Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524949
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2024 29 BY TYLER HORKA A nyone who doesn't have a grad- uate degree probably didn't understand the reference head coach Marcus Freeman made to the complexities of the third edition of Al Golden's Notre Dame defense. That was by design. Freeman said after the first day of fall camp July 31 that the Fighting Irish are entering a third straight season with the same defensive coordinator, and he has that side of the ball operating at "level 500." In college class terms, those are courses generally reserved for stu- dents who have already completed their undergraduate degrees. Many people never so much as sniff such schooling in their academic endeavors. That's fine. It's not for everybody. Level 500 is synonymous with in- tellectual rigor and advanced critical thinking. Synonymous with the opera- tion of the 2024 Notre Dame defense. "It's a veteran group that learned the details of every defense that he wants to run," Freeman said of Golden's group. "That's great because now you can continue to harp on the little intri- cate details of what makes a successful defense. "I'm excited for the future of this de- fense in this upcoming season because of what they've built over the past two years into where it's at now. I look for- ward to seeing how it progresses." Golden did not lean too far into the level 500 comment. He said he appreci- ated it, but people fail high-level classes all the time. What's the point of being in one if you're not going to come out of it having accomplished anything? That's what Golden is out to avoid. Failure. Or, at the very least, failure to flirt with lofty expectations. Perfection is impossible. Who goes through an entire level 500 class with- out any blemishes in their grade? A's are better than B's, though. That's Golden's goal — the football equivalent of an A. LEVEL 500 Notre Dame's defense has potential to be as good as it's ever been in Al Golden's three seasons as its coordinator Graduate student linebacker Jack Kiser is among a host of talented veterans that Golden has at his disposal for his advanced defense. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER