Marcus Freeman’s charisma is, in part, why he’s currently Notre Dame’s first-year head coach.
His infectious personality and near-instant bonds with his players a year ago as the Fighting Irish’s defensive coordinator positioned him for the opportunity to follow in the wake of Brian Kelly’s abrupt departure.
And Irish tight end Michael Mayer and defensive end Isaiah Foskey are two of the top returning players at their position anywhere in college football.
So what did Notre Dame do with the trio?
Flew them to Las Vegas to unveil the Fighting Irish’s brand-new, one-off alternate uniforms for this fall’s clash with BYU in Sin City, something of a ‘Catholics vs. Mormons’ made-for-TV affair. The shoot also included cameo appearances from Irish icons Mike Golic and Mike Golic Jr., both former Irish standouts.
Some guys CAN handle Vegas
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) July 27, 2022
Feel It. October 8 pic.twitter.com/HdzdAOaCDs
On Wednesday, Notre Dame rolled out a scintillating new short movie spoof featuring the Freeman-Foskey-Mayer trio in an Irish reprise of modern comedy flick “The Hangover.”
But one caveat, something that Freeman has both leaned into and worked to distinguish: while in the original movie the trio of characters of Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) are led by Alan’s character in an impromptu rendition of “We’re the three best friends than anyone could have1,” Freeman cuts that off.
“I’m not your best friend; I’m your head coach,” Freeman says after the group secures the new ‘Icy White’ jersey, prompting Foskey and Mayer to embrace and sing “We’re the two best friends that anyone could have.”
The trio then walks into Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Raiders, with Foskey and Mayer in the crisp all-white Irish ensemble.
“October 8th, Allegiant Stadium,” Freeman says. “We’re back, baby!”