Marcus Freeman's impact on Notre Dame football early enrollees

Head coach Marcus Freeman is making an impact on the Notre Dame football team that extends off the field.

It’s evident in the early enrollees, especially the defensive players who have built a bond with Freeman that began when Freeman was hired as defensive coordinator last January.

“Definitely he’s a down-to-earth humble guy,” freshman linebacker Jaylen Sneed said. “He’s definitely taught me a lot even though I’ve only known him for about two years or so.”

Jaylen Sneed is a five-star linebacker and ranked as the #34 overall recruit in the country for the class of 2022 who decided to skip his last semester of high school to enroll early at Notre Dame.

Sneed and fellow early enrollee four-star linebacker Josh Burnham say that the impact head coach Marcus Freeman has on their life stretches beyond the football field.

“He’s a great guy,” freshman linebacker Josh Burnham said. “He’s a family man, he’s got six kids. So, he treats everyone here like family. No matter what, like if you need anything you can reach out to him, and he’ll be there. So just knowing someone like that is the head coach, that’s the kind of guy you want to play for.”

Sneed says that getting to meet Freeman’s family and having impactful discussions about life played a large part in his decision to commit to the Fighting Irish.

“Getting to meet his family was a great experience,” Sneed said. “Just him being a great guy and being like a father figure to me.”

Jaylen Sneed and Joshua Burnham are just two of the 11 early enrollees for the Notre Dame football team.

The incoming recruiting class for the Irish is ranked #7 in the country.