Notre Dame Fighting Irish head football coach Marcus Freeman. Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman’s first game as head coach will come in the Fiesta Bowl. It’s fair to say that Freeman has been thrown in at the deep end, so he’s leaning on a notable former coach for help.

Freeman said Monday that he is relying on Jim Tressel, his former coach at Ohio State, as he prepares the Fighting Irish for their game against Oklahoma State.

Tressel hasn’t coached since leaving Ohio State in 2010, but he’s won plenty of big games in his career. If Freeman feels he can rely on Tressel, it’s also safe to say the former Buckeyes coach still pays plenty of attention to the college game.

Whatever the case, Freeman is unlikely to need much help from Tressel in terms of getting the support of his players.

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