Inside the Garage - Marcus Freeman on his rapid rise to head coach of Notre Dame

It's a special week on Inside the Garage, with Marcus Freeman joining the guys at the table to detail his path from a standout linebacker at Ohio State to Notre Dame's newest head coach, the conversations he had with Mike Vrabel, Jim Tressel, and other coaches that helped him prepare for the coveted job, and what it is about Notre Dame – as a football team and as a university – that makes it such a rarefied opportunity for a young coach.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume. Welcome back to the in Psycharage podcast. I'm
camping hard along with k J. Wallace, Connor Addigan. We
got the boss man himself. Finally we got the head

(00:24):
coach and nord Ain't football team coach. Free man, how
are you doing? I'm great man. I appreciate you guys.
Finally get me on here a year and supporting bast
year you guys we had when you first started last year,
we weren't doing too well on defense, so we had
to make sure we started to get around. Um, how's easter?

(00:48):
It was good? It was good. I got a chance
to be a little bit of time with family and
it's so important. And when you become a head coaches,
oh you could say that office all day. But the
chance to to to go to church with my family
and uh, I actually went to my wife's hometown for
a couple of hours and stayed to night there and
came back. But, um, it was great. We had a

(01:09):
great easter, a little break. How about you guys? Uh,
it was good. I stayed here. I don't go with
Corner's family, and I'll go with my girlfriend's family, play
some golf, chill to relax. Didn't do much. Yeah, kind
of the same way. Thank golf. A little cold to
play golf, Yeah, I didn't. I didn't have I didn't

(01:30):
have that good of a seawan either, so yeah, I'm
gonna blame it on the goal. I stayed at home obviously.
You know I'm from here, so I stay at home.
Went to the Saint Jill Mask with the family, my dad,
and not to Ioa to see his faund So it
was good. It was good. I didn't go golf on
East there, but these guys did and they came over.
When they walked in the house, they were like, it's
so good. So everybody lives here. Yeah, ye, flour of

(01:52):
us live here now col moved out, so it's on
the outer. Yeah, you guys got extra room. Huh. Yeah.
It was like the stories round. Yeah. So you obviously
grew up in Ohio Dayton. Yeah, okay, um, I went
to Wayne High School to right, Wayne and coach went
high school together. Yeah. Oh I didn't know you went

(02:14):
to school together. Yeah, Mick is Coach mckeens is one
year behind me, so we kind of we didn't. I
mean it was really probably middle school. We started to
get to know each other through sports and stuff like that,
and then uh went to high school and then um,
we played each other in college when I was at
Ohio State and he was a sensible one. Now Braxton

(02:36):
Miller went to high school too. Yeah, it used to
be Marcus Freemans High School and then Braxton Miller came through.
Yeah that's funny. So y'all like, um, like best friends
or what was this some bribery? Yeah, now we were
really we were close. Um, you know, he was a
year behind me, so you know, you you you tend

(02:58):
to hang out with people in your We ran track together,
he played ball with We played ball together, and then
we ran track together. So I was the second leg
in the four about one and he's the third leg.
So he's always yelling like come on, come on, come
over time. So yeah, we've always been close to you.
It's you know what I mean. I think we have

(03:20):
a unique relationship where when you're inside that building, it's business.
We all have a job to do. And that's why
you know, there's certain friends or people you have close
relationships with. It you can hire and you can't the
ability to understand when you walk inside that building it's
business like we have a job to do, and we
got to do our job, and we gotta be able

(03:40):
to hold people accountable and all those different type of things,
but also to have that comfort level where you know what,
you can take off your head coach at sometimes you
go and talk to him and know that you're gonna
get an honest answer and you have somebody there that,
um it's always gonna give you honest feedback. I think
it's important a half. So it's a great relationship. You know,
his wife just went to um Our High School together
to oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I've known. Yeah, so you

(04:07):
obviously went to um Wayne High School where it seems
like y'all produce some ballers. Uh, talk about the recruitment
process a little bit. Um with school is where you
considering why did you go to Ohio State? Why didn't
you come to the game? Yeah, and uh yeah you
from listen, I didn't have I didn't have much of
a choice. You know. My dad was from Columbus, Ohio,
and uh grew up in Ohio State. Just fanatic he was.

(04:31):
He was in the boy Scouts and used to go
and usher the games. And so you know, from a
little kid, you just grew up idolizing Ohio State football,
and so I knew when I got offered by them,
there was a really good chance I was going to
go there. I had a guy, two guys from my
high school already on Ohio States team, so there was
that comfort level. Um. You know, I was just talking

(04:51):
to my high school coach, me and coach making high
school coach came to practice last week and he was saying,
do you remember that story that you told me about
your dad? And I'm like, no, what happened? And uh
he said. I called him after we were coming back
from an Ohio State game and I said, hey, I
don't have any other choice but to go to OHIWSE State.
He was like why, He was like, so, I guess
my dad after I was recruiting one game, he walked

(05:14):
up to stand and started crying and so like when
you're a kid and you can't afford to go to
ohiuse State, like, and you the only way you can
go to an o House State game is is be
a boy scout and stuff like that. You know, the
chance for him to go in there with his son,
You know, I don't remember it, but I guess he
walked up the steps and started crying and uh, you
know those are the things that you know. It is

(05:35):
what it is. Um. I had a lot of great opportunities. Um.
I remember I went to Michigan and really really enjoyed it.
I did, man, and uh, when I just knew my
dad would just come to one game a year and
I'll be the house state game, may be sitting on
the House state Yeah, yeah he was. You know, I
didn't give Notre Dame probably the real chance that I

(05:56):
should have, and I was a tyrone willing him. But
I love d like he reminded me of my dad.
And I remember I kept a voicemail he left on
my phone and I played it from my high school
coach and was like, man, this is my dad, this
is my dad. And I really really liked him. But
I wanted to graduate high school ely. I don't know
if you guys didn't you guys graduate none of us,

(06:17):
so I did, you know, and Notre Dame at that
time wasn't meant anybody to come to schooling, which they
do now, but back then they didn't remember. I staid listening,
I want to get out of here. I want to
go to college early. And so that's kind of why
definitely is that a national thing. I think it just
started becoming more and more pop You guys know the
name Maurice clarette Maker, he was he was, Yeah, he

(06:41):
was a baller at Ohiuse State running back. But he
was like one of the first guys ever to graduate
high school early, and he went to Ohiuse State and
started as a true freshman running back. So I was
a sophomore at the time, and you start to think, Okay,
that's the only way you can go and start in college.
You gotta graduate high school early. And um, it's not true,
but um that was one of the reasons. But again again,

(07:03):
now everybody doesn't yeah, stuff like being that really because
you're senior high school, right, but you're you're in college
that Yeah, you're like the kids. So now we just
have fourteen mid years here and right, we're only going
to have I think seven kids come in June. So

(07:24):
when I went, when I did Ohio State, there was
only like two of us, right, And so you're like
the class with no class. You know, you're not with
the class in front of you. You've already been there
for a semester before that class behind you gets there
and so it was really unique just trying to figure
it all out. You know, you don't have orientation and
stuff like that you kind of thrust into, do you

(07:47):
just like you kind of had a leg up though
on not I don't even say just the people coming
in from playing football, but like just a class in general.
I'm saying, yeah, I think the thought processes. I'm going
to go in early to start, I'm gonna be I'm
gonna be the guy that comes in and starts. Well,
you got dudes there, dudes, and you realize right away,

(08:08):
like okay, like this isn't You're not walking in this
place and starting. This is different. Same thing here, right
everybody things from coming Notre Dame. It's a big recruit.
I'm gonna start as a freshman. We've got some dudes here.
You guys know it man and so um. But it
did give you a head start in terms of academics,
you know, you got I was able to graduate after
my fourth year um, and so my fifth year at

(08:29):
Ohiose State, I was really in graduate classes. So you
know that definitely gave me a head start. So you
play it with let's see take in junior a J
Hawk and Malcolm was that all one team. Yeah, yeah,
but here's that. Well, me and Teddy came in together
in two thousand four, Troy was two thousand two. Um,

(08:51):
a J. Hawk was two thousand two, and then Malcolm
was a year after two thousand five. So we're all
on the two thousand five, two thousand sixteen because I
played as a freshman. Yeah, well a J was going
after two thousand and five. But we're all together at
some point. But we just named off some dudes, man, Yeah,
paying with them, Like I know Malcolm Jiggins myself. I

(09:14):
watched a lot of his film, Like we're separating him obviously.
I see so great now, so great to Yeah, big
shout out to Malcolm. You know. Just competitive. Those dudes
are competitive. The guys you just named Lauren IDAs who
was our defensive Yeah, those duds are so competitive man,

(09:35):
you know, and and it just makes everybody better. Right,
you come on a practice field, you they're going to
raise the level. If you're not a competitor, you're gonna
get exposed, you know. And I remember one practice man
with Troy. This is his Heisman Trophy year, so two
thousand six when he run the Heisman, I think we're
getting ready for the bowl game. It was right around there,
and um, he was running the ball and you know,

(09:57):
stay away from the quarterback and all that, and somehow
I bumped into him or somebody did. Yeah, I never
get Like he threw the ball at me, like hit
me in my helmet and I just I mean, and
everybody broke it up, and I'll never forget, Like Troy
Walker down, I'll see you in the locker room. All good,
let's go finish practice. I'll see you in the locker room.
And I'm like and there we go, like what it is.

(10:26):
And you know, there's a couple of guys and he
went to Cleveland Glenville. So there's a couple of dudes Ofmvilles. Uh.
So that's where Teddy again went to school. Um, his
dad was the head coach of Cleveland Glenville. So ted
gain Dante, I mean, first round picks out of Wazoo,
they all to the same high school, Cleveland Glynnville. Yeah, yeah,

(10:46):
that's crazy. So we had like four dudes from Glenville
on the team at that time. I'm like, all right, man, happen.
So I'm sitting in my locker and I'll never forget.
He walks up and it's like a freeman. I would
expect nothing less. Next time that happens to do it again,
I expect nothing less. But that's the type of leader
and competitor he was like he wanted that, you know,
But that was just the guys you name, man. That

(11:09):
was the type of environment we were in. Like it
was competitive as heck man. You know, when you stepped
on that field, it was like being around I had
to be fine first round picks and where you look at.
And so two thousand and six, that team that Troy
Smith was on that won the Heisman, we went to
the national championship and lost to Florida. And then I

(11:30):
had the Florida team had Tim Tebow, prison Lee, they
had some dude you know all those dudes. Person was
back up there, Cam Newton. That a tripped Cam Newton. Ok. Okay,
well I know Urban recruited Cam Newton, Urban Meyer. Yeah,

(11:52):
I don't know what he did. And he liked like
Chris Leek. You remember that name as well. You know
that because my dad's from Florida. So I get schooled
on for college football. So that team we went to
national championship, lost to Floridayer that team, they beat the
crap out of it, and then the next year we

(12:14):
go back to the national championship and get spanked by
L s U. So it's like where y'all were y'all
doing the points things two? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, no playoffs? Yeah.
Pat Pete was papion that team. No, uh no, I
don't think he was. They had some dudes and their

(12:34):
defense was crazy crazy yeah. Yeah, what happened to your
thirty year? So okay, so let's go back through this.
My first year two thousand four, we were average. We
were six and six, I think we were. It was
just one of the down years of Jim Trust went
on house a football. We were young, just trying to
figure it out. Two thousand five, Um, I got hurt

(12:58):
the first game of the year, so I ended up
having surgery, got a staff infection, so I was out
the entire season with the staff infection, and so we
went up. We won the Fiestabo I think in two
thousand five. I'm pretty sure. Then two thousand six was
national champion. That was my soft retro sophomore year. Two
thousand seven National Championship. Restor of sophomore year two thousand eight. Um,
my senior year, we went to the Fiestabole and lost

(13:20):
the Texas Okay, Texas, yeah McCoy, yeah yeah, cope, boy,
they had some dudes on that team. You're young, you're young,
you thinking about so let's see you you left for

(13:44):
after senior ye draft? How was how was that process? Um?
I believe I know you're drafting the fifth round? How
was that processed leading up? And how? Like? You know,
how was that whole preparation at that time? It's unique, man,
every person, every guy that's about to get drafted, i'
tell them all the same thing. You're never gonna go
as early as you think, unless you're the first pick

(14:04):
of the draft, because the guy that goes second might
go first, right right, So you never you're always waiting.
And so you're here. Okay, you might be a second
round pick, you might be a third round pickle, but
whatever it is, you know, and so you train. I
went to the combine. Um, you know, it's it's part
of becoming a pro. You know, you start eating meals

(14:26):
that are prepared for you, you're working out all day long,
and you know, you that's an experience though that you'll
never forget the Combine pro day. Those are things that
you happened once. Come on. At the combine, it was
like four seven, it was four. I was like to

(14:54):
But then when I went to like a pro day,
you know, you always says faster and I'm at four
or five. I don't or anybody say it was you know,
it wasn't so but it was good. It was. But
no matter, here's the other thing. No matter when you
get your name called, right, if you get drafted, it

(15:15):
the biggest relief. Remember sitting there like second round, noe,
third round, note, fourth round, I started saying, what's going on?
Like did my name get taken out of I mean,
it's like who knows. Somebody might come in here and say, hey,
you might be a second round pick. So that's all
you're thinking, right, somebody, you're gonna tell yourself that's where

(15:36):
I'm going. But you never know, you know, And and
I'll never forget when the barrass called me in the
fifth round, it was just like such a side of relief,
you know who. I was at home at home and uh,
just waiting, waiting, And that's the one thing, like if
you're gonna be a mid round pick, don't find something
to do because you just sit there and you just

(15:58):
watch names getting picked, name getting picked, and it's it's
a long process definitely, you know. And I tell those
guys the work begins once you get your name call,
you know what I mean, because you got to go
make a team. You got to go make a team.
And there's hungry dudes, man, there hungry dudes in the
NFL that you gotta go beat them out, because that's
how to feed a family. To think, Kim, I was

(16:19):
just talking to us yesterday, like this year and that's
your draft due to like COVID and deal come back.
There's three hundred extra people in the drafting, like the
free agent. Yeah, that's crazy, dude, That's why you made
a good decision to come back. So you talked about
the draft and stuff like that leading up to that point.

(16:41):
What does the Ohio State your streatment look like on
a day they basis, I need some stories that need
I need everything. Let me know. This is the this
is like, look what you've got going on right now.
You probably had the smooth ways, Like why cut your hair?
You know, I don't even know. I think, well, Lauraitas

(17:04):
was bald, and so I think that just the way
it was, just like, remember you don't remember that undarmed commercial.
We must protect this house. Remember, I think it was
probably one of them. I remember one of those dudes
on their he it was either bald or had a
real low cut. And so like you thought, like that's

(17:28):
it makes you tough, like who all of us were
all as? For some reason, man, somebody must have said
it looks good and you just kept it. I'm just
glad you came back. There's a lot of bald dudes
out there right now. That might be, but it was good.
It was. I mean, it was a great, great experience.

(17:51):
You know, you're playing college football. You know. The thing
I remember most though, is it just you remember your teammates.
I don't. I don't remember all again, aims don't remember.
I mean, you just remember your teammates. You remember the
experienced man of being in the locker room with those dudes.
It's the greatest time. You know, it's such a great time.
And uh it's funny, man. You see a teammate maybe

(18:15):
you talked to, maybe didn't talk to, but they're like
a long lost brother. I've had people come and visit
me here at Notre Dame that I haven't talked to
in ten, twelve, fifteen years, and you don't do anything
for him when they come to see you. Yeah, it's
a great. It's it's together, yea. Let's do everything together

(18:35):
in the stadium and all that stuff together. Like I
feel like I still listen nothing like what y'all go
through built by Baylis. Oh yeah, hey listen. There's times
man that I just sometimes as a father, you know,

(18:57):
like the ultimate form of disciplined man, and like there's
time to just close my eyes. But I know you
need it. I know you need it, man, So I
know what it's gonna what's the results gonna be. But

(19:18):
like you guys, you guys go through it. You go
through it like this back and yeah, like we're just
staying away room a benching squad, hank clean like that's
that's all we wanted, was running stuff running like that.
I mean we did, but we're not like the way
you guys do. We want to go work out, we

(19:38):
want Yeah that's what we different game. Yeah talking about that,
How different do you feel college football is now from then?
From when you played it is? It's different, you know
from the you know, even the spread, the spread offenses
of the game, the check with me system that was

(20:01):
never a part of our game. We got very little tempo. Defensively,
we're pretty bland, you know, And what we did the
game has become so complex in terms of pre snapped
the alignment's disguises, um pressure packages, offensive r pos. We
didn't have that stuff. Man, when I played, you know,

(20:23):
we had Jerome on obviously this is way before you,
but we talked about how what Jordy of the game
was running up the middle of ie stretch play stuff
like that, not a lot of passing. Then two thousand three,
that's when it spread and you start to become more
popular than and now we have all this like r
P O tempo, like um whatever. Like how do you

(20:46):
think that because obviously back in Jerome Beads days, these
dudes are huge own bat is to what running back then? Yea?
Then back in outline backers aren't size compared to you
back in the day like twenty so how do you

(21:06):
think the size of the player matters? And I think
now you got on defense, on defense, you got to
be able to cover fifty three and a third, right,
whereas as you were just saying, a lot of our
games inside the hashes, manning up the middle. The element
of a quarterback run has changed offenses. Right, You have
to account the majority of the time for the quarterback

(21:29):
being able to pull the ball down and running it.
And so that has truly changed the game, you know,
And that's what you see the evolution of that position, right.
It started, it slowly started happening. Towards the end of
my college career. You started hearing dual threats or and
it's not even the dual threat as much as the
guy that can pull the ball and extend to play right.
And so that's becoming more and more prevalent in college football,

(21:51):
and so that changes the way you you defend offenses. Man,
the athletes that are pushing the envelope or it's like
the type of athletes that pushing islands, the type of
systems it's pushing up. It starts with the players. It
starts with the players that the athletes that are at
quarterback now. But then the ability to use those athletes

(22:12):
in a system is what creates a completely different um
a challenge for a defense, you know, because not only
do you have the best athletes on the field, you know,
now they're doing different things with shift in motion tempo, right,
and so as a defensive times you were just trying
to get lined up. Let's just get lined up. Well,
that makes it so easy for the offense, you know.

(22:33):
So now you're seeing defensive trying to catch up and
try to do some pre snap disguises and things like that.
Um and show one thing and play another. But it's
still man the athletes, the systems. Um. It's a challenge.
It's a challenge to stop really good offenses. I mean
you play it against one of the best ever players
in terms of dual Threatned Tin Tibo. Right, you had

(22:55):
to face that, like right when they started opening up
the playbook. Yeah. Yeah, it's interesting with Mike veg around
that time. No, he's I used to watch him. Yeah,
who's probably the most tim He's probably the most dynamic quarterback.
He was a freshman. He was a freshman. Um when
I played Troy Smith obviously was trophy. Chris Leek, who

(23:16):
actually started for Florida, was really good. He was a
really good player. My senior year we played Mark Sanchez
for USC Mark Sanchez. Yeah. They were just a real
football take. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, so I faced
him really good some really really good offensive players, really
good quarterbacks, just great football Player's the thing you think

(23:38):
about the names of the people you played against in
college when we played a Notre Dame or play at
Ohio State. I mean, I think about that USC team
that had Sanchez, Taylor Mays, Briant Cush, and Clay Matthews,
Raymond Luga the front. I mean it was first round,
was all over the team. You name the names I
forgot of. Yeah. Yeah, it was crazy. Yeah, Christian is crazy.

(24:02):
So welcome on the Ohio State campus. Being one of
fifty five thousand, Yeah, how do you feel, like, like,
what's what's like the best experience, best and off of
experience on that campus? And uh, because when I'm when
I was in the Crean process, I'm like, I don't
want to go higher state State. They got six thousand people.
They're like, I'm just one of like a periods. How

(24:23):
do you how how did you feel navigating throughout that
campus and stuff like that. It was different. I didn't
spend much time on campus, you know a lot of time.
I mean nobody really the majority of the players didn't
live on campus, you know, because you go on campuses
and zoo. You know, you would go to campus for
class and stuff like that. But then our football facility

(24:46):
wasn't on campus. I don't know. Yeah, yeah, technic considered
off campus, but it was. I mean it's not where
classes are. You know, you drove everywhere you had to go.
I mean there was a bus system. Um it is.
It's a big it's a big camp this you know,
it's a small city, you know, And I'm saying that
campus is almost like a small city. The city of
Columbus is huge, but that campus is almost like it's

(25:07):
own small Yeah. Yeah, that's people. Isn't that what five
times when dame their name is nine undergrad? Yeah, that's
a lot of small crazy. It's different. It's different, right, this,
This campus is different. And the cool thing is that

(25:29):
there's positive to everything. Is how you look at it.
You know, whereas you guys are gonna know the majority
of the people that you're in class with, the more
majority of people that are CHAMPI this meanings such an
intimate place, you know, I even see it as a coach,
like we support the other coaches because we're all intimate.
We're all close, you know, and and it's really really

(25:50):
unique in terms of it's a small campus, but it's
you have to meet this big brand. The feel of
the other Dame football is so big and uh, but
it's beautiful. I've never been in I've never been in place.
It looks like south Man. It's like our campus. It's
the most Yeah, let me just yeah. It's kind of

(26:13):
funny how like small little undergrad our name has, but
like the international hold that it has, that's what side
of football. Like crazy people be like how big is it?
And not be like what I think? It's like this
Everyone like, I don't know. It's just a brand, right,
It's such a powerful brand of network is so strong.

(26:34):
I mean everybody knows Notre Name football. I mean you
grew up and you just know this this it's got
this this you know mystique about it, right, but um,
it isn't you come here as a small campus man
beautiful But it's yeah, we actually talked about this like,
um amongst like for everyone else and there Dames it's
big football school whatever, But amongst football players it seems

(26:57):
like we almost get um scrutinized for being Notre Dame
and having this like high football profile I guess have
you ever ran into it since where you're like talking
amongst football players, you're like, oh, you want to like
you know what I mean, it's how it says sometimes
like it's like you're too smart a little bit. It's
like almost some water down, water down. It's like a

(27:22):
little jealousy there. Yeah. Yeah, I might have had that
own prejuice against Notre Dame. Probably I wasn't here either.
I mean, it's just Notre Dame has been so good
for so long, and it's like, man, it's old tradition school.
And then you get here and they're like, oh this
this is amazing, right, because I had the same thought

(27:45):
process probably before I really got here, like it's just traditional,
it's boring. But then you get here and say, no, man,
this is the grad. Believe I have the greatest thing
to offer young people, man, and that's a chance to
play football at the highest level, right highest level. But
then that Notre Dame network, it's it's so big and

(28:05):
it offers you so much life. It's this right, and
you're not doing this at other places, man, but this
network is so strong and so powerful that it truly
offers young people man the best of every world. Yeah,
you really hit on the market. We literally would not
be doing this right now if it was another Dame

(28:26):
Ohio state to kick off against someone. What's the feeling? Like? Uh,
I know there is some love for high states. I
mean we all know that, but the coaching that notre Dame,
So like, how do you how do you battle that?
How do you navigate that? It's weak one? And I
don't want to give you coaches talk, but it's it's
it's a big game. It's but it's a great opponent, right,

(28:49):
and what better way to measure our football team versus
a really good opponent. Right, We're gonna bust our butts
in camp, We're gonna work our tails off. Well, let's
go see how good we really are. You know, let's
go face the best. But you don't want to put
too much steak and just the one game game, whatever
happens that game, one game in life. You're here, you
know I'm gonna say that, right because no matter what

(29:10):
happens the end result of that game, we got eleven games.
We gotta make sure that we're ready for the next one,
ready for the next one. And so I've done it.
I did it to three years ago. I was at
Cincinnati and we went to Ohio Stadium right now. Was
my first time back since I played and or when
I g eight, and I was on the other side
of the field, and it was good for me to
go there and kind of experience what it was like

(29:31):
and take it all in. So I know what it's like,
I know what's visiting locker room, like, I know what
I do. Let's go. You know, it's a big stadium.
Let's go, let's go, let's go play ball. I want
to play one life. Obviously, it's something that here all
the time we have heard, my kids have heard all
the time kind of like going off in philosophies like
where did you Where did t G has originated from?

(29:52):
The Golden Standard? Where did that come from? Well really
started in two thousand seventeen, all right back at Cincinnati.
O on this young twenty nine year old defensive coordinator,
right and the first time defens coordinator. I'm thea Google.
I'm good, I'm twenty nine years old. Defense coordinators got audiencewers.
We finished ninety six in the country that year in

(30:13):
total defense, and so I'm like, okay, I'm not this
young guru, I gotta reevaluate somethings. So we came up
with this thing called we called it the black Cat
brand because we were the black Cat's at Cincinnati Defense,
so we called it the black Cat brand. But basically
number one was challenged everything, and it was really a

(30:33):
thought process of a couple of things, like we're gonna
play man, We're not gonna sit back and play all
this zone. We're gonna be aggressive, we're gonna pressure, we're
gonna stop with the offense does But it still goes
back to what I say now is find a better
way in the country. We've gotta find a better way, right.
Number two is Uni strength, and that was on defense,
getting four units to play us one. But it's the
same thing. Love man, put the other guy into me man,

(30:54):
love for your teammate, love for your brother. The other
thing we had it since there, we called it the
t g at the black catundamentals, which we had on
defense right well, when I became the head coach, like
the fundamentals are are so important, but I needed something
that was different, right, and that's the competitive spirit. Like
to me, that's the most important fundamental there is. Like
if you're not competitive. Man, if you don't have a

(31:16):
a dying will to win, right and that fear of losing,
it's gonna be tough. And so that's where the mindset
started from. You know. Now after that two thousand seventeen season,
we put that black Cat brand and we end up
finishing the next year, I think top ten in the
country defensively. So the same type of thing is I
came here right last year on defense we called it

(31:38):
the Golden Standard, but it was still about challenge everything,
unit strength and the fundamentals. And so that's just kind
of how we have evolved when you became the head
coach and just saying no competitive spirits the third part,
but it's just it fits everything to me as a
program that we want to do right, challenge everything, find
a better way to do it. I always thought that
you gotta like from playing and you just mentioned it.

(31:58):
Actually probably, but you just talked about you around some
of the most competitive guys you've ever been around playing
in the higher state, and I thought it grew from that,
like you were trying to implement that competitive spirit within us.
Is that did that play on it at all? Yeah? Absolutely,
competitive spirit or something that I mean I learned I
was four years old when my mom whose career and

(32:19):
put me in taekwondo, which is one on one martial arts.
I learned competitive one on one, you know, combat from
four years old. End up being a black belt. But
you learn, like listen, if you aren't competitive, you can
get your butt beat. I don't care how much technique
and all. It's a mindset and mentality. The same thing

(32:40):
is you going to high school in college like the
dudes that thrived or Choosually the most competitive dudes there are, right,
They just they work at it. Man, they want to
win and everything they do. You look at the best
players and all professional sports man all they talk about
the Kobe, the Michael Jordan's, you know, I mean the
Tom Brady's, the most competitive people. But there is something
into man, that competitive spirit that makes you have success.

(33:01):
For sure. You talk about getting like inspiration from people
you played with the other any coaches that you draw
inspiration from a lot, You know, I probably lean on
coach Trustfull, who was my college coach more than anybody coat, Yeah, Trustful,
he was my college coach. I don't even know, right,
he's a legend. Oh yeah, I don't know that you

(33:27):
know everything, j come on south to on that. Yeah.
He won a national championship in two thousand two and
won a lot of national championships in one double A
which is now SCS at Young Sound State. But Coast
trust man, what I get from him is to treat

(33:49):
everybody with respect. He made we didn't have a lot
of diet A lot of guys who leave on House
State to go pro with the coach trust because he
made it that you love being there and you worked
yourself because you didn't want to let down. But he
treated everybody from the walk on to the starters to
the secretary, whoever it was. He treated you like you
were the most important person in the world. And that's
kind of what I got from him in is that

(34:11):
you can you can win a lot of games with
treat people the right way. You don't have to be
a certain type of way to have success. Um, you
know I talked to you know what I talked to
when I was really getting ready for this job. But
Mike Brabel at a plantal house stay and I got
to know him really well. But he became a first
time head coach for the Tennessee Titans, with no head
coaching experience, so I leaned on rage a little bit.

(34:34):
Um did a good job, Yeah you did a heck
of a has done a heck of a job. But
I've talked to every former head coach is still alive
at Notre Dame because there's only certain people to know
what it's like to be in his chair, so you
gotta lean on them. But I studied the great ones
man people always, and I know everybody's talking about coach
or around being here, but you know it starts off

(34:55):
with him wanting to introduce his sons to Notre Dame
football because he wants his kid is getting this. Kids
want to get into coaching. But when I talk to him, like, look,
you're gonna be here, I want to utilize you and
I want feedback. I want you to observed. I want
you to talk to the players, I want you to
talk to our coaching staff. And again, I tell you,
guys all the time, if you don't seek feedback, how

(35:15):
do we grow? Right? And it's not always the most
comfortale thing. I don't want to I don't love people
telling us telling me what I'm not good at. Love
to hear that, But you know you need it to
grow right. It has to man. So as a head coach,
I still seek feedback all the time, something that come
in because I've never seen the head coach like I
think when people talk about a head coach, we talked

(35:36):
about them on this pedestal, and we raise them on
this pedestal as if they've made it. There's also ways
to contrigue yourself, no doubt that there ain't. Hey, listen,
there's no great head coach without great players, you know.
And that's the thing I've learned is that this ain't
about Marcus streaming. It's about Notre Dame football, and we're
gonna embrace that. Man. This ain't about one single guy,

(35:59):
one single player, no once coach. Man. This is about
us doing something together, a whole bunch of people coming together,
being a selfish unit stream to reach a common goal.
And then guess what if when it does happen, We're
I'm gonna celebrate together. Guy, I gotta ask you for
this podcast about one guy. I gotta ask you, do

(36:21):
you have a coach's top five? Okay, let's go five,
let's go. I'm gonna definitely put coach stress hold coach
stressful up here, you know, won a national championship. Um Savings.
He's on top of the world right now. You know,
he's on top of the coaching profession. Um Bill Belichick.
I know, I'm going to NFL check. He's a monster

(36:42):
and asked about that. You guys ain't gonna realize this,
but um, great Popovich, he ain't even there. I studied
the heck out of him. No, but I would love
you didn't show that video that was coach Golden. Yeah,
study great Papa. He's dynamic, you know. But then I

(37:05):
forgot about coach k you too somewhere like, sorry, he's
a different podcast man, coach. Why don't you like about him?
At that's that's it's a long story. I don't. I
don't think briefly. I think he makes a lot of
it about him in this Fairwell, so I made it,

(37:26):
but that's I don't. They also lost the UNC twice
this year. Yeah, I probably left some people out, but
those are I mean, that's dope. You know, different the
way the way you incorporate Greg Papa. I like that. Yeah, yeah,
you know you have to talk into like those the
NFL coaches, like Mike Rebel and like the other guys

(37:48):
like that. What. Um, I guess this is a two
side of questions. What are some of the upsides and
downsides of coaching at the collegiate level as opposed to
the NFL level from what you've learned from that? Yeah,
I think the NFL you don't have to recruit, you know. Um,
when you leave the building in NFL, you you're off,
You're done, you know, until you come back. But every

(38:12):
week I remember telling very well, he said, listen, this
is when I was at Cincinnati, said every week is
Alabama versus l s U or Alabama verse Clempson and whatever.
He said. You know there is you ain't playing easy
games at this level. Every week you can get beat.
You see that with the Bengals making a Super BOWLS year,
nobody ever would have. Um, you know what's the downside,

(38:34):
it's it's such a selfish profession. Man. And Mike, I
got four boys, and they all they don't say I
want to be a coach, No, don't because I love it. Yeah,
I love this man. I love you guys. I just
want to do it. But you or you lose a
lot of time with your family. You know, my wife
I call her a single parent at times, she takes

(38:57):
care of those six kids. Man, but she's in it.
You know, the kids are in it. I said, it's
at my press can. They didn't choose his life, but
they have to share me, you know. And uh, that's
the tough part about this profession. Man's just the balance
and the you know, the selfishness you have to commit.
That's something that scares me away from coaching. Yeah, I
don't know if I can do it. I can. We

(39:18):
talking about a few times probably like I couldn't go
past high school seeing seeing the kind of stress y'all
go through. I would love to coach, but I can't.
I couldn't do it. Let's think about it. And I
was coming from that coach that it took ten years
to go from higher state g A toody have football
coach like that that doesn't happen. Which the fact that

(39:39):
you're still saying it's like selfish now that like that's
it's unbelievable because it takes guys like twenty years to
do that, especially like for a place like Notre Dame.
So I don't feel like, give me some key to
the recipe. I need something. I mean, like, yeah, man,
some of this graceful guy. You know, um, you gotta

(40:01):
get the opportunities, but you gotta work hard, man. You know,
nothing's handed to you. I wanted to be the best
g a at ol House ever was a jail house. Stay.
Then I got a job at Kent. Stay. You just
want to be the best line Actually coach my high
school coach? Who's that, Josh Pleasant? Oh yeah, I can't stay.

(40:22):
Yeah he's your high school coach? Is my high school
claringback school? Yeah? He's my training back home. That's crazy.
Let's see. You can say in my name like that
and I remember Bam John pleas or number two. It
can't stay. Yeah, that's good, pleasing years ago. You don't
forget back in the day. Just but work as hard

(40:45):
as you can, Work as hard as you can man.
And and to me, I always tell coaches winning is
more important than money. I tell assistant coaches all the time.
Everybody wants more money, Winning and being associated with a
winner is so much more important money. The money will come.
You do a good job, you work your button. But

(41:06):
if you can associate and get attached to a winning
program and a winning coach, the rest of it will
take care of yourself. Everybody wants a winner, right, If
I'm gonna hire you, I don't care how much money
you make as much as like, what are you a
part of? What staff? What program are you a part of?
Are you a part of a program that's winning? Because
I don't look at how much money you're making. I
looked and say, hey, man, what type of coach are you?

(41:26):
How well your guys playing? And are you a part
of a winning culture or winning program? Definitely, a winning
was so important. I feel like a part of your
coach career that's kind of slept on with your produe time.
How long were you slept on? We want nine games
in four years? Yeah, nobody talks about Nobody talks about
when you know, yeah we Uh, those were really some

(41:52):
special years and me because you know, my family started
growing and me and coach Parker was on that staff.
Who's our titles? Coach now? Um, but we struggled, but
you lose. You learned so much when you struggle, Right,
I think I learned I don't want to say more,
but just as much in those four years at Perdue

(42:13):
that I learned enough. Four years at Cincinnati and we
won nine games that Perdue four years so nine and
thirty six and Cincinnati. We might have lost, we didn't
lose many, you know, but you learn from those those
tough times. You learn from those. And I tell you
the same things. Man. Think about the things you learned, man,

(42:35):
um when you got to overcome some obstacles, you know,
I mean, think about those. Everybody wants smooth sailing, man.
Everybody wants it easy sometimes right, but you learn so
much about who you are. You learn how to fight
there in those tough situations. Man, Bayliss is like so
helpful for us because he pushes you to your absolute
limit and you're like, I don't know if I can

(42:56):
do this, but you have to have to. Yeah, that's
why I do this. Man, I know you guys gotta
do this point X today. Uh No, but I know
I know him. He came in to Purdue when I left.
His boys wrestled, and so my son's wrestle. So we

(43:18):
used to talk at wrestling meet together. He's good, dude,
really good wrest in high school, wrest of the middle
school school. And then when I got to high school,
I started thinking I was a basketball player. I don't know, no, no, no, no,
I was truly the football player on the basketball court,
like rebounds, like run up and down the court, bodies

(43:38):
and people. Yeah, I can't defense especially yeah, yeah he
got can you shoot? Can't shoot? Yeah? You played for St. Joe's.
I did all four years St j S. Yeah. Actually

(44:03):
talking about your kids, I was I was navigating like
a healthy relationship throughout you guys started doing that at State. Yeah,
I was navigating a healthy relationship from High State all
the way to now. Oh man, it's uh doing in
this family. Yeah, you know, we take pictures and you know,
we had a cool press conference. Kids look all good,

(44:25):
and so you paint this portrait man, that life is
perfect and it ain't no different than anybody else, any
other than you go through your struggles. I mean, we
were dating. I was a It's funny story. She was
twenty one and I was nineteen. We first met. She
went to a small school named Autterbay in Columbus, and
so we were neighbors. So by the time I met her,

(44:47):
she was already working. She was graduated, right, and so
she's twenty one years old. We meet because we're neighbors,
and I'll never forget. She asked me how old are you.
I'm like, I don't know how long it took her

(45:07):
to figure out that I was nineteen. But by the
time she figured out, it was done. You know. But
just like anything, man, we go, shoot, it could be
a normal day to you know, you got kids, you
got school, you got marriage. You're the head coaching on her, Dame.
It's it's not an easy time. It's worth it. You

(45:28):
just learn to fight, you know, you fight for things
you believe in, and we fight for our marriage and we
we fight for our kids, and um, you know it's
nothing is easy. That's worth it. Nothing that you told
us last year that sticks with me every never. You're
my girlfriend having a she used to love your partner. Oh,
she's gonna get so mad at she here because I

(45:51):
used that example, And she's like, what do you mean?
You know, like you do for me. I'm like to
choose the rights you meet. Like you first meet somebody
you're attracted to, you get that feeling, right, you're attracted
to him, but it goes away and you got to

(46:13):
choose to love your your significant other. Just make a decision.
You gotta choose. Honestly, do you choose to be a
good parent? I mean there's days you can go home
and really just sit there and put on your phone
or tell your kid to get on the iPhone. Like
I'm a bad babysitter, and that's these are my kids
and I'm called the babysitter. Sometimes babysitting you can. You

(46:41):
gotta choose to work, man, you gotta choose to be
a good parent, you know. And so you'll see it
when you guys have kids. We've always said this. Little kids,
little problems, Big kids, big problems. You'll see it. Compare man,
you think a little kid, man poop poopy diapers and listen,
like get frustrated. Remember who kids little problems as they
get older, man, and you know they got an eighth

(47:04):
grader now you know he's loves the phone. Girls, you know,
who are you hanging around with? Like that's those problems.
You gotta deal with this the kids get older, definitely.
So you went to the NFL. You went, you got
drafted by who Chago Bears Bears. I definitely need that. Yeah,
twist on that last year and one of the means.

(47:25):
But talk about that, like, so I was playing with
the Bears. Your correct got cut short due to a condition. Um,
how did you learn about it and go from there? Well,
like you said, I was fifth wrong draft pick to
Chicago coach, he's standing actually with the old line coach
in Chicago. Drafted for real. I think this road is
the side of the garage probably, Yeah, And so you

(47:51):
know you learned right away like everything's earned at that level.
It ain't nothing handed to you, you know. And I
was a fifth round draft pick and got cut after
training camp. And I kind of was, as I told you,
when I went to House State, like I had guys
on the team that was from my high school. I
knew a lot of people there. Um, I played as

(48:14):
a freshman, so I never was outside of my comfort zone.
Like I never got homesick if I need to go home.
I lived fifty minutes away. But then Austin, I go
to Chicago and my wife and my son are back
in in Columbus, you know, and I'm like, man, like
I was a little bit homesick at first, you know,
and your this is your in the NFL, right, And

(48:37):
uh I learned after that getting cut there. I'm like, okay,
like you're gonna have to fight. You have to fight
to get everything what you have to get everything you want.
But you know, right as I learned that, you know,
they find an in large heart valve in Indianapolis. So
like I did the combine, they didn't find anything, you know,
but I got something. They go to Indianapois, Colt and

(48:58):
they find an in large heart valve and said, hey,
you getting signed. And so I didn't ever want to
be a coach, like I always wanted to be an
athletic director. That's what I wanted to do. And so
but that's after this tenure. This is a ten year
NFL career, right, everybody's got this with this this vision.
You don't played ten years like millions of dollars, and

(49:21):
I'm just gonna be an a d you know, all
of a sudden, after one year, you're like, oh, shoot, man,
I love the game. Hold on, I want to be
close to the game. And so I got into coaching
to stay around football. You know, But you quickly learned,
and I tell you, guys, it's all the time, Like
you get your most satisfaction when you see young people succeed.

(49:41):
And that's what I learned right away, Like, man, seeing
you guys succeed, seeing you make play, seeing you guys
live out your dreams. That's where I get my satisfaction,
you know, And so that's kind of made me fall
in love with the sport, fall in love with the profession.
Can you kind of talk about it's like right after
you found out about your condition, like what was your mindset?
We're kind of was there point in time where maybe

(50:03):
you were a little bit lost, kind of not really
sure what you wanted to do? Well, like, I've been
playing ball since you know what I'm saying, and this
has always kind of been you know how we are. Yeah,
it comes a part of my person. YEP. I skipped
over the part when I told that story. When I
was in Houston, Texas on the practice squad and this
was the so I got cut from the Bears, got

(50:25):
picked up by the Bills, and they got somebody got
hurt and they had to cut me to bring Eve.
Got picked up next week by the Texans, And it
was probably later in the year sixteen seven weeks sixteen seventeen,
and that I'm on practice squad and I'm like, my
knees are killing me. I've had a couple knee surgeries.

