The New Standard

Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman is doing everything right, and other coaches are noticing. Syracuse head man Fran Brown walked out of Notre Dame Stadium and said, “the character, the way they play, all the things they do. That’s what we want our team to look like.” That’s not just a compliment — it’s a blueprint. And if any fan takes five minutes to zoom out past the weekly noise, that’s exactly what they want too: a team that competes with edge, wins with discipline, and carries itself like the jersey means something.

College football is changing fast. Money is louder, incentives are messier, and too often the landscape feels like it’s being shaped by greed, selfishness, and a lack of ethics. Notre Dame is proving you don’t have to lose your soul to keep up. Freeman’s program is evolving into the new era with old-school values: leadership, accountability, toughness, and excellence that isn’t performative. It’s real.

That’s why young men are lining up to play for him. The Irish are recruiting at a national-title level again, not just because of the logo, but because of the culture behind it. Maybe Freeman has other ambitions, but if he stays in South Bend, Notre Dame won’t just be “back.” They’ll be the standard for a generation.