"Prevent as many injuries as you can": Marcus Freeman gets 100% real about Notre Dame's plans for 2025 season
Marcus Freeman and Co. will enter the 2025 season with a lot of expectations after a big heartbreak against Ohio State in the 2025 CFP national championship.
Despite being an elite unit, the Buckeyes crushed the Fighting Irish from the start of the game. It was more or less a lopsided matchup. Freeman admits that the team has a lot more to learn and prepare. But if this is to be done, it is essential that the players remain injury-free.
Reflecting on his strategy for the 2025 season, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman appeared for a virtual interview with Greg McElroy of ESPN. He mentioned that the primary plan going forward is to keep players injury-free, something that they did last year and helped the team go deep in the postseason.
“I think you can't lose this season, especially with the schedule we have. We have Miami, the University of Miami, Florida, you know that very first game, and we got to be ready to go,” Freeman said on Thursday. (Timestamp - 5:10)
"Now, how you structure your summer conditioning, how you structure your training camp. To me, it is always being adaptable. How do we find healthier ways to do things, but also make sure we're prepared? I think as we look back at last year, it was probably the healthiest in terms of practice injuries that we've had since I've been the head coach."
He continued:
"But also, we practice probably 14 to 15% more than we ever have. And so we're always looking for ways as a sports performance staff to look at, evaluate how we practice, how we train to make sure we're ready to go but also to prevent as many preventable injuries as you can,” he added.
Marcus Freeman will have a new QB in 2025
After Riley Leonard’s departure to the NFL, the Notre Dame quarterback room is left with a big void. Looking at the current scenario, the battle is between top recruit CJ Carr and returning star Kenny Minchey. Carr was part of the squad last season but didn't get much time or opportunity to showcase his skill set.
However, in the case of Minchey, he played with the program for almost two years and saw limited availability in 2024. He only threw for four yards. More clarity on the Notre Dame starter will be available by the end of June or July, when the offseason practice begins in full swing.