For Notre Dame head coach Marcus FreemanFriday’s College Football Playoff opener against in-state foe Indiana is no different than the previous 12 games, 11 of them wins, that got the Fighting Irish there.

It’s just another Super Bowl.

Episodes 5 and 6 of “Here come the Irish“, the Peacock-exclusive Notre Dame football documentary series, shines a light on the coaching style that has made Freeman so popular in the Notre Dame locker room – and that has made the Irish so successful in his second year at the helm of the program.

“Coach Freeman – I’ve said this the whole time I’ve been here – is a coach you want to win for,” quarterback Riley Leonard says at the start of Episode 6, titled “Win ​​and You’re In.” “That’s because he’s so consistent every day. He is the man we all want to be one day.”

2:09 p.m

Notre Dame QB Leonard talks about losing CFP, Freeman and NIU

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard talks to Nicole Auerbach about overcoming self-doubt to lead Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff, the Irish’s Week 2 loss to NIU, head coach Marcus Freeman and more.

That consistency has defined Freeman all year long, from preseason through the CFP.

Although Notre Dame’s season could have been derailed prematurely with a loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2. Instead, this shocking defeat was a blessing. The pain of that game helped the Irish mend the situation – and it’s a pain the second-year head coach wants his team to remember.

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“Don’t lose the pain,” Freeman tells his players at the end of Episode 5, “Next Man Up,” before Notre Dame takes on Florida State. “Because after NIU, we figured out what we needed to do to get where we are.”

The latest episodes, available on Peacockhighlight some of the ups and downs Freeman led his team and players through this fall — including a season-ending injury to a key cornerback Benjamin Morrison.

It was a big blow for the defensive unit and the entire team. But it was a moment when Freeman knew he had to resist self-pity and instead focus his attention on supporting his player.

Freeman says leadership is being there for your program, coaches and players when they need him. And it wasn’t lost on any of his players, including Morrison himself.

“You look around the country, you see different head coaches, but there’s no guy I’d rather play for than Freeman,” Morrison says in Episode 5. “Freeman just embodies everything it means to be a leader.” ”

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What Freeman’s expansion means for ND’s future

Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry discuss Marcus Freeman’s contract extension with Notre Dame through the 2030 season and what it means for the Fighting Irish’s future chances in the CFP.

The latest episodes also highlight the other key attributes Freeman has emphasized to his team in 2024: urgency to improve, preparation, conviction, attention to detail, rejection of complacency and how only team glory can lead to individual glory. In episode 5, he even arranges for the coaching staff’s children to hand out candy to the players on Halloween – in the hopes that the children will learn gratitude and the players will feel like children again.

Above all, Freeman’s mantra applies: consistency.

“What we have done will not be good enough to reach our full potential and achieve the goals we have. But what are we ready for? That’s how it’s going to be,” Freeman says in Episode 6. “But we have to make sure we understand that. What we did last week isn’t good enough. We have to be consistent and keep doing better.”

Episodes 5 and 6 of “Here Come the Irish” show how that message resonated with its players and helped Notre Dame reach heights it hopes to continue to build on in the weeks ahead.

How can I watch the documentary “Here Come the Irish”? peacock?

Episodes one through six of “Here Come the Irish” are currently available on peacock.

The seventh and final episode will be released on Thursday, January 16th.

What devices does Peacock support?

You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. The full list of supported devices can be found here.

Students, now you can get Peacock at a special discount – just $1.99/month for 12 months. Visit peacock to learn more and get started!