All language subtitles for Here.Come.The.Irish.S01E02.1080p.WEB.h264-ETHEL

[birds chirping]

Tonight's a little different.
We have a little bit
of a presentation or something.

["Sweet Caroline"
by Neil Diamond playing]

Next up, we have karaoke.
We have karaoke.

Offensive GAs, you up.

* Hands *

* Touching hands *

* Reaching out *

* Touching me *

* Touching you *

* Sweet Caroline *

* Ba-ba-ba *

* Good times never seemed
so good *

* So good, so good, so good *

[Neil Diamond]
* Sweet Caroline *

[horns playing]

* Good times never seemed
so good *

* Sweet Caroline *

[horns playing]

* I believe they never could *

[shouting]

["Sweet Caroline" ending]

[clicks tongue]

Got your toothbrush,
toothpaste, and...

of course, your pillow.

Try to pack pretty light.

You don't really gotta bring
too much,

even though I'm bringing
a pretty big suitcase.

So we're heading now
to the hotel for fall camp.

We'll be in there
for three weeks.

Everybody gets
those fall camp jitters

and, you know,
it's more just anxious
to get out there and compete.

Gotta tap it, baby.

[mellow rock music playing]

Here we go.

Star Wars.

What's up? Checkin' in.

-What's the last name?
-Leonard.

First name, Riley.

Let's see what we got, baby.

[laughing] All right!

Nice.

Got the corner room,
bunch of windows.

That's what happens
when you room with CJ Carr.

Always take the bed
farthest from the door.
Rule number one in a hotel.

Everybody knows that.

Really just kinda wanna chill,
hopefully watch some Olympics,
uh, play some cards,

and just really relax.

[upbeat music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

Hey, hey, you look good.

[man] The best part
about production day
is just... it's a chill vibe.

You don't got practice
or anything to worry about,

so, um, just being together
and connecting with everybody.

Today the first day of camp,
now I'm a sophomore, baby!

And just really trying
to start off camp the right way.

Strength staff. Strength staff.

Good? Awesome.

[Greathouse] Right now,
we got our little unit pictures
going on.

Take pictures
with our position coaches,

and then we'll get a big
team one going on right here.

Get to take pictures
with the boys.

-There you are, in the middle.
-Oh, right in the middle!

-Oh, I'm right next to you.
-Uh, 15.

Bet!

So, is this 15?

Uh, we 15, right here,
right in the middle.

Kennedy and everybody in
his row, move over to the left.

[photographer] One, two, three.

-All right.
-Fantastic job, fellas.

We'll go and do
our media day stuff.

We'll do
a little production stuff

for the video
on the big board before games.

Just get turned up, really.

[laughter]

Just getting some good content
just to show, like,

the more fun side of what we do,

and that's the kind of stuff
that makes things here
really special

because we put in the work
but then we also get to do

fun stuff like this
to really balance it out.

[cheering, applause]

[music fading]

[upbeat funk music playing]

Got a lot
of freakin' rooms, man.

-Down here, 15 here.
-All right.

We start camp tomorrow,
so all the guys,

they moved into the hotel today.

This is the great opportunity

about these room check
situations,

that you get a chance to go up
and just kinda see the guys

when they got their hair down
a little bit.

You got a lot of energy, man.
All right?

-Get ready to wind down.
You feel what I'm sayin'?
-Word up.

They keep on keyin' on you, man.
Let somebody else play.

You asleep already?
Where your buddy at, asleep?

[man] Bed check is where,
at ten o'clock,

one of the coaches on the staff
will come in, check the room,

make sure guys are where
they're supposed to be,

not sneakin' out or anything.

And it's a good time
just to see the coaches, like,

get to know 'em, joke around
with 'em a little bit.

I'ma mess with you tonight
'cause in a couple days,
you ain't gonna wanna hear this.

Tonight, it's the first night,

you know, kinda bring
a little juice,

kinda get a feel
for where everybody at.

All right, let's set
the tone, man.

You already know what's goin'
on, man. Let's get it. Let's go.

Slow down when we're doin'
walk-throughs, bro.

-All right.
-You come crashin'
everything down, man,

about to blow
somebody's stuff up.

Fire it up. I can't wait
to get started tomorrow

and see what you gonna do
for us.

-Appreciate you, Coach. My man.
-My man.

[Kiser] It's so nice,
and you're able to be
with your teammates

for three weeks at night, right?

When you get done
with a long day at The Gug,

you come here and just hang out
with the guys, talk,

mess around
with the younger guys.
It's always a fun time.

Ry!

[indistinct chatter]

[laughter]

[man] Smile pretty, bro.

You won't believe this.
I was trimming my beard,

and I dropped the trimmer,

and it... and it broke off
in the sink.

I'm literally like this,
and it freakin' dropped.

Is it noticeable?

Yeah, there, there, and there,
and nothing...

Well, I didn't get to finish
the job, Zin, all right?

Can I... can I go in?

Wait, guys!

This is it! It snapped off!

You're ready for camp.
Look at that.

[McCullough] It's exciting
just to see guys

getting prepared for tomorrow,
going through their routines,

and I just wanna come in,
I don't want to do anything
to throw 'em off.

I just want to have fun
and get ready to roll.

We ready to go?

-We've been waiting up for you.
-I understand.

We're excited to get rollin'.
Right?

Go through spring ball,
all the OTAs.

-Exactly.
-PRPs that you go through.

-Yeah.
-Ready to roll.

Ready to get...
go against your guys.

Yeah, man, it's gonna be fun,
know what I'm sayin'?

And like y'all always do,
man, continue...

continue leading overall,

like, like you do anyway, man,
that's your DNA.

Continue to take advantage
of it.

Continue to communicate
if there's things that come up.

But in the meantime, man,
let's get it crackin'.

Appreciate you comin' by, Coach.

-Yeah, no doubt.
-Thanks for tuckin' us in.

[mellow music playing]

-You drivin'?
-Yeah, I'll drive.

Growing up on a farm,
growing up in a small town,

it shapes you in a way
to become a better person.

Do you wanna load the seed up?
Should we put it in the back?

Yeah, we'll load it.

You learn what a work ethic is,
right?

You learn to have patience
and to deal with failure.

-You get that one.
-Yeah.

[Kiser VO] My dad taught me,
you know, hard work.

At the time, you didn't like it,

but looking back,
it was really special moments.

-I should make you load 'em all.
-You should.

You need a workout anyway.

It's good for you.

[Kiser] I remember back
when we used to have livestock,

you know, with the pigs, going
out there and shoveling the pens

and feeding the pigs
with my brothers.

We're loadin' seed here
to put in the planter.

We have a 12-row planter,
so we fill it 12 bags at a time.

Twelve bags.

Try to get the seed ready,
so that way,

when the planter's out,

it doesn't have to be stopped
for too long.

Being the youngest child is,
as your older siblings leave,

you kinda have to pick up
their tasks and their chores,

and it really makes you
understand how valuable
having a teammate is.

Now, the problem is the rookie
here put, um, bags upside down.

So, you got five upside down,
mister.

[Kiser] Earliest memories
of the farm would be

riding the combine during
harvest, right, with my grandpa.

This is the thing in the fall.

It's the combine, what we'll
harvest the corn with.

So, like, that's the big,
expensive, expensive tractor.

So it'll pick all of our corn
and soybeans and...

basically filter
through the actual seed

versus, you know, all the junk,
and all the junk
will come out the back,

and the seed
will actually stay up top

in the little hopper,

and then you pour it out
this big pipe into the trailer

and send it off on its way.

[father] Harvest takes
about two months.

October, November. Well, yeah.

Except you gotta stop
every Saturday to go watch
Notre Dame play, right? So...

[commentator VO] Threw
an interception! Jack Kiser!

Notre Dame touchdown!

[hard rock music playing]

Jack Kiser has a chance to be

as good as anybody
in a long time around here.

I see leadership.

I see confidence.

No challenge too big,

no job too small.

[Brandell] He's a blue-collar
guy through and through.

He lives on a farm. It's like...

It's almost like Rocky IV where
he's training in the mountains.

He's just got like the forearms
and the neck

of a guy who was just built
in the country.

[Morrison]
You talk to Jack, and he's
spot-on with everything he does.

