"Gotta create some type of balance": Notre Dame boss Marcus Freeman shares solution to growing challenges for CFB coaches
Marcus Freeman, head football coach at Notre Dame, is raising a red flag on the increasing burden CFB is putting on its coaches. In a recent visit with The Joel Klatt Show, Freeman touched on what he perceives as a growing coaching crisis, a product of an unforgiving calendar made more complicated by NIL and a year-round transfer portal grind.
The college football world turns on a dime these days, and Freeman is advocating for changes that would promote balance and continuity, especially at the assistant coaching level, where many under the pressure cooker get burned. "Gotta create some type of balance," he said.
Expanding recruiting dead periods to ease burnout for
college football coaches
Marcus Freeman is a big proponent of increasing recruiting 'dead periods'—specific dates on the calendar when coaches cannot make contact with high school prospects whatsoever.
Now we have only a few short windows spread throughout the calendar with minimal to no real downtime for coaches. NCAA records show that recruiters can spend that time in recruiting activities for over 200 days a year. It was on top of game prep, player development, and now NIL and transfer portal duties.
It means, especially for assistant coaches, working around the clock, sacrificing personal and family time simply to stay in the game.
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Marcus Freeman on Notre Dame's CFP run, staying Independent, USC Rivalry | Big Noon Conversations
Recent trends highlight the toll this gruelling regimen takes. Some of the biggest names on the sidelines have turned their backs on college football altogether over the last two classes due to burnout and the necessity for a better work/life balance. Freeman mentions that if there are not enough breaks, the sport loses more and more national championship-quality coaching.
Reducing transfer portal windows to improve roster management in college football
Marcus Freeman similarly offers a sweeping change to NCAA transfer portal regulations, cutting the two transfer windows down to one that would run only in the spring.
Currently, coaches are tasked with balancing a 30-day winter window and a 15-day spring window that can completely change their rosters. Freeman says the overlap in postseason responsibilities and transfer portal craziness in the winter brings avoidable pressure.
Pointing to both the logistical and emotional strain that multiple windows do to players and staff, he said,
'If you forced me to take one or the other, I would take the spring.'
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This would not only streamline roster management but also allow players to better evaluate their place within a program following spring practice. This would then allow coaches to plan development strategies and recruiting needs much more effectively. Freeman thinks this would also enhance the athlete experience because it would lead to less knee-jerk decision making. As player movement reaches unprecedented levels, this sort of calendar clarity might help restore a little order—and a bit of sanity—to college football.
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