Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman explains critical comments toward Ohio State
In Marcus Freeman's first months as Notre Dame's head football coach, he had some tough words for Ohio State.
After being hired in December 2021, Freeman, writing for the Players' Tribune, noted he regretted his decision to sign with Ohio State over Notre Dame as a college football player, playing linebacker for the Buckeyes from 2006-08.
"I just thank God that I didn’t make the wrong decision twice," he wrote.
Heading into his second full season with the Fighting Irish, Freeman was asked to clarify those comments on "The Pivot" podcast, being asked by former NFL safety and podcast host Ryan Clark what Freeman was thinking about the backlash that came from "crazy" Ohio State fans.
"That was an eye-opening experience for me. But I needed it," Freeman said. "You need to learn. You need those lessons to learn.
"I think about that article, that Player's Tribune, and you kind of do it that they interview you and they write it for you. You think that you are talking to Notre Dame fans. You are not thinking about anything else other than Notre Dame fans. And they asked 'Why did you choose Notre Dame?' And I was like, 'Oh, I made a mistake. I don't want to say no to Notre Dame twice.' And poor choice of words because that's all the people at Ohio State read was 'You regret your decision to choose Ohio State.' That's not, no. I wouldn't be where I'm at without those years in Columbus, Ohio, and I value every part of that.
"It was a great lesson that you have to be careful of the things you say, the things you write, your interviews because it's not just talking to a certain group. Everyone sees it and everyone can take it a certain way."
Since his hiring ahead of the 2022 season, Freeman has taken multiple jabs against the Buckeyes.
Before the Fighting Irish's season-opening 21-10 loss to Ohio State in 2022, Freeman was quoted as dismissing the academics of Ohio State and the University of Cincinnati, telling CBS Sports, "You don't go to class (at places like that)," which he later walked back publicly and told former Ohio State teammates Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel on 97.1 The Fan that he was misquoted.
2024 4-star linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, in an interview with Rivals, said Freeman has fixated his recruiting pitch on Notre Dame's academics over Ohio State.
“The major thing (Freeman) touched on was how much Notre Dame offers off the field and the difference between an Ohio State degree and a Notre Dame degree," Viliamu-Asa said according to Rivals.com. "It was important for me and my mom to see it because my mom is big on academics so what he touched on was school, the connections and what a Notre Dame degree means after football.”
In Freeman's interview on 97.1 The Fan in September, he said he is "very proud of my two degrees from Ohio State," and would not discredit the "quality of education those degrees represented."
"I would never disrespect Ohio State," Freeman continued. "I would never say you don't go to class. I went to class. I'm sure you did. We made sure we went to class. I would never say that and never disrespect my alma mater."
After four games against Navy, Tennessee State, NC State and Central Michigan, Freeman and Notre Dame will take on Ohio State in South Bend, Indiana, a game, he said the Fighting Irish expect to win.
"The expectation is to win every game you play here," Freeman said on "The Pivot". "Listen, we ain't won a national championship since 1988. Every year, 'Win this national championship.' And that's my goal too. I want success for two groups. One, it's our players. I want it for our players because they deserve it, man. That's why they chose Notre Dame. And I want it for our athletic director and our president. They took a chance on me, and there's so much support around here."
Ohio State will take on Notre Dame in South Bend at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23 on NBC.
Ohio State football schedule 2023
Here's what Ohio State's 2023 football schedule looks like.
Sept. 2: Ohio State vs. Indiana, Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana, 3:30 p.m., CBS
Sept. 9: Ohio State vs. Youngstown State, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, 12 p.m., Big Ten Network
Sept. 16: Ohio State vs. Western Kentucky, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, 4 p.m., FOX
Sept. 23: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame, Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana, 7:30 p.m., NBC
Oct. 7: Ohio State vs. Maryland, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, 12 p.m. or 3:30 p.m./4 p.m.
Oct. 14: Ohio State vs. Purdue, Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana
Oct. 21: Ohio State vs. Penn State, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
Oct. 28: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin, Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin
Nov. 4: Ohio State vs. Rutgers, SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey
Nov. 11: Ohio State vs. Michigan State, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, 7:30 p.m., NBC
Nov. 18: Ohio State vs. Minnesota, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
Nov. 25: Ohio State vs. Michigan, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 12 p.m., FOX
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman explains critical comments about Ohio State
