Notre Dame has experienced under Marcus Freeman what any program would hope for in hiring a new head coach -- steady progress.

After going 9-4 and 10-3 in his first two seasons, Freeman has the Fighting Irish off to a 10-1 start, ranked No. 5 nationally and on the doorstep of its third College Football Playoff appearance since the CFP was introduced in 2015, which it can lock up with a win over USC (6-5) on Saturday in the Coliseum.

For a closer look from the Notre Dame side of the matchup, we called on Tyler James of InsideNDSports.com for his perspective.

In what ways has Notre Dame progressed most through Marcus Freeman's three seasons as head coach?

Tyler James: "The improvements have been in two related areas: recruiting and roster depth. Notre Dame's more consistently recruiting at a higher level, though the 2025 class finish isn't going to be as high as once hoped. Notre Dame's winning recruitments for Rivals100 recruits more regularly than under Brian Kelly and it's done a nice job of identifying undervalued recruits as well, such as freshmen Anthonie Knapp (left tackle) and cornerback Leonard Moore (cornerback). Notre Dame's depth has been tested this season due to injuries, and it's been able to fill in with productive players seemingly every time. Notre Dame hasn't been as deep as it is this season in quite some time. That's a credit to recruiting, but it's also a credit to the coaching staff for developing and preparing those players when needed."