Marcus Freeman used some of the tough lessons he learned his first two years as Notre Dame's coach to help him navigate the longest season in the FBS' modern era.

It's prepared him for what's next — taking the same script and rewriting the ending.

Seven months after losing the national championship game to his alma mater, Ohio State, the 39-year-old Freeman returns for his fourth season trying to balance the usually lofty expectations for No. 6 Notre Dame with the reality that the Fighting Irish must start fresh.

“There's valuable lessons we learned last year, but I continue to remind them that 2024 has nothing to do with this 2025 team," Freeman said when summer camp opened. "So let's utilize those lessons, some of those good and bad things we learned last year. But they understand we'

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