Time for some #MACtion
Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman met with journalists Thursday following the team’s 23-13 victory against the Texas A&M Aggies. Before the Irish take on the Northern Illinois Huskies, the coach sat down to talk practice, development and trust.
Putting Talent to Work
On what allows defensive end Jordan Botelho to add an “unstoppable force” to the team, Freeman said, “Jordan has really good God-given ability. What I’ve seen him be able to do in my four years here is turn talent into actual skill set. That is because of preparation and the work he’s put into it. Being in year three of [Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al] Golden’s system and understanding exactly what is expected out of him in each defense that we call, it shows into the game. He is a talented football player, but talent and skill are two different things and that’s what you’ve seen Jordan be able to do is develop his talent into true skill that is now becoming production for this defense.”
On the Irish Tight Ends
On what he’s seen from tight end Mitchell Evans in the new season after last year’s season-ending knee injury, Freeman said, “Mitch played around ten plays versus A&M and he’s increased the amount of practice plays that he’s been able to do and he’s not a finished product yet. He will continue to increase the volume that we’re asking him to be able to do for us on Saturdays. I expect to see a greater amount of plays than ten, but also, again, understanding that he’s on a progression to truly becoming the best version of Mitch. I’m really pleased with… where he’s progressed to but also, we have to be smart in terms of what are our expectations with… He practiced at fall camp but he wasn’t able to do everything. So, I don’t know how many plays he’ll play… We have to continue to be on a process to increase his load every single week”
As for all of the tight ends, Freeman said, “I’m really pleased with the tight ends room as a whole. [Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike] Denbrock has done a great job at really developing some of those other guys [like] Cooper Flanagan and Eli Raridon and they played really well. They have some mistakes as everybody does, but I was really pleased with how they played on Saturday and pleased with their progression as football players in blocking and even in the pass game, but they’re really owning the technique and the part of being a tight end that includes blocking and I’m excited to see what they do on Saturday.”
All About Trust
On developing trust with wide receiver Beaux Collins after he enrolled in the summer, Freeman said, “He has a great work ethic. His body can handle a lot. He practices at a really high level and he played at a high level. It’s so hard playing that position sometimes because you can do exactly what you’re supposed to do and you always don’t get the reward of getting the ball or getting the stats that you want, but Beaux has been a consistent team player. He’s been a leader for the wide receivers room by example and vocally and he’s been a great teammate.”
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