The transfer portal giveth, and it taketh away. But after losing 18 players last year (10 in the winter portion alone), the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have seen just three enter so far. Head coach Marcus Freeman spoke on how his program has combated the portal and created a culture of loyalty leading into the Sugar Bowl bout with the Georgia Bulldogs.
How Marcus Freeman Fosters Loyalty at Notre Dame
Quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli was asked about maintaining depth during the transfer era — a question he was certainly prepared for:
“Well, it’s impossible. Guys just get impatient, and it becomes a trend, the thing to do. And your value is always highest once you enter the portal. That’s the reality.”
However, it wasn’t all negative. Guidugli explained the nuance around the situation, saying players need live reps to improve, but seeing the field too early could stunt their growth.
In terms of how he would handle a scenario where a QB was deciding on his immediate future, Guidugli said, “You have to be as honest as you can about his chances. It’s never easy.”
Freeman shared many of the same sentiments as his QBs coach but went into further detail on how he and his staff have attempted to foster a rare commodity — loyalty — in today’s collegiate stage:
“As far as the loyalty question, I do believe there is loyalty in terms of young people staying at their school as long as they believe in the vision that the program has for them. Now, I’m not saying everybody. But it’s our job as coaches to make sure they understand the vision you have for them.
“It’s almost an everyday conversation because there’s very few people, especially young people in our program, that are content with where they’re at in the present moment. But you’ve also got to be able to show them that, ‘Hey, here’s a plan, here’s where we see you progressing. Here’s what you have to do to progress.'”
Typically, players enter the portal for one of two reasons (if not both): playing time and NIL money. As a blueblood program — a private one, at that — Notre Dame likely doesn’t have many issues when it comes to NIL.
However, with multiple four-to-five-star athletes joining the program every year and top-notch transfer talent available, the depth chart can get full rather quickly. Without clear communication and trust between players and coaches, it’s easy for relationships to deteraite. But Freeman and Co. clearly understand the issue and even have a clear example to point to for their younger players: DB Xavier Watts.
“Here’s an example of a young person that has progressed: Xavier Watts,” Freeman said during his Sugar Bowl press conference. “We use him all the time, a guy that came in as a wideout that moved to DB. And all of a sudden, in his fourth year, was the Bronko Nagurski Player of the Year, and this year is a captain and doing amazing things and will go get drafted.
“But you’ve got to use him as an example for young people to show that sometimes there’s delayed gratification. You’ve got to work and you’ve got to continue to understand the vision, but focus on the present, and I think that’s so important.
“And so I think when young people don’t see a long-term vision, they don’t see themselves having a future at your place that is fulfilling to them, that’s where you see a lot of them say “I’m going to decide to leave.”
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Notre Dame’s approach to the transfer portal balances transparency and long-term vision, setting a high standard in today’s ever-shifting collegiate landscape.
Freeman’s emphasis on building trust and showing players a clear path forward has created a culture where loyalty thrives, even amid the portal era’s temptations.
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