When Jack Swarbrick announced his intention to step down as the athletic director of Notre Dame in 2024, Marcus Freeman was unprepared for the news. That is a very inadequate representation of the situation.
When questioned by NDInsider.com on whether or not he expected the information, Freeman provided the following response:
“No, I wasn’t aware of it ahead of time. I was aware that Jack Swarbrick would at some point remark that “This is it.” In addition, the president of Notre Dame, Father John Jenkins, has said to me on many occasions during this process that “we are nearing the end of our time here at Notre Dame.”
After that, Freeman continued:
During our conversation barely a week ago, I had no idea that anything like this would occur. I was taken aback.
You are getting the idea. Freeman added a few more remarks regarding Swarbrick to his previous statements. Following Swarbrick’s departure, Pete Bevacqua, who will succeed Swarbrick as athletic director, should be able to get along well with him.
After that, he will have total access to the program and be able to do whatever he pleases. Swarbrick may continue to engage in such activity, but there is at least a remote possibility that Bevacqua may give his coaches a little more leeway.