Lou Holtz weighs in on next Notre Dame Football head coach Marcus Freeman
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Legendary former Notre Dame Football Coach Lou Holtz spoke with ABC57 Kickoff Host Allison Hayes following the announcement that Marcus Freeman will be the next Irish head coach.
Freeman’s promotion from defensive coordinator to the top coaching spot for the Irish comes after Brian Kelly left the program for a new job at LSU earlier this week.
Holtz, the legendary Notre Dame coach behind the foundation created by his former players and named in his honor, the Holtz's Heroes Foundation, is very excited about Coach Freeman being named the head coach at Notre Dame.
"Coach Freeman embodies so much of what the HHF does - showing people you care about them, and he certainly has done that in his tenure at Notre Dame. The way this hire was done was first class, incorporating the input from the current players, and recognizing that our product - the students and the students athletes, are proof of concept that the way Notre Dame does things works. We produce life champions both on and off the field, and have been doing so for many years, and will do so for many years to come," said Tom Galloway, the former president of the foundation.
Holtz said Freeman is the right choice to lead the Irish forward.
"The way I believe all Notre Dame alums have to do is support whoever our football coach is. It happens to be Marcus Freeman. I have heard great things about him, I understand how much the players love him, want to play for him. He's done a tremendous job as Defensive Coordinator. Once the players understood the system, they have been as good as anybody in the country. However, I would say this, players didn't really want to play for me, I promise you that but we got them to play for our lady on the Dome. And to me that's more important than anything else. We'll do everything we can to help Marcus be successful. He has a great track record, I've heard great things about him and I'm happy he's at Notre Dame," Holtz said.
Hayes also asked Holtz to share his thoughts on the impact Freeman might have on the team as well as Kelly’s departure and legacy. Holtz even shared a little advice he has for Freeman as he steps into the new role.
Watch the videos above to hear the full Q&A with Holtz.