Jim Tressel faces a unique challenge watching Monday’s College Football Playoff championship between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 8 Ohio State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The former Ohio State head coach, who led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship, maintains close ties to both programs. He’s recently spent time at Ohio State practices with coach Ryan Day and staff. However, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, who played linebacker under Tressel from 2004-08, presents a compelling connection on the opposing sideline.
Day and Freeman appeared on Tressel’s new podcast “It’s All About The Team” this fall.
“You know what it shows – that I’m a good choice of who to put on my podcast,” Tressel told Sporting News. “Marcus and Ryan were two of my first guests, and they sat there for over an hour talking about how to build teams. Look at their two teams.”
Freeman’s Playing Days at Ohio State
Freeman joined an elite linebacker group in 2004 that included A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel.
“He and A.J. were kind of the calm of that group and Bobby and Schlegs were kind of the crazies, but you need everything,” Tressel said. “When the ball was snapped, none of them were calm.”
Despite a knee injury in 2005, Freeman became a three-year starter and played in two BCS championship games.
Coaching Comparisons
Freeman’s emphasis on special teams mirrors Tressel’s coaching philosophy. This showed in Notre Dame’s 23-10 Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia, where special teams played a decisive role:
• James Rendell averaged 43.4 yards per punt
• Mitch Jeter converted three field goals
• Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown
“He’s a defensive guy – and I think in general the defensive guys have a heck of a belief in special teams because so many of their guys are on them,” Tressel said.
Freeman demonstrated strategic prowess against Georgia, successfully executing a fourth-and-1 fake punt from Notre Dame’s 18-yard line late in the fourth quarter.
Championship Perspective
“My goal for this ball game is if both teams can play their best game of the year,” Tressel said. “I’ve lost national championship games where we played well. Got beat on the last play by Marshall in 1992, but we played well. You know what? I can still live with that game.”
Tressel compares this situation to coaching against Mark Dantonio, his former defensive coordinator who later led Michigan State.
“It’s cool that two guys I feel like I know pretty well in Marcus and Ryan are playing for the championship,” Tressel said. “They’re both good young coaches. Just happy for both of them which makes it hard.”