(50:46):
I'm not playing in the games, and I'm like, man,
I still I love being around this game. I love
it man, I love watching film, I love being in
the locker room. I love being around. And I remember
calling I can't remember. It was coach Trustful, what you're
fick and saying like, when I'm done, I think I
want to be a g A. I don't want to
be an athletic director. And I remember trusting Coach Tress

(51:08):
was like, look, play as long as you can play,
don't don't stop playing. Play as long as you can play.
So that's why I went to the Colts when they
wanted to sign me. But it was almost like a sign,
like when they found it, I'm like, damn, my future
has been created for me. I was chasing his dream
NFL and it was just shown to me. And I
remember a call Coach trust like I got any large

(51:28):
heart bell I need. I'm ready to be a g
A and he's like, let's go be here. Yeah yeah,
and so um that's kind of how it happened. But
you know, I think for me it was kind of that.
It was eight nine weeks in Houston where you're kind
of thinking like I'm not playing right now, I'm not playing,
you know, And how much longer. How much longer we're

(51:50):
gonna chase his dream of being on practice squad, you know.
But that's why doing things like we'll do this weekend
with the Legacy Network, I think that's that's important because
it helps you. Let's start figuring out ways two help
figure out what we're gonna do after we've done playing
football why we're playing it. I'm not saying quit and

(52:11):
figure it out. I'm saying, while you're playing this game,
let's start meeting people in networking with people to figure out, Okay,
what's gonna be some of the things I'm interested in done.
And so that's the power of this place, Like we've
got some of the most powerful people in this world
that are notre Dame grass former players. And that's what
I told those guys, are like, how can we help
to just talk to our players, give them Hoddest feedback,

(52:33):
tell them decisions they can make. Now like this this
podcast that you can do while you guys are playing
right that can help formulate idea, Hey, is this something
I want to do when I'm done playing right? Maybe
it's not that I think that's important. I think a
lot of people kind of get everybody's around that too though,
because it's hard, like we kind of developed this kind

(52:55):
of idea like football is all we can do in
order to be the player we want to be, and
it's I feel like people get a little nervous trying
to try different things because it may not look as
football player is just I don't know. For example, the
Justin Tuck Justin Tuck like e episodes ago, and he
talked about like while he was playing for like the Giants,

(53:15):
when they would like win a co big games, people
be celebrating, he would go and have dinner with somebody
that he wanted to you know, possibly work with them line. Right,
So he was constantly networking and doing all that stuff.
And I think nerd Dame, like we've talked about it,
like you guys he would we've met like students that
we've met, like that's his networking already, right. I think
nor Dame allows you to do that, like sure earlier

(53:36):
and you learn how to do it much earlier than
other schools allow you to do that. And even here
like you didn't call yeah or something amazing but kind
of taking it backing off you. I think it's scary
thinking about that when you're playing because for like, take me,
for instance, coming from Baltimore, coming from nothing, and then

(53:57):
you're at Nerd Dame and you're at this pinnacle, You're like, damn,
well that's going in one day. What am I about
to really do? I'm about to go back to Baltimore
and figure it out there. So it's just it's kind
of interesting. It's kind of interesting, not because I mean there, yeah,
there's some some people in this world that or in football,
that have their life planned out already. They have a
uh connect there, or their their parents or their uncle,

(54:20):
you know what I mean. But some of us just like, oh,
that's what we got. You gotta make this shake for
the next twelve, twelve, ten, twelve years, and then we
start thinking about it, which is instantly and looking for me,
I've been able to come to the Dame and I
haven't been able to make those connections and talk with
people and get that connect. So if something does go wrong,
I'll hopefully be okay. But what you see, I think

(54:43):
a lot of times is football players are student athletes,
are are afraid two really pursue or look at anything
other than the sports r because they'll think, well, I'm
not giving everything to the sport, like you're planning the field, right,
And we talked, I don't consider the plan B right,
there is no plan B. You'r you have planning, but

(55:03):
there has to be a plan for life after football,
because if that's guaranteed, it's gonna end, you know what
I mean. And so I think that's that thought of like, well,
if I'm planning or if I'm making a plan for
life after football, like I'm not giving football everything, no, no, no,
You're just making sure that you have a vision for
what you're gonna do when you've done plan you know.

(55:24):
And so I think that's what we got to continue
to educate our kids, you know, especially at Notre Dame,
like you can plan for life after football while you're playing.
You're not doing anything wrong. You're truly setting yourself up
right for a longevity of your life, man. And that's
why I think this place is so unique because it
offers you such a huge network to figure out what

(55:45):
you want to do. Right, but you can do that
while you're not cheating this game. You're playing at the
highest level. That's why I love this place. Man. Also
cause you to to double down on it more because
you understand how much of a platform it is. It's
like I'm everyone of I don't want this platform to
leave me. So because you all know options is power.
So it's like I have this platform now, the more

(56:08):
on this platform things I can do in my life
that Mike, Yeah, so how old? Where are you when
you got went to g A with the Okay? Yeah?
And what was the biggest difference from playing and coaching,

(56:30):
because obviously I can see it now. It's sometimes when
you're like, boy, I want to I want to go
out there. Yeah, that's one of the worst things being
I've lost that, man. But what's the difference is like,
you guys get the competitives. You guys get to physically
do it. We live through you guys, right, So as

(56:54):
as a as a coordinator, right, you get to live
through your players, like deepest coordinator. We could come up
with schemes and practice habits and things to dictate success hopefully, right,
But you can't physically do it, you know what I mean.
You have to go through your players and come with schemes.
As the head coach, this is what I found. I
said it to the staff like I was like, man,

(57:17):
practices aren't as fine for me as they used to
be as a coordinator. And I just couldn't figure out
why because I was so worried about everybody. Just hey,
let's learn how to practice. Let's make sure it flows
where I wanted. We're physical. But then one day I
was in my office, I'm like, I figured out. I'm like,
I want everybody to win like I want. I want,
and you're trying to help you. You can, coach, Listen,

(57:44):
I gotta front and off, I gotta reel am in
a little bit, such a broken heart, coach. That's what
I miss Now. You get it to games a year, right,
you get it in recruiting, but you don't get that

(58:04):
in practice. And I missed that, Man, I missed that
part of it. That's crazy. Yeah. Yeah, we're gonna move
to outside of the garage right now. And um, the
question comes from Gage Rickard. If you could relocate Nordy
into any other city, what would you, Man, there's a
couple of days a year, just a couple, not many,
you know, maybe April, you know, get a little bit

(58:30):
of snow. Yeah, you would want to maybe get to
a little warmer climate. But this, you know, this makes
us who we are. You know that right that you
got I'm a Midwest guy, so you got four seasons
and yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah it is, man, But this
is like, this place makes you who you are, you

(58:53):
know what I mean those walks that you guys got
to make in the show, like that develops character, man,
you know, that makes you appreciate those summers, you know,
and and in the summers. You know, it's beautiful. It
isn't like you're you're dying of heat exhaustion and Les
veilas has you guys, But it's beautiful because you can

