Some quick hitters
Head Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coach Marcus Freeman met with journalists Thursday following the squad’s 49-7 victory against the Stanford Cardinal and before the Irish take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Check out the coach’s main points broken down by the name drops.
Rylie Mills
On what the defensive tackle means to the Irish D considering defensive tackle Howard Cross III’s accolades and standout performance, Freeman said, “Riley’s been just a staple in the center of our defense. I’ve always had a belief [that] you have to be good up the middle if you want to be good defensively. And he’s actually a guy that from the time I’ve gotten here in [20]21 to now is just… the improvement’s been tremendous. He was a raw football player when I first got here, but had so many traits of being able to be a great football player. And he’s really developed on those traits and he’s practicing, performing on games at a high level, and he’s doing a great job in terms of his leadership, too.”
Georgia Tech’s Haynes King and Zach Pyron
On the comparison between Georgia Tech backup quarterback Zach Pyron and primary signal Yellow Jackets caller Haynes King, Freeman said, “We went back and watched all of [Pyron’s] clips from the past few years, and there’s quite a bit. There’s quite a few of them. He’s doing a good job and going into some hostile environments and performing. I would say they use him very similar as they do with King, but he also does some things differently. And so, we have a plan for both, probably not the exact same, but it just depends on who’s going to be back there, but, again, he has the ability to run the ball and create issues for your defense with his legs, but he can throw it, too, and he’s confident and he’ll throw it in tight windows. So, we have to be ready for both quarterbacks.”
Benjamin Morrison
On the cornerback’s role as an influence to younger players moving forward from a hip injury, Freeman said, “Right now, he’s obviously recovering from surgery, but when he gets back–and he’s eager to get back here–and once he’s able to get back around our guys, his leadership skills will continue to show. But right now, he’s just taking care of his body [and] recovering from surgery, and we wish him all the best, and he’ll be back before we know it.”
Gabe Rubio
On whether he missed the defensive lineman’s aggressive edge while he was out with a foot injury, Freeman said, “I think you have a big human, a big body that really plays at a high rate. He has a lot of velocity with the way he plays, so we absolutely missed the presence that he brings to this defense. The thing he gave is he’s continuously learning how to control that aggression, to play with details, and he’s doing a much better job at that. He’s going to be a guy that continues to improve because he plays with the effort, he plays the motor, the disruptive mindset that he has, and now he’s continuing to improve on the details of the position. So, he’s only going to continue to get better.”
Follow me on X.