Notre Dame football has the support in place to make an aggressive decision that could solve a major issue for the Fighting Irish
Notre Dame football has an interesting dilemma on their hands. Should they eye a change now or let things play out a bit more?
Head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football are in a bit of a tough spot following the team’s 0-2 start to the 2025 college football season. Those two losses have come against two top-five squads in Miami and Texas A&M, and came by a measly four points in total. There are still some positives to take from this team, but few on the defensive side of the football.
The conversations around defensive coordinator Chris Ash quickly create a lot of pessimism throughout the Fighting Irish fanbase, and it should. Ash inherited a talented roster on that side of the football. After hearing him speak about running the Notre Dame defense and maintaining the momentum already built all offseason, there is clearly a major issue.
Firing a coordinator during the season, especially this early, is typically not the route to go. Head coaches, especially those as even-keeled as Freeman, aren’t nearly as impulsive as the majority of the fanbase. Still, it’s hard to believe that Freeman has watched the film of the first two games and been content, or concluded that he’s just having some sort of tough transitional period. This should have been a unit that presented as easy a transition as you would expect.
I am not going to sit here and advocate for a coach to be fired, especially with such a small sample size. If that was a route you wanted to go, however, Notre Dame does have the support and options to make an aggressive decision. It all starts up top with Freeman.
Options on the table
It is not totally uncommon for a head coach on the college level to coordinate one side of the football. In fact, Notre Dame just played against Texas A&M, where Mike Elko is pulling double duty in doing so. Brent Venables is also doing the same with the Oklahoma Sooners, and their defense is thriving because of it. This is a route that can be successful.
If the Irish did relieve Ash of his duties, the most natural answer would be for Freeman to take over the responsibilities. He made his early reputation off of being one of the best young defensive coordinators in college football, so this wouldn’t be foreign to him. Freeman also knows the personnel better than anyone, including their strengths and their weaknesses.
There would also be zero pushback from the fanbase if this were the route the staff chose. In fact, it would probably be the most supported. You also don’t have to publicly announce that Ash has been relegated; just keep everything behind closed doors for now.
One other option that Notre Dame should at least consider is putting more responsibility on Mike Mickens’ plate since he’s widely considered one of the best secondary coaches in college football. Mickens also interviewed for the vacant defensive coordinator position this offseason. Freeman ultimately opted for a coordinator with experience, but the future still seems bright for Mickens.
We have also seen Mickens have a big role as the passing game coordinator in 2024, and he helped to lead an elite pass defense. With Max Bullough entrenched as the linebacker coach, Al Washington there to help set the fronts, and Freeman by his side, Mickens would also have a lot of support around him. It may not be as big a change as some might think.
Perhaps this conversation becomes a moot point at the end of the season, and Ash turns this unit around. Freeman and the staff would be better judges about whether this can work out, having the ability to see what is happening behind the scenes every day. In the end, however, what happens on the field every Saturday is what matters most.
To just stay consistent with your process right now feels like an awful decision. There are plenty of options, and this 2025 season isn’t totally lost yet. With hope still there, but a small amount of it, the Irish need to make some quick decisions. They are afforded the opportunity to be aggressive if they would like, with the staff that Freeman has put together.
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