(59:14):
get that. You can get to Chicago if you need to.
You know, you can get to Indi if you need to.
But you know, the one thing about South Bend is
it forces you to really embrace campus life because it
ain't like, you know what else you're gonna go. Yeah,
and you ain't trying to drive an NOWT and have
to Chicago all the time. Yeah. So I think it
creates so much character, right, This place creates this, It

(59:38):
creates character in your It develops a u as a
man or as a woman if you're with your female.
But I think this place is special, man, is I
wouldn't want to relocate except for every once in a while.
I definitely agree. I would say, um, South Bend as
a city definitely humbles you. Yeah, we got guys from Germany,
we got guys from l A, we got guys from Order,

(01:00:00):
we got guys from Atlanta, Baltimore, um Philly. If you,
if you will, all come to from these big cities,
these big, glamorous areas, and then you're to come to
South Inn where it's four degrees every day in the
winter and walk to walk through campus. But you just
said something that are using recruiting though, right, we don't
for the most part, you don't recruit South Bend. Right

(01:00:21):
when I went to many people from Ohio, it's a
lot of this place forces you from all over to
come here and do nothing. You have no other option
but to do this. And that's not just athletes too,
that's students, Like We've got so many international students, students
from all over the country in the world that are
forced to come to this place with five students students

(01:00:41):
and just do this. Right, you have no other choice
but to depend on each other and become one with
the campus in the community. And so that's why I
think this place is so unique if you get people
from everywhere and you're forced the only way to make
it here is lean on each other. And our closest
friends actually from Sweden, which is weird. Only A noted
only another day. Yeah, I actually have changed my answer

(01:01:04):
from when I was If I answered the first, I
would have said, like California. But honestly, like we all
went out to l A. And I think that you
what you said, coach, like makes a lot of sense.
Like you if it wasn't that, like you wouldn't be
forced to match with people at your school, right, and
we were all there. There's a lot going on. There's
too much going on almost, I think that definitely. I've

(01:01:26):
gone up in South Bend since I was in second grade,
and it definitely humbles very very cold, like there was
a pool of vortex one years, like negative forty outside,
Like it's gonna humble you, but it's also gonna make
you a lot closer to the people out in there.
To day, I think that I don't think you should
to move it now that after hearing out your gum

(01:01:48):
for me, everyone's given a nice I'll just give. I'll
just give this city I thought of when I saw
this question, I would say New York would be kind
of cool if I can mimic the campus put in
Boston area that I've never been to Boston, I don't know,
but besides Boston College when we played a game. But like,
if you can like mimic the campus some kind of way,

(01:02:09):
I feel like, you know, the damn in New York
be kind of cool. A lot of a lot of
very diverse places, a lot of different people, you know
what I'm saying. Like it's a I mean, a small
place is so powerful, right, yeah, I'm talking about city,
New York City. Yeah, hand yeah, yeah, it would be nice.
I associated Dame with like cold weather, like you got

(01:02:31):
to keep it in. Yeah. So um, this other segment
that we just called rapid Questions, I'm gonna answer these
questions as fast as you can. First, first answer to
kind of mind. Okay, it's gotta be quick, gotta be
We've been pressing our our guests lately. You would understand
amount of times we gave you less questions, so you

(01:02:52):
got less time right on top of that? All right?
You ready? Yeah? Alright? First question, pumpkin pie, apple pie,
pumpkin pie, Lake Tahoe or the Ozarks ozarks? What's your
biggest fear? Snakes? Pink pong or pool pain pong? Most
overrated city? Oh oh, I don't know, Miami. Most underrated city. Yeah, spaghetti, lasagna, spaghettia,

(01:03:25):
favorite chip plate flavor, favorite chip flavor? Yeah, like barbecue,
the cool ranch doritos? Okay? Are aliens real? No? Oh? Okay?
Most underready Day of the week Tuesday apples of bananas? Bananas?

(01:03:50):
You know what I was gonna say, exactly? St Joe
or pin Stop? Come on, Who's Who's the greatest linebacker ever?
Ray Lewis? Would you rather have an I N t
At linebacker? Two sacks, iron ribs or pool port ripped?

(01:04:15):
The most underrated support wrestling chaster checkers checkers, most ideal
their case spots. The last question, why m Yeah, we
went on a honeymoon. Where'd you go? We went to Kauai,
Big Island, got you? Yeah? I love Kawai and best

(01:04:38):
so you didn't go to our because they said it
was like the most commercialized, like very similar to Florida,
and um I talked to Merrison those guys about it,
but Kauai was like authentic and so I told you
my Mom's Korean. There's a lot like Korean, you know,
flavored food and you can feel that's cool. Yeah, it
was different. Hawaii is Yeah. I love why. But I

(01:05:02):
got one one more question for you. Was the most
underrated player that if you ever played with? MHM underrated
player and there was this guy? All right, I've coached
two guys that can't stay, both of them Navy seals, right,
and one was Kyle Reason, one was Matt Dellinger and

(01:05:22):
I better tough as nails and both I don't know
if they're still currently Navy seals. You know, tough, tough
dudes that I never would have guessed would have been
Navy seals. But it makes sense, you know, but underrated
because they were average football players. Tough dudes, man, pretty good,

(01:05:45):
they're pretty good football players. They're average. They know they
were at average payers just because of God gifted athleticism,
but tough, tough dudes to give you everything they got
some time Kyle Reese and Matting Yeah, okay, so actually,

(01:06:06):
um Rocko Spindler played with dellinger younger brother Clarkson. Okay, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I think that does it appreciate your coach, you Ain't
that your coach? I said, you're coming on. Yeah, it's fun, man,
this is great. This is a big time. When I

(01:06:26):
told you, the only thing we gotta do is next time,
get a little heating here. Now we gotta you know,
I think you need to heat her on for the
spring game. So Thursdays gonna be seven degree and so
it would be good, Thank god, you'd be good. Finally, later,

(01:06:50):
what team's gonna draft you? I need to find out
you're already on a team. Seems are already on a team. Oh,
so who's the captains? Well, obviously can't tell me. So,
seems are already on a team. Right, we've already split
the seams in the coaching staff, right, and so Wednesday
we'll have a draft. Yeah, so you open it by position. Okay,

(01:07:12):
so you you open it. Hey, hey, I'm gonna start
the well, I'm gonna open the wide receiver position. M hmm,
I'm a draft rat. Then you got a draft the
next guy. Then you go whatever position. So if I
opened the first position and you're on the other team,
you'll open a second position, you know. So it's a
little bit of strategic into it because all the seams
have been already put on. You know, I ain't gonna

(01:07:36):
tell anybody, but like milk, he's on the tea. It
would be ruthless if they drafted back a long snapper
drafted back. I mean, it's gonna be some head coach videos.
You know what I meant, this game, some trade power. Now,

(01:07:56):
you know that draft wins a gonna be fun. It's
gonna be in the I A C. I heard both
the quarterbacks doing it there. I mean, they know they're
the people that picking teams right now. No, they're not
keeping a secret keep but they're not Wednesday. Yeah A
good man. I appreciate you guys, Thank you. I appreciate

(01:08:19):
ch'all listening. Um, tune in and thank you. Appreciate till
next time. Thank you. Jo