Marcus Freeman reveals locker room speech to Notre Dame players after loss to Northern Illinois

Notre Dame’s shocking 14-16 upset loss to Northern Illinois has sent shockwaves through the college football world. All eyes have turned to head coach Marcus Freeman, who recently revealed his post-game message to the team.

During the post-game press conference, Freeman took responsibility for the loss, prompting a flurry of questions from reporters about the game’s mistakes. Freeman openly discussed the team’s preparation, admitting that their hard work in practice hadn’t been enough to secure a victory over Northern Illinois on home turf.

It’s worth noting that Freeman has been Notre Dame’s head coach since December 3, 2021, taking over after Brian Kelly departed for Louisiana State University. Freeman had previously served as the team’s defensive coordinator.

Freeman’s Post-Game Message to the Players

When asked directly about his message to the team in the locker room, Marcus Freeman reiterated his stance from the press conference. It’s worth noting that the question-and-answer session lasted a little over ten minutes, and the head coach responded without hesitation.

“I just told them the same thing I just said. We got ownership every person in here, every coach has to own it first right and not blame somebody else. That’s the only way to fix it. When someone here tries to point the finger at some player, coach, person, that should be the head coach. That’s my job. We all have to own this and fix it. Our leadership will show, we have a true leadership, which I believe we have, they will take care of the locker room. They’ll make sure these guys, don’t separate.”

Aside from what he said to the team, the coach admitted that the only thing he can do now is get back to work and fix this mess. Marcus Freeman made it clear that’s just how he operates: he’s not going to hide from the problem; he’s going to fix it.