Marcus Freeman, the coach who was promised. The messiah who took Notre Dame out of the history pages and stamped it onto the national stage. In a sense, Freeman is not just a coach but a walking demigod, probably sent by Saint Patrick himself. After all, he is the one who, with his charm, has made Notre Dame likable (for neutrals) in their years of history.
It doesn’t really matter if he didn’t win the national title. The man gave the Irish fans their Jeremiah Love, their Jaden Greathouse, and most importantly, their Riley Leonard. Former Irish QB Brady Quinn summarized the influence Marcus Freeman has. “I just think there’s a lot of college football fans who are rooting for anyone other than the SEC…If you want me to simply answer, why is Notre Dame so likable right now? It’s because of Marcus” (per NY Times). However, now that the season is gone, it seems that Freeman’s slight error of judgment might see one of the Irish most important people seeing the exit gate.
Well, Notre Dame is in a desperate search for their defensive coordinator after Al Golden left. Golden went to the NFL to become DC for the Cincinnati Bengals. One of Irish’s own favored personnel, Mike Mickens, the Irish CB Coach, was reported widely to step into the shoes of Golden. Except Mickens lost Freeman’s favor in the deed and is reported to join Steve Sarkisian’s camp. Tyler Wocjciak, who runs the ‘Locked on Irish’ podcast, provided the news.
“ There was a report that came out on Monday I believe that Texas Longhorns is pursuing Mike Mickens to be their coach. This is something that I am monitoring closely“. For context, there is currently a vacancy for the Safeties coaching position. After Blake Gideon left for Georgia Tech to become their defensive coordinator. But, then, the questions come. Is it a done deal? And why is he even leaving?
Part of the reason Mickens is reported to leave is because of his snub from the DC position at Notre Dame. “I think the fact that he was passed over for the defensive coordinator job probably hurt some feelings along the way. And I totally get it if he thinks he’s ready to be a defensive coordinator. Marcus Freeman said as much in a press conference but clearly, Marcus Freeman doesn’t believe that Mike Mickens is ready to be the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. Probably because he has no prior experience as the defensive coordinator”. Tyler Wocjciak provided the reasoning.
And, while it’s true that Mickens has zero experience as DC, but the man in the coaching arena since 2011. That’s almost 15 years’ worth of experience. Furthermore, he has been at Notre Dame since 2020 and would have certainly wanted some backing from Marcus Freeman. Whatever, maybe the case, it’s looking like Freeman’s snub may not sit well with him, and that may see him joining the Longhorns. But, if not Mickens, then who?
Who will become Notre Dame’s new DC?
Well, according to a report by Pete Thamel, Chris Ash is likely to be the next Defensive Coordinator for the Irish. He posted on his X account, “Chris Ash has accepted the job as Notre Dame’s new defensive coordinator. Ash brings a blend of coordinating experience, NFL experience, and high-end results as a collegiate coordinator. A deal is expected to be finalized in the near future“. And Thamel is right. The man is quite experienced, too.
Sources: Chris Ash has accepted the job as the Notre Dame’s new defensive coordinator. Ash brings a blend of coordinating experience, NFL experience and high-end results as a collegiate coordinator. A deal is expected to be finalized in the near future. pic.twitter.com/1qOjdpb6jf
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 29, 2025
As evident from the fact that he has worked for six seasons as DC for teams like Ohio State, Arkansas, and Wisconsin. Furthermore, he has also worked in the NFL as a safeties coach for the Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders as defensive backs coach. Add to that, he also has experience as a head coach from 2016 to 2019. And he suddenly looks like a real deal for Marcus Freeman. The verdict?
Well, if Mike Mickens ends up joining the Longhorns is something the future will tell. But losing one of the best coaches on their staff will definitely hurt the Irish one way or another. However, one cannot criticize Marcus Freeman’s decision without seeing its effects. And it may be that he may have something big in the pipeline for Mickens in the future. Who knows?
The post Marcus Freeman’s Costly Notre Dame Blunder Exposed as Steve Sarkisian & Texas’ Sneaky Move Confirmed appeared first on EssentiallySports.
