September 23, 2023 wasn’t the best moment for Marcus Freeman or Ryan Day. Their football team engages in a tense battle for three hours, and by the end, everything goes so wrong that you wonder if either of them are up to the task so demanding.
Freeman’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish were trying to protect a 14-10 lead in the final seconds. Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes were two yards away from taking the lead when the Irish botched a substitution, leaving 10 men on the field for not just one play, but two in a row. That included Ohio State running back Chip Trayanum nudging the ball across the goal line and into a hole where a Notre Dame defensive lineman should have been. .
It led to a 48-hour storm of reaction and criticism, during which Freeman stoically took the blow and blamed no staff or players other than himself. It was cruel for a young coach to lose in such an important game.
But soon after, Day chose a cruel method to win the big game. He yelled on live television about Notre Dame’s toughness, long-retired coach Lou Holtz and the lack of respect for the team. “Ohio State vs. the World!” he declared. And in the postgame press conference, Day became more attentive, continuing to grill the 80-something Holtz over comments he made on The Pat McAfee Show about Ohio State’s lack of toughness.
“A lot of people took a lot of shots against this team in the last 48 hours,” Day said, his voice strained. “That really hit home. … You think we’re not physical or tough? You’re wrong.
“We’re not going to stand for that. That’s far from the truth. We don’t know where that story came from. It ends tonight. Just saying things like that doesn’t leave (Holtz) where he’s going to get off. I don’t know. There’s something else I want to say, but I have more respect than him, so I won’t say it.”
It looked like a master class in overreaction aimed at older men who had moved to the fringes of the sport. Day seemed obsessed with hearing the “outside noise” his coaches often preached about blocking out.
After 23 games of soccer, both players have grown, evolved and improved to the point where they can prove their worth. It hasn’t all been a clear path to victory, as Day had a repeat nightmare with the Michigan Wolverines and Freeman had a debacle with the Northern Illinois Huskies, but they’ve come a long way. They each won a series of big games in a manner that highlighted their ability to recruit, prepare, coach and lead young players.
On Monday night, one of Freeman and Day will win the national championship, 484 days after both Freeman and Day simultaneously questioned their abilities.
The great news for both players is that they have jobs that allow them to play for titles with the resources, income and institutional support they deserve. The bad news is, other than the title, someone having to lose on Monday means some percentage of the fan base will retort that they have a coach who can’t do it.
“When I think about the similarities, I think more than anything it’s the expectations that both programs have for themselves,” said Freeman, who played at and graduated from Ohio State. “Every season we go into the season wanting to be national champions. Obviously, Ohio State has achieved that goal more in recent years than we have, but that’s the expectation of being at the top of the mountain.
“I don’t think there are that many programs that can really say that every year. I think that’s part of why we’re in this place. We want to be in a program that’s expected to do the best every year.” and they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that outcome.”
Notre Dame’s last national title came in 1988, but during the previous 36 seasons, many wondered if it was still possible. That includes Brian Kelly, the longest-serving coach in school history, who left for LSU to chase a championship in 2021. This fateful decision was the elation moment Notre Dame needed to promote Freeman.
This was a bold masterstroke by then-athletic director Jack Swarbrick, who could have hired any number of more established coaches. Instead, in a much-delayed move, Swarbrick moved quickly to promote Freeman with enthusiastic support from the players in the program at the time.
In my introduction to Freeman, I wrote: And it’s rare to see or feel such unanimous excitement about a hire that involves a significant element of risk. In terms of showcasing a charismatic figure, the Irish won by as much of a margin as they usually lose in the College Football Playoff during Monday’s press conference. ”
Freeman, 39, remains a likable figure despite compiling a 33-9 record so far at Notre Dame. The school will likely trade some of its newfound favorability for a national championship game with Monday’s hostility reborn.
Day’s record is even better at 69-10, but he’s been plagued by more pressure and more criticism. Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden, who hired Day as Temple’s wide receivers coach in 2006, disputed Jim Harbaugh’s famous slam in ’21, saying, “Sometimes the guy standing at third base… “I think I hit a triple, but they didn’t.” “”
Golden said Saturday. “Ryan came to the interview (at Temple) and basically everything he owned was in a duffel bag. People who say he had it easy, that’s all nonsense. He worked hard and He rose through some hardships and tragedies (Dey’s father died by suicide when he was young). From Temple to BC and back to the NFL, it didn’t work out and I think they let him go at some point and he ended up going to Ohio State. The rest is history. So given his work ethic and his growth, I couldn’t be happier.”
Day checked all but the two biggest boxes for Ohio State, regularly beating Michigan and winning the national championship. A four-game losing streak against the Wolverines on Nov. 30 marked a new low for Ohio Stadium, especially on Days against the Buckeyes. When he was on the field that day, it seemed impossible for him to continue coaching the Buckeyes beyond this season. But since then, the wins have piled up and a national title is within reach. Even some of the Ohio State fans who are notoriously obsessed with Michigan all year long will have to be satisfied with the trade-off of losing a game to a rival but winning. all.
What happens after Monday night? Freeman may interview with the Chicago Bears. Day may also attract interest from the NFL. Both players said little about their futures as they focused on the task at hand: winning a title and completing this long playoff run. At least for now, both men are in control of their futures.
On a September night in 2023, it seemed like things wouldn’t last long. Since then, these two coaches have come a long way.
