Joel Klatt calls out Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame for skipping bowl game

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman at Stanford game

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Matthew Couden

By Matthew Couden

Contributing Writer

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Following their snub from the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame made the decision to decline their invitation to a college bowl game. That had many people in an uproar over the team's choice, suggesting it was a bad look for the program.

Include Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt among those who called out Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish players for making that decision. During his recent rant, Klatt warned that the players would "regret" not playing in a college bowl game.

He suggested that the Irish are "big mad" about not making the CFP. Leading up to Sunday's selection announcement, they felt they would get into one of the 12 spots available. However, an upset win in the ACC Championship game by Duke over Virginia seemed to shake things up.

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With a 10-2 record, the Fighting Irish didn't make the CFP for a chance at returning to the national championship game. Due to the perceived snub, they publicly announced their lack of interest in a bowl game.

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman at Stanford game

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Klatt reasoned that the committee got the 12-team CFP field right, but also that Notre Dame “would beat half of this field” if they played specific teams. However, he said, "They're mad about [the snub], so they're gonna take their ball and go home."

“This feels a little bit petty, to be honest with you,” Klatt said, adding, “They’re mad at the weekly ranking show, so they’re like, ‘Well, we’re not gonna go play a bowl game on that network.’”

He called the decision to avoid participation in a college bowl game "not in their character" and suggested he shouldn't have asked players what they wanted to do, since they seemed to react emotionally to the CFP snub.

“Don’t artificially end your season,” Klatt said regarding the decision, adding, “There are players on that roster that will never play football again… You’ll regret this.”

Klatt said he didn’t want the players to regret making this decision, because he believes a lot of athletes out there would look back and say they’d love “to play one more time” with their team if they had that chance.

“Bowl practice is where you develop for the next season,” Klatt also said. “Throwing 15 practices to the wind makes no sense.”

He called Freeman an “incredible football coach” and “leader of men” who put together “one of the best recruiting classes” Notre Dame has had in a while. Klatt said the team will remain good next season, and as long as Freeman is the coach, it should still be good, but he feels a regrettable decision was made that isn't in the team's character.

While they did not get into the CFP and won't participate in a college bowl game, they will remain in the spotlight for a while, including this weekend.

The Heisman Trophy Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 13, will award the trophy to one of four players, with Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love among the finalists, the rest of whom are quarterbacks.