Marcus Freeman Says Notre Dame Will Keep Featuring Micah Gilbert

Marcus Freeman said after Notre Dame’s 49-10 win at Purdue that the trust between Micah Gilbert and CJ Carr was built through the summer and fall camp. Freeman also said the game plan has called for Gilbert in recent weeks and will keep calling for him in the weeks ahead.

“I think the trust has been earned over time. It’s through the summer. It’s through fall camp. You know, I think the previous years, you had an injury or maybe had Beaux Collins maybe, or Malachi Fields, but the trust has been earned between him and CJ,” Freeman said.

Gilbert has 15 catches for 334 yards and two touchdowns through four games in 2026, after finishing 2025 with nine catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. Most of this season’s total came in the last two weeks: eight catches for 170 yards against Michigan State, then two for 83 at Purdue, including a 27-yard touchdown down the middle on second-and-3 that broke a scoreless game in the first quarter.

More Than One Big Play

“So that trust has to be built. But I don’t want it to be just a reflection of a big play, right? This takes time, and the game determined that that opportunity would come, and he took advantage of it,” Freeman said.

“Then the game plan has called for it in the past couple weeks and will continue to call for it, and they capitalize off it because there’s repetition, repetition, repetition, doing it over and over in practice,” Freeman said.

The forward-looking part of that answer stands out. Freeman described Gilbert’s recent usage as part of a plan the staff intends to keep running, and he tied it to practice repetition with Carr more than to any single play at Purdue.

CJ Carr on the Inside Post

Carr’s explanation of why the middle of the field opened up pointed to the same route. Purdue played a coverage Notre Dame had barely seen on tape.

“They came out and played a little bit of cover two, which we didn’t see a bunch on tape other than the first game. So, you know, called some really well-executed plays and took advantage of it when it was there,” Carr said.

Asked how he adjusted to it without much week-of preparation, Carr brought up the inside post.

“We’ve thrown that inside post many times with Micah and other guys throughout the year, and so being able to kind of react on the fly was really impressive,” Carr said.

Carr finished 14-of-22 for 237 yards and three touchdowns, and his 2026 season line is 963 yards and nine touchdowns against one interception through four games. Gilbert caught one of the three touchdown passes. Notre Dame’s seven touchdowns at Purdue came from seven different players across offense and defense, a stat Carr said he hadn’t known until a reporter brought it up. Spencer Porath, who spent two seasons at Purdue before coming to Notre Dame, said the scoring spread showed how many players were making plays.

“With all the different guys that caught passes for touchdowns or scored touchdowns, you just saw different guys making plays all over the field,” Porath said.

What It Means Going Forward

Freeman’s answer on Gilbert was the clearest postgame comment about where the targets go from here. He said the plan has called for Gilbert over the past couple of weeks and will keep calling for him, and he credited practice reps with Carr, going back to the summer, for getting there.

What will be interesting to see is what happens when Quincy Porter returns from injury. Freeman mentioned that Porter was getting close to a return earlier this week, and it was widely assumed that Porter would start at the boundary, where Gilbert has been excelling for the Irish. Notre Dame also hasn’t been able to get Jaden Greathouse or Mylan Graham overly involved in the passing game yet, despite some plays called for both at Purdue.

Whatever the rest of the receiver room does once Porter is back, Micah Gilbert has been Notre Dame’s best receiver the last two weeks and keeps making plays whenever his number is called.