I don't know about actually leaving

by KGB, Belly o. the Beast, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 09:39 (12 hours, 33 minutes ago) @ Tim

but I suspect that how the season ended up with ND on the outs left a pretty bad taste in Freeman's mouth. And then he had no bowl game to prep for but rather a lot of idle time over the following 4-6 weeks to stew over the whole deal and ponder his options. I suspect that he had more than a few conversations with friends & acquaintances with NFL experience who disabused him of any "grass is greener" sentiment. And continuing to crush prep recruiting and more freedom to navigate the portal have further bolstered a roster that's starting to look like a juggernaut. The additions to the staff seem to have meshed nicely with the established culture, too.

Overall, I think some stuff has happened over the past 6 months which has likely reinvigorated Freeman's feelings about ND, not that they were ever in serious jeopardy.