Marcus Freeman comments on Brandyn Hillman's departure from Notre Dame

Marcus Freeman met with reporters on Wednesday morning and covered a myriad of topics.

Amongst the questions asked was his thoughts on the departure of former Notre Dame signee Brandyn Hillman.

Hillman, a 4-star recruit in the class of 2023, was granted his release from his NLI last week. He has since committed to Michigan and is expected to join the Wolverines for the 2023 season.

“It was his own personal reasons,” Freeman said. “I’ll let Brandyn tell his story. I’m sure at some point he will.”

Freeman on Brandyn Hillman being released from his NLI: “It was his own personal reasons. I’ll let Brandyn tell his story. I’m sure at some point he will.”

Says Notre Dame will examine if a transfer addition is needed at safety.

— Patrick Engel (@PatrickEngel_) March 22, 2023

Freeman also said it was “unfortunate” Hillman didn’t end up at Notre Dame.

Marcus Freeman on Brandyn Hillman's decision to not enroll at Notre Dame.

"It's unfortunate for us that he didn't come here. But it was a personal decision he made."

Hillman committed to Michigan in the past week.

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) March 22, 2023

No other details about Hillman’s departure have been made public.

Hillman is ranked as the No. 214 overall player and the No. 9 athlete in the country, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. He’s also the No. 5 player from the state of Virginia.

Notre Dame still finished the 2023 recruiting cycle with a highly-ranked class. Overall, the group sits at No. 11 nationally per 247Sports Composite rankings.

Hillman’s departure does open a scholarship for the Fighting Irish to potentially use on a transfer this spring. Freeman also announced the departure of several other players on Wednesday.

Notre Dame’s spring game will be played on April 22.