How Marcus Freeman, Brian Kelly and other second-year head coaches graded out in 2023

[ad_1]

We’re now two full seasons into the Marcus Freeman era at Notre Dame and there have clearly been some ups and downs.

Things started in a troubling way as the Irish began Freeman’s run 0-3 but they’ve gone 19-5 since being upset by Marshall in Week 2 of 2022.

How does Freeman compare to some of the other head coaches that were hired in the 2023 coaching carousel?

CBS Sports graded all of those 2022-23 hires through two seasons into their current stops.  How did Freeman compare to the man he replaced at Notre Dame, the man he’ll face in Week 1 of 2024, and some Irish rivals?

Let’s take a look at a handful here:

Marcus Freeman – Notre Dame

Quinn Harris/Getty Images

2023 Record: 10-3

Overall Record: 19-8

CBS Sports Grade: B

CBS Sports Analysis

The Fighting Irish look to be trending in the right direction. They improved from 9-4 in Freeman’s first season to 10-3 in his second and have done well in recruiting. Unfortunately, they’ll be bringing in their third offensive coordinator in as many seasons next year as well as a new starting QB Riley Leonard.

Our Thoughts: Two years in and perhaps things haven’t gone as well as Notre Dame fans would have liked at this point but the ceiling in years to come appears higher than it has been in some time at Notre Dame.  Can Freeman and the Irish eliminate the mid-October no-show that has haunted them in both of his first two seasons, and can Freeman lead the Irish to the College Football Playoff in 2024?  That’s the expectation in South Bend.

Brian Kelly – LSU

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

2023 Record: 10-3

Overall Record: 20-7

CBS Sports Grade: B+

CBS Sports Analysis

Kelly put together his second 10-win season in as many tries at LSU. This season, he added a Heisman Trophy-winning QB to his resume. He’s fallen short of the ultimate goal of winning a national title, but the…

[ad_2]

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/marcus-freeman-brian-kelly-other-095115336.html

Author : Fighting Irish Wire

Publish date : 2024-01-21 09:51:15

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.