Notre Dame Football Mailbag: The Chris Ash experiment, Marcus Freeman’s role with the defense, and Bryce Young’s struggles 

This week’s Notre Dame football mailbag talks a lot about Chris Ash, Marcus Freeman’s involvement in the defense, and Bryce Young’s early struggles.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Sep 13, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman looks at the scoreboard during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2025 college football season, head coach Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had nothing but good vibes around them. After two weeks and two tough losses, the energy has died out in the fanbase already. With the Purdue Boilermakers coming to South Bend this weekend, there is a good chance that the Fighting Irish will get back into the win column. I’m not sure they can play well enough to really move the needle against a bad team.

In this week’s Notre Dame Football mailbag, it isn’t shocking that several questions were asked about defensive coordinator Chris Ash, and understandably so. We also discuss Freeman’s involvement in the defense overall, Bryce Young’s development, and whatever the deal is with wide receiver Cam Williams. As always, shoutout to those who submitted questions this week, and Go Irish.

How long does the Ash experiment last? 

If there are moderate improvements but monumental ones, I think Notre Dame reevaluates the Chris Ash experience after the season, and probably moves on. If we continue to see the same issues, this can’t continue much longer. I don’t believe that Marcus Freeman will fire Ash during the season, but I would not be surprised to see him take away playcalling duties. You have Freeman to potentially call plays, and secondary Mike Mickens to assist as well. You have the support to make a change if you feel like it. The next couple of weeks will be very important in determining what the Ash era ends up looking like.

Evolution of Chris Ash 

I don’t have All-22 available for Chris Ash when he was the defensive coordinator for Ohio State. Just based on memory, I felt like they ran a lot more man coverage, or they at least mixed things up a lot more than what we have seen so far with Notre Dame. The Buckeyes did have a lot of secondary talent, but so does this Fighting Irish team. I am very, very confused about what the issue is right now. The secondary was supposed to be a strength going into the season, and it has been the biggest weakness on the team so far.

Marcus Freeman’s role in the defense 

I honestly have no idea. Reports coming out of camp were that the secondary was tremendous in the preseason, so I am trying to make sense of this situation. I am hoping that information about the disconnect comes out someday down the road, just for a general understanding for the public’s knowledge. I do have some theories about what the issue is, but those will have to wait until a future conversation, probably after the season or if a change is made at some point this season.

Bryce Young’s struggles 

No, I don’t think Bryce Young is doing anything fundamentally different. I have seen him play on the strong side and the weak side during the first two games. The big issue right now for Young is that he is getting used to playing on a higher volume and being an all-around player. During the 2024 season, he was mostly used as a pass rush specialist. He is still growing into his 6-7, 270-pound frame, but the technique is just inconsistent. Keep playing Young and allow him to grow while making mistakes. This playing time is important for the long-term future of this program.

Turnaround in the secondary 

If Notre Dame continues to be a more zone heavy team in the secondary, this is going to be a process. That defensive ideology is predicated so heavily on communication and playing as one, and the communication is poor right now. Incremental improvements each would be a sign that things are improving, but I really wouldn’t expect any quick fixes here. That is especially true if Notre Dame makes some personnel changes on the back end, which I expect them to do.

The Notre Dame current ranking 

I think people tend to overreact to rankings early in the season in general. It is a naturally volatile exercise, and they are going to change so drastically over the next few weeks. Notre Dame played two Top-10 teams to kick off the season, so they are just in a different reality than some who begin their schedules with a couple of cupcakes before the conference schedule. Rankings will take care of themselves, especially if the Irish don’t figure things out. 

What’s up with Cam Williams? 

Here is the truth about Cam Williams right now: he’s a great athlete and not a very good football player yet. There are other wide receivers on the roster who are far more consistent, and the staff can trust them on a snap-to-snap basis. We have heard about progress this offseason, but not enough. The upcoming offense could end up being a make-or-break chance for the redshirt freshman wide receiver.

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