Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman is going to prioritize recruiting during his tenure in South Bend.

That was made apparent on Monday during his introductory press conference. He was asked about how he planned to involve himself in Notre Dame’s recruiting plans — his answer should leave Notre Dame fans with a lot of confidence.

“I better be the No. 1 recruiter,” Freeman said. “I better be the lead recruiter in every kid that we recruit and I plan on doing it.”

You don’t always hear that sort of emphasis on recruiting from a head coach — perhaps the biggest way in which Freeman is different from Brian Kelly.

Freeman has elevated Notre Dame’s recruiting prowess even in his short time as a defensive coordinator. Notre Dame is currently on track to pull in top five classes in both 2022 and 2023, with Freeman listed as the lead recruiter on many top prospects.

The Fighting Irish have a great program to sell to recruits going into the Early Signing Period, too. They’ve won 10+ games in five consecutive seasons, which is the longest such streak in program history.

Notre Dame will be playing in the Fiesta Bowl vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State on Jan. 1.