I mean, there's not a day
that Kiser isn't striving
to be his best person.

It's spectacular the way
he moves. You're gonna get
the same dude every day,

and I think that's
the best trait in a leader.

[man] He's the guy for us.

He's a shot-caller.
If you didn't hear the play,

you missed something,
Jack's got you.

Jack knows everything,
knows everybody's position,

knows where everybody's going,
what the other team is doing.

Jack is the head of the snake
for us.

[Kiser's father on recording]
Come on, Jagger!

Take off, buddy! Oh, good fake!

Oh yeah, comin' back in,
comin' back in!

Oh!

The fire hydrant
was the end zone,

and the tree over there
was the end zone.

My older brothers were playing,
so I wanted to play.

Being from Indiana,
the Colts were a big deal,

and I have
my Peyton Manning jersey

from like when I was
five years old,

and, like, that's who I was
in the backyard.

Like, that's how my siblings

could get me out there
and tackle me

and make me cry because
I gotta be Peyton Manning. So...

[father] Jack played with
a different level of tenacity

as a five-year-old.

I mean, you could tell
really young.

I mean, he was divin' for pylons

and sacrificin' his body
at that age.

He was able to carry that
and just continue to evolve that

as he... as he got older.

This was my dad's whiteboard.

My dad was
our youth league coach.

He'd always bring
this whiteboard to practice,

and we'd all sit
crisscross applesauce,

and he'd draw up a play,
and we'd go and walk it through.

It's all toss, veer,

midline. Easy stuff.

This was
the first basketball hoop
we put up out here.

My brother and I would be here
playing one-on-one

on the basketball hoop.

-I already told 'em.
-What?

-You've never planted before.
-They've never let me plant.

My dad and my uncles, they all
want to be the guy, right?

You know, they wanna be
the reason why
the rows are straight.

[Aaron] Every farmer gets judged
by how straight he drives.

I guess I'll have a shot today.

Gotta make the most
of the opportunity.

[laughs]

[light, mellow music playing]

[Aaron] All right,
jump in there.

[Kiser VO]
Coming from a small town,
no one went to Notre Dame.

It seemed like it was
too good to be true.

Right, it was just
this amazing school

held on such a high pedestal

that it was almost unattainable.

And so, to get
the opportunity to go there

and to play
and get on that field
and wear that gold helmet,

and to do all the things
I've been able to do
and been so fortunate to do,

like, it's so special,
and it's very surreal.

[Kiser] When I come home,
it's just so nice

to just decompress.

[music fading]

[soft music playing]

[Freeman] Welcome back.
Here we go!

[rhythmic clapping]

-Ready, ready.
-[all] TGS!

If you don't get excited for
this, you don't love this game.

I'm so excited
to be on this journey

with this group of men.

We will get to A&M.

We'll get to the rest
of the season.

I promise you, but right now,
we gotta stay in the moment.

You thinking about the future
wastes the moment right now.

This is all
we're guaranteed, man.

Stay in the moment and win it.

[spirited piano music playing]

Fall camp is an opportunity,
I think, first and foremost,

to find out what your team
is going to be.

You have an idea
as a coaching staff

coming out of spring
on what you think you are,

but personnel ultimately
is gonna dictate what you are.

We gotta elevate, man.

That's the reality
of where we're at.

How you respond right now
is everything.

[Guidugli VO] For the players,
it's a grind.

We're gonna tax
their bodies physically

to make sure we're in shape
for the season.

-Yeah!
-[whistle blowing]

[Forde] I think the defense
is gonna be a monster
for Notre Dame this year.

You've got excellent players
at all three levels.

[Golic Jr.] Starting with Howard
and Rylie in the middle

and working through
that linebacker level to Xavier

and Ben in the back end,
the secondary

that's become a strength
of this Notre Dame team

in a way I haven't seen
in my lifetime.

[Freeman VO] I think
the defense is at a level,
when you go into year three,

that you know the ins and outs

of what you're trying
to accomplish.

[Brandell] I want Notre Dame to
punch people in the mouth again.

I want people to be like,
"Ugh, I gotta go
to Notre Dame this week."

And that's what
this defense brings.

They're physical, they're smart,

and they make
your life miserable.

