Sept. 3, 2026, 7:04 a.m. ET
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman have a long history as mentor and protege. There is a long history between Notre Dame and Wisconsin’s head coaches, as Marcus Freeman played for Luke Fickell, then later coached under him at Cincinnati. The two will face off against each other as head coaches for the first time this weekend, and Fickell had some very positive thoughts on the job that Freeman has done with the Irish. During media availability this week, he went on to say “seeing the growth of that program and team from afar, there’s a part of it that makes you happy about it… It not surprising to me at all.”
Fickell would also say that Freeman has found a way to make things better within the program, as we have all seen the elevation of the Irish since he took over.
That to me is the biggest aspect, as many believed that during the Brian Kelly-era, that Notre Dame had reached its maximum potential, but that obviously wasn’t the case. As someone who has known Freeman for quite at while, Fickell must have know the kind of talent that he had on his staff while with the Bearcats. They’ve obviously went their separate ways but they’ll finally get to meet each other at the 50-yard line as peers.
Hopefully the teacher bests the master in this one. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen
