Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546494
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 12, 2026 7 UNDER THE DOME when Coach Holtz was recruiting me — almost 20 years younger. And so I think in this era of college football, the ability for Freeman, as a former player, to be able to relate to the recruits is huge. I think the players really resonate with Coach Freeman. That was a little bit dif- ferent with Coach Holtz. "Like he was more of an authority fig- ure. Not that Coach Freeman is not, but like with Holtz, you'd be nervous to go in and sit down and have a meeting with Coach Holtz. I don't know that people feel that same way with Coach Free. He seems a little bit more open. "And then I think just the fact that Coach Freeman played defense, he kind of coaches with a defensive mindset. I think that appeals a lot. And then I think finally, the commonality between them is that they were both very sincere peo- ple. And I think, particularly Coach Free- man, like sometimes you talk to him, and it's like this is almost too good to be true. "But he is a very, very sincere person. And that resonates, like that comes out in the conversations. And I think that's part of his appeal. And that's what I think is helping to draw kids to Notre Dame." COACHING HIS SONS IN HIGH SCHOOL Since 2020, Jim Flanigan has been an assistant coach at Notre Dame de la Baie Academy, serving as the team's defen- sive line coach. James played tight end and on the defensive line in high school. Richie currently plays in the trenches on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Jim is also the assistant track and field coach, working with the throwers — so he coaches both sons in that sport as well. The football team was 2-0 this season and carried a 27-game regular-season winning streak into its home matchup with Manitowoc Lincoln Sept. 4. "It's a complete blessing," the el- der Flanigan said of the coaching ex- perience. "When they were little kids, we were running around doing other sports, which I think was important to kind of have that broad base of athletic development. But to be a part of it for the last seven years now, it feels like it's really come full circle for me. "My dad [Jim Sr.] was one of my high school coaches. And so to be able to do that with my boys is just very fulfilling and gratifying. We've had a good team. We've got a great staff. Like our head coach [Mike Rader] is a couple of years younger than me. And he played offensive line for Coach [Barry] Alvarez at Wisconsin. So, between Alvarez and Holtz [influences], there's a lot of common ground there between the way that he thinks and I think. "And it's been absolutely fantas- tic watching the boys develop and see- ing them have some success at the high school level and just hope they continue it at Notre Dame and potentially beyond." WHAT NOTRE DAME IS GETTING IN RICHIE FLANIGAN Richie Flanigan's recruitment started with him as a defensive line prospect. In fact, when he committed to be part of the Irish's 2027 class on Sept. 25, 2025, that was still the projection. He is now con- sidered an offensive line commitment, and was listed as the No. 20 interior line recruit and No. 269 overall prospect na- tionally in the Rivals Industry Ranking. "The thing that stands out for Richie and part of the reason why I thought he might stay at defensive line is be- cause he does some things athletically, like naturally that you can't teach. It's a bit, a bit of a cliché, but truly and hon- estly, like his ability to bend and move is unique. His hand placement and foot- work as a D-tackle was really, really good for a young player. "I played in the NFL for 10 years, and there were guys who came in their first and second year and didn't have the pad level or hands that Richie showed. That being said, I do think he probably has a higher ceiling as an offensive lineman. "His smarts, his intelligence, really set him apart as well, especially on the interior. I wouldn't be surprised to see him end up at center. I think that's a fantastic position. It's a position you can play for a very long time. It's a posi- tion where you have to be smart. You have to communicate. You have to be able to move. You have to get up to the second level to the linebacker, and all those things really fit for Richie. "So we'll be interested to see how it all shakes out. I don't know that people understand how big Richie is. All the recruiting services have his height and weight wrong for some reason. He's 6-4, 285. And he'll be 305 by the time he's a freshman and probably 315 by the time he's a sophomore. You could almost call it prototypical size for a, for a center." ✦ Jim Flanigan Jr. (No. 44) played under head coach Lou Holtz at Notre Dame from 1990-93, a stretch that saw the Fighting Irish post a 40-8-1 record with three top-10 finishes. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS