Appearing on Joel Klatt’s “Big Noon Conversations,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman discussed the importance of staying independent in college football, rivalries, and how the Fighting Irish are fighting to stay relevant.
Notre Dame last won a title in 1988, but it has made great strides towards adding a more recent championship to its record in recent years. This includes a playoff run that saw it all the way to the National Championship last season, losing out to Ohio State.
Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman Reveals How To Fight To Stay ‘Relevant’ in Modern Era
On a recent episode of analyst Joel Klatt‘s “Big Noon Conversations,” the Fox Sports analyst sat down with the Notre Dame head coach in the Fighting Irish’s locker room and discussed a range of topics.
“This is my singular favorite spot in college football, the locker room at Notre Dame Stadium,” the Notre Dame head coach began. Freeman is going into his fourth season at Notre Dame, a year removed from making it to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
“That’s what we want it to be, you can’t get away from the things that have made this place special, you embrace it, you celebrate it, you show it off,” Freeman explained, referring to the infamous Notre Dame legacy walk, showing off the program’s long history.
With the Fighting Irish currently battling to earn the commitments of multiple 2026 recruits, both offensive line prospect Garvin Sullivan and wide receiver prospect Devin Fitzgerald revealed that the legacy walk was incredibly emotional during their official visits.
Outside of their storied history, the Notre Dame head coach also explained that the program’s independence is one of its main selling points, meaning that it isn’t committed to playing in any one conference in the long term.
“But you also want to continue to be relevant, you want to be new, and trendy, and attract young talent. Notre Dame does a magnificent job of doing that.”
According to ESPN Rankings, the Fighting Irish have been knocking it out of the park this offseason under Freeman. They currently rank third overall in 2026 recruitment, behind Ohio State and USC.
Will Notre Dame be forced to join a conference?
With the CFP and scheduling as their biggest threat, Marcus Freeman wants @NDFootball to remain independent as long as possible. pic.twitter.com/7BrQi0w5jE
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) June 16, 2025
“It goes so far beyond a football program, the reason why we’re independent, we were looking for teams to play from coast to coast, Boston College all the way to Southern California, that’s why we wanna keep that independence,” Freeman revealed.
Going into 2025, Notre Dame is one of just three D1 schools that have kept their independent status, with the higher-ups at the university being committed to keeping up with this tradition going into the future.
“They like to talk in terms of stars. This is a five-star football program; we get that. But there’s also a five-star education, and here are the benefits of obtaining an education from this university.” Freeman also revealed.
Despite not winning a National Championship since 1988, both Freeman and Notre Dame have continued to keep the Fighting Irish relevant by embracing the school’s history while also moving forward, as they get closer and closer to finally hunting down the big one.
