3 takeaways from Marcus Freeman's press conference after Notre Dame's first spring practice

Notre Dame football is back.

Spring practice for the Irish began Thursday, and third-year head coach Marcus Freeman has plenty to sift through with an experienced roster where starting jobs are up for grabs.

The one overarching theme of his first meeting with the media was that time is not of the essence in South Bend. 

"I loved the efficiency of practice," Freeman said after the Irish's first spring practice on Thursday morning. "The guys did a great job of executing."

Here are three takeaways from Marcus Freeman's first press conference of the spring football season.

The best part of the quarterback room

After having Sam Hartman for one year, Notre Dame has to fill Hartman's shoes with a new starting quarterback.

Duke transfer Riley Leonard, highly rated freshman CJ Carr and Sun Bowl starter Steve Angeli make up the major players in that room, which is a good place to be for the Irish.

There's experience in Angeli and Leonard, plus there's promise in Carr, a four-star quarterback recruit plucked from the depth of Michigan territory.

"I've been impressed with Riley," Freeman said. "And that entire room."

Freeman noted the best part of the Notre Dame quarterback room, out of all its factors, is that there's no rush to decide who the starting quarterback is.

There's time to undergo a lengthy competition in spring to see who emerges, and Freeman wants that competition to make each quarterback better.

Freeman knows there's a preconceived notion about who has the upper hand in the quarterback competition. Landing one of the top transfer quarterbacks in the portal for the second-straight year, this year in Leonard, leads to the idea that he'll be the quarterback to beat in the competition.

Still, that's why there's a competition.

"You have an opinion based on what you've seen in the past," Freeman said. "You still have to make it based on a subjective competition."

Transfer wide receivers show out on Day 1

Kris Mitchell and Jayden Harrison are two transfer receivers the Irish brought to fill a massive need after Chris Tyree, Braylon James and Tobias Meriweather departed South Bend through the transfer portal after the end of last season.

Mitchell, from Florida International, and Harrison, from Marshall, bring a deep threat to the passing game that shined on the first day of spring practice.

"They can run," Freeman said on Mitchell and Harrison.

Mitchell was one of the highest-rated transfer receivers in the portal. Not only did he haul in over 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns, he did so with an astounding 17.5 yards per reception. Harrison averaged 14.6 yards per reception on 28 catches with Marshall last season. 

At 6-foot-1, Mitchell also brings some size to the receiver room that includes returnees Deion Colzie, Jaden Greathouse and Jayden Thomas plus incoming four-star freshmen Cam Williams, Micah Gilbert and Logan Saldate.

"I saw more deep balls caught in this practice than I've seen in a long time," Freeman said.

Younger defensive players will have a chance to make an early impact

Back with Notre Dame on defense are the likes of Bronko Nagurski Award winner Xavier Watts, Benjamin Morrison, Jaden Mickey, Clarence Lewis, Rylie Mills, Howard Cross III, Jack Kiser and Jaylen Sneed. Plus, Notre Dame added defensive end RJ Oben in the transfer portal.

The Irish return high-level starters on every level of the defense.

Freeman still identified younger players who could make an immediate impact on that defense from the get-go. Four-star freshman linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is one of those players.

"Every once in a while you can see a freshman and say, 'OK, he's going to have a chance early,'" Freeman said. "I can see that with Kyngstonn."

Five-star freshman defensive lineman Bryce Young is one of those players who could potentially make an impact, too. Young, the son of former Irish star and NFL Hall of Famer Bryant Young, brings massive potential to a defensive line room that lost Javonte Jean-Baptiste to the NFL Draft and other depth pieces on the defensive line to the transfer portal.

That's a lot to sort out on the defensive side of the ball, especially up front. That's what spring practices are for.

However the depth chart ends up shaking out in 2024, the Irish are actively looking for young players to make their mark on a defense that has the potential to be one of the better units in the nation.

Other start of spring practice notes

Freeman said tight end Kevin Bauman, tight end Mitchell Evans, defensive linemen Aidan Gobaira, Armel Mukam and Loghan Thomas will all miss spring practice with injuries. Evans is still recovering from an ACL tear he suffered last season.

The Irish have also moved running back Devyn Ford to safety. Freeman noted Ford has become an elite special teams player for Notre Dame, but the Irish running back room is also crowded.

Wide receiver Jordan Faison is "all in on lacrosse," and will participate in spring practice when possible while playing for the Irish lacrosse team. Linebacker Drayk Bowen plays baseball but will have more ability to practice with football than Faison will.

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