worked as an assistant coach under Fickell at Cincinnati. The two have faced each other on opposing sidelines as coaches before, when Fickell still coached the Bearcats and Freeman called Notre Dame's defense.

Sunday night at Lambeau Field, however, will be the first time the pair face off as head coaches.

“I was fortunate to work on Luke Fickell’s staff for four years at Cincinnati. What I know about him, and what you see on film, is his teams are going to be tough, they’re gonna play physical, they’re gonna be aggressive and they’re gonna be disciplined," he said at his Week 1 press conference.

The two coaches are obviously in a different position ahead of the 2026 campaign. Freeman is the head coach of one of the most recognizable brands in sports, and his team is 34-7 over the past three seasons, including a run to the national title game in 2024.

Fickell, meanwhile, is a mainstay of every hot seat article published this offseason as he's overseen Wisconsin football's major fall-off over the past three years.

Still, Freeman has the utmost respect for his former coach and boss. But past the expected pleasantries about his old mentor, Freeman had some high praise for his team as well.

Freeman praises Colton Joseph, Mason Posa, Sebastian Cheeks

Wisconsin LB Mason Posa. | Christian Borman.

“I think about their offense, they’re gonna wanna run the ball. Find different ways to run the ball. They obviously have a quarterback that was the player of the year in the Sun Belt last year. He’s as fast and athletic as anybody you’ll see on that team. He’ll present some issues we have to be prepared for," he said.

It won't take long for opposing coaches studying Colton Joseph to realize how dynamic of an athlete he is. His very first play from scrimmage last season was a 75-yard untouched touchdown run against the eventual national champion Indiana Hoosiers.

Freeman also took note of several Badgers linebackers that caught his eye, and had particularly high praise for Mason Posa.

“Defensively, they’re gonna be sound," he continued. "They have good personnel. They have two linebackers that are really good. 8 might be as good as anyone we see this season. He’s a really good player. And then we obviously recruited Sebastian Cheeks years ago. He’s gone on to continue to do some really good things, and he’s shown to be a problem off the edge.”

Especially coming from a former linebacker himself, Freeman calling Posa potentially as good as anyone they'll see all year is a meaningful compliment.

It's also interesting to hear him shout out Cheeks, with whom he has some recruiting familiarity. The outside backer doesn't get much love outside of Madison, but Freeman must've been impressed with what he saw on tape from the pass-rusher.

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