FOX Sports' Michael Cohen explains how Marcus Freeman constructed Notre Dame's roster and how the Fighting Irish are winning at such an elite level without a handful of five-star prospects.

There’s a history of Cincinnati influence in South Bend, including Kelly, who spent three seasons with the Bearcats before taking the Notre Dame job. A year before Kelly poached Freeman, he hired Bearcats defensive backs coach Mike Mickens, a Cincinnati alum who was a teammate of Freeman’s at Wayne High School outside of Dayton.

Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman keeps receiving praise. Brian Urlacher is the latest to compliment his abilities.

Say Marcus Freeman does take an NFL job. Who are the first calls you make to find his replacement at Notre Dame?

Before he arrived in South Bend, Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman was not himself part of the Catholic faith, even though Notre Dame is a private, Catholic university. But less than a year after becoming the head coach at Notre Dame,