[Freeman] I think Xavier Watts
has extremely high instincts,

and he does some things
that you really can't coach.

[commentator VO] Down the field
and it is intercepted,
Xavier Watts!

[Golden] We're asking kids
to make that journey,

each one individually
and then us as a unit
collectively, right?

To move the technique
from your head to your heart.

That's where he's operating
right now, from the heart.

[commentator VO]
Check his jersey,
there must be a magnet!

Another one for Xavier Watts!

Xavier Watts becoming a star
in the defensive backfield

for the Fighting Irish.

[Freeman VO] He's a guy that
has truly had some adversity.

He's gotten better
because of the challenges
he's had in his life.

[gentle music playing]

[Xavier VO] My dad, everything
that he's gone through

taught me just to...
don't give up,

don't get knocked down,
don't just stay down.

[father] Got the spinner knob,

so it just helps
to turn with these

as opposed
to the steering wheel.

This lever here,

you push forward for the brake
and push down for the gas.

[Xavier] He taught me
you don't know
what could happen,

so I'm just kinda just livin'
in the moment,

just take it with a full heart

and just, you know,
just live it and just love it.

[mellow cello music playing]

-Oh, nice, throw that one.
-Football!

[mother] Jeff and I were young
when we had Xavier,

but just pure joy to say,
"Oh my gosh,

we are now responsible
for a human being,

this little human being."

[Jeff] Every man
wants to have a son.

You just dream of having a boy

and kinda just bonding with him

and teaching him how to become
a man and whatnot.

When you have your children,

you want to be there and teach
them how to do everything.

I really just wanted him
not to go down the same path

that I was going down.

[Fallon] He's very open
and honest about things

that he should not have been
involved in at a young age.

[Jeff] Just hangin' out
with my buddies

in the neighborhood
we hung out in,

guys that, you know,
we had problems with

or, you know, just like
neighborhood, childish beef.

[Fallon] From my understanding,
words were exchanged, and then,

guns came out
and shots were fired.

I instantly could feel
that I was...

something wasn't right 'cause
I couldn't get up and walk.

I didn't even know where
I was shot at in my body,

but I knew that something
wasn't right, so,

uh, my buddies
just put me in the car

and drove me to the hospital,

and after I woke up,
that was when I knew,

you know, the doctors told me
I was paralyzed

at that moment, so...

[Fallon] I just remember getting
a phone call from Jeff

saying that he loved me,
he loved Xavier.

And I'm just like,

"What are you talkin' about?"
on the other end of the phone.

He's like, "I just got shot."

I didn't process it.
Right, like,

we're 20 years old at the time,

and hearing someone say,

oh, this person's never
gonna walk again, like,

you honestly do not know
what that means.

Like, not knowing, again,
the extent

of how our lives changed
that day.

[mellow music playing]

Xavier was definitely
our saving grace
in our relationship

to keep both myself
and Jeff going.

I always just been like,

"Hey, we're gonna get through
whatever pops up in life,

and-and you just
gotta figure it out."

I knew I had to be strong
for him.

[Fallon] I told Xavier,
"Your dad is different

in the sense
of his physical being,

but he's still Dad."

I always say,
"He still loves you.

He'll still play with you.
He'll just do it differently."

[Xavier] At a really young age,

you know, you can see
your dad in a wheelchair,

you know he's not like
other dads,

but at the same time,

he still was a human,
and he just couldn't walk.

He was still able to do
all those things
that involved sports.

[Fallon] Go, go, go! Go, go, go!

[cheering]

[Xavier]
It wasn't different at all.
It was the exact same way

that I would grow up
if he would be able to walk.

I just remember Jeff just saying
like, "You know what?

I messed up terribly, right?

However, I'm gonna make it right
with my child

and make sure that he knows
that he can do anything."

I think by him
showing Xavier, like,

"Hey, I'm in this wheelchair,

but I'm gonna make the best of
the circumstance that I'm in,"

so that Xavier knows that,
hey, there's consequences

to decisions that you make,

but whatever those consequences
are, you just gotta keep goin'.

[door whirring]

[soft, bright music playing]

[Xavier] He still goes
to the gym.

It still pushes me just seeing

that he's still going out
to work hard.

I'm usually there
for about an hour,
maybe an hour and 15 minutes.

I just gotta stay strong,
keep me motivated.

It helps get my blood
circulatin'.

Sometimes he has someone
helping him 'cause he needs help
with it sometimes,

but it's exciting to see
that he wants to stay in shape.

My boy.

[Xavier] Pushes me still
to do the same.

[Jeff] People always come up
to me and just tap me

and they say, "Hey,
I just wanna tell you,

like, you motivated me today,

and it's awesome that
you're in here working out."

Gettin' my workout in.
Good to see you.

And so when I hear
that stuff from people,

it low-key just lets me know
that, hey,

I'm, like, kinda helpin' people

get through whatever it is
they're gettin' through as well
when they see me doin' things.

[Xavier] Just kinda what he's
gone through is motivating me

to just continue doin'
what I'm doin',

just work hard and don't really
just take anything for granted.

[Jeff] You can kinda teach
your son right and wrong.

And maybe some things
that you messed up on early on,

you can kinda steer him
away from that

and to stay out of trouble

and just to be
a good person overall.

Xavier had to grow up
a little bit quicker
than other folks.

It's a sense of relief for me

knowing everything that
our family has had to endure,

and to see him now at this point

where his hard work,
his patience,

his determination
has really paid off.

[Freeman] All right, let's roll.
We have one last special speaker
for tonight.

He graduated from the University
of Notre Dame

where people say
that he's, like,

one of the best punters
ever to come here.

He's our new athletic director,

Pete Bevacqua.

[applause]

[soft music playing]

I grew up
with Notre Dame football.

It's been a passion of mine.

I don't have a memory in my life

without Notre Dame football.

Nobody's lukewarm on Notre Dame.

Everybody either loves
this football team
or hates this football team.

You can kinda be afraid
of the chaos

or you can embrace the chaos.

And strong organizations
with strong identities

get stronger
during chaotic times,

and it's never been
a better time

to be at Notre Dame.

Football's in the DNA
of Notre Dame.

You wear that logo

anywhere in the country,

anywhere in the world,

people know what it is.

["Love Is All We Need"
by Anders Johan Greger Lewen
& James Joseph Johnson playing]

* Love is all we need *

* Love is all we need *

* I said, love is all we need *

[shouting]

Really good.
Really good, really good.

[music fading]

[solemn music playing]

[Freeman] This trip
coming to New York
for us at Notre Dame football

is our own media days.

We're not in a conference,
so as you look at the other
conferences in the country,

they have their own media days.

We use this time every year
to really bring

our program to New York.

[Leonard] I think the coolest
part is everywhere we go,
every street we go to,

there's some Notre Dame fan,
whether you see somebody

wearing a Notre Dame shirt
or somebody coming up to us.

It's a national brand,
and you get to experience it

in the biggest city
in the world.

[Freeman] Being at ESPN and
getting on the different shows,

each show is
a different experience.

From College Football Live
to SportsCenter,

then you're on Get Up.

How you doin'?

Greeny, so good to see you.

Good to see you as well.

Appreciate y'all having us.

Oh, we are thrilled.

[overlapping chatter]

[Freeman] You have a segment
with Ryan Clark and Jordan.

I think that was so cool
because there was a job
that you have to get done,

but there was an element
of a father

and a son doing a show together.

I know what RC is like
when he's just our colleague.

What's it like
when this guy is your dad?

Uh, he's more like my best
friend than he is my dad.

Before games,
I think he understands
that I'm already locked in.

He don't do too much yellin'
or talkin'.

An unreal duo. They're like
best friends, honestly.

I don't like sittin'
by the other parents

because they wanna talk
football with me,

and I ain't here to talk
football, I'm here to be a dad.

[Freeman] Ryan Clark
and Jordan, man, are...
they're two of the same.

They look similar, but, too,
they have same mannerisms.

They dress the same,
and I think it's awesome.

So as of now,
he's never beaten me in a race.

I don't think that's true.

I don't think that's true.
I'm pretty sure we raced
and I think I won, bro.

-Okay, whatever.
-You might be capped out.

If he ain't got no video,
it never happened.

[Jordan] Bring your kid to work
day, you know, kinda sorta.

Just get to spend this time
with him and Free,
get to know Free better,

bring him around my family
and get to experience
what my dad does at work.

[Freeman] I think, deep down,
we all love, as fathers,

when you hear somebody say,
"Man, your son looks
just like you,"

or "Your son acts
just like you,"

most fathers probably take that
as a compliment,

and I thought it was just
a great opportunity

for those two to get together.

[light music playing]

The plan tonight is
we're gonna go

to the Broadway show Hamilton,

and once I started telling
people, "Hey, this is
what we're gonna do,"

people have been raving
about this opportunity

for all of us to go
and to experience Hamilton,

so I'm looking forward to it.

[applause, cheering]

[Leonard] The practice
that that takes.

You think our practices
are hard?

This is awesome.
This is really cool.

-You're a fan?
-Huge fan of Hamilton.
Oh my goodness.

[Freeman] B-Mo likes the
finer things in life, so, uh,

I'm sure he's into theater.

I'm sure he'll-he'll enjoy it
tonight.

Notre Dame, we're gonna file in.

If you have liquid,
just leave it right here
before you go onto the stage.

Watch your head
and watch your step.

It's really steep
and really shallow.

I'm not gonna sing it
with Eliza.

[laughing]

* Eliza and Benjamin *

[laughing]

Nice to meet you guys.
Yeah. Nice to meet you.

Yeah, I'm definitely
the weakest, that's for sure.

-I'm more excited to meet you.
-[laughter]

I wish I could do this
every day.

Oh my God.
No, that is so awesome.

Like, it's so funny 'cause
my dad is-- he was an athlete,

just here and there,
he still plays hockey
in like a rec league.

And he always tells me,
he's like,

"You... what you are doing
is at your highest level."

-Yeah.
-"And you are an athlete too."

And he always just, like,
uses athletic analogies.

So I actually understand
so much about, like,

how much work it takes
to get to the top of your...

-I was thinking-- Yes.
-...top level of what you do.

You want me to sing, right?

-Yes!
-[indistinct shouting]

-[shushing]
-[laughter]

Do you need a beat?
Do you need a beat?

* Stay alive *

-[laughing]
-[cheering]

* Alexander Hamilton *

* Where have you been? *

* I'll never be satisfied *

This might've been
the highlight of my trip.

I'm... I feel like a little kid.

I'm the biggest fan.

-Perfect.
-Yeah.

-Awesome.
-Thank you.

[soft music playing]

[Kiser] The funniest thing is,
like, I would've never thought

I would've ever ended up
proposing in New York City.

Like, that's not who I am.

I'm literally
from the smallest town ever,

and now I'm
in the biggest city in America.

Today's the day, like, I'm gonna
ask Meagan to marry me.

Really excited about it.

We've been together
for six years,

known each other for ten.

Really special day.

So Notre Dame's here
promoting the games

that we're playing
in New York City,

and they released
a social media post,

and I wasn't included
on the roster that was coming in

to, you know, be part
of the promotion.

He was even telling me about it,
like, "Man, my girlfriend

was kinda mad at you
for not bringing me

because you knew
that she was here."

She lives here in New York City.

She's been working here
since January.

So she was really bummed out
that I wasn't coming

to be with her and spend
the weekend with her.

But little does she know,
I am here.

[Freeman] So I was willing
to take a little heat

to make sure he could surprise
her, but proud of him.

Brent went to Notre Dame.
He was my roommate.

He lives in New Jersey now.

Brooke's a local here
in New York.

They've been helping the last
couple weeks set this all up.

[Leonard] He'd been planning it
for months in advance.

We were all in on it.

-So come up on that side.
-Okay.

All right, then be like,
"Oh, can you take a picture?"

I'll come this way.
I'll do a fast walk.

Might have to get her to take
a couple, look, do it again.

So the ring's pretty sparkly.

That was her one request.

I think she's gonna love it.

I feel it in my chest right now.
Like, ugh.

Okay, they're on the move.

Got the text.

It's gonna be a special moment,

something I'll remember
for a long time,

and I hope she loves this,

the scenery
that I kinda put together,

and loves it as much as I do.

[gentle music playing]

Hey, Meagan.

What the heck?!

[Meagan laughing]

What are you doing here?

Wanted to come and surprise you.

-Meagan...
-[crying softly]

You're my best friend,

and I love you so much.

You're so kind and beautiful.

And you're so selfless,

and you sacrificed
so much for me.

I want to go on
so many adventures with you.

[Meagan sniffles, chuckles]

Will you marry me?

Yes. [laughing]

Oh my God,
I can't believe you're here.

We gotta see if it fits.

It was supposed to rain
four days ago.

-[Meagan] Oh, was it?
-Yes, and I was so stressed.

-Oh, I love you.
-I love you.

[music fading]

[Freeman] Last thing.
We're gonna vote on captains
here in a minute.

And I thought
about this deeply today,

right, in terms of what I view
as a captain.

Captains gotta lead.

Okay, they have to lead.

You're willing to challenge
your teammates,

you're willing to challenge
your coaches,

you're willing to challenge
anybody.

Right, you just don't go
with the norm.

You gotta be willing
to make decisions
that not everybody's gonna like.

We might have five captains.
Might have two captains, three.

I'll decide
once I calculate the vote.

You're gonna get a chance
to vote for four people.

I don't care what side
of the ball they are.

You all gotta decide, do you
want to be a captain or not?

I'm gonna make you
come up here and say,

"I want to be a captain,"
in front of your teammates.

Right, look at it, 'cause
you guys gotta figure out,

"Who am I gonna vote?
Who am I gonna do?"

Okay, just take a glimpse, okay?

You're gonna vote
for four of these people.

[Forde] If you're
a captain at Notre Dame,
that's a forever title.

People will remember that
your entire life.

[Kiser] Being a captain
at Notre Dame

and wearing a C on your chest

is symbolizing being
a Notre Dame man.

That's one of the biggest
compliments you can ever have.

Morrison, Kiser,
Collins, Leonard.

Watts, Kiser, Morrison, Leonard.

Kiser, Leonard,

Mills, Morrison.

Olivia and I are counting
the votes of the captains.

So we're going through
and tallying all the votes

and kinda seein' where we land.

You guys already done it?

No, we're about halfway through.

-All right.
-Wanna see what we have so far?

Yeah, where we at?

I think as you look back
at the many great leaders

that have been named captain
throughout the years here,

I think it would be
a huge, tremendous honor

to be chosen by your team
to lead 'em.

That's why I love
the term "captain."

Beaux has 22.

Kiser, 127.

-Is it Kiser/Leonard?
-Mm-hmm.

One, two, three, four,
five, six guys on offense

in double digits.

That's impressive.

All right.

I'll name five.

Take a knee. Take a knee.
Everybody good?

What I want to do now
is announce the '24 captains.

I'ma bring 'em all up here,

and then, uh, we'll clap for you

and then you guys can say
a couple words, okay?

First guy is Jack Kiser.
Come on up.

[applause, chatter]

Next guy, Riley Leonard.

Rylie Mills.

[applause]

Benjamin Morrison.

Last one is Xavier Watts.

[applause]

Football!

Go!

I love y'all boys. You know,
gonna go out there and dominate.

I'ma push y'all.
I want y'all to push me.

No matter what the title is,
like Coach said,

everybody can be a leader, just
step up. I love y'all. Let's go.

[Aaron on recording]
Come on, Jagger!

[Kiser] I think the kid playing
in the backyard over there,

knowing if he had a C
on his chest at Notre Dame,

wearing a gold helmet,
he'd be pretty proud of himself.

Everything I've ever done
is for this team.

I'm gonna continue to do
everything for this team
and make this team better.

It's our job
to push each other forward.

To know that you were voted on
by your teammates

to represent them

and to be their leader, like,

what more could you ask for?

[music fading]

[spirited piano music playing]

[Forde] I think Notre Dame's
really kind of on the cusp

of sustained excellence here.

The pieces are in place.

[Brandell VO] It feels like
Notre Dame can line up
and play with anybody.

I think the vibes are high

because the expectations
are high.

[Golic Jr.] Given the defense
that they've got coming back,

given what Marcus Freeman
and the staff

were able to do
with the transfer portal,

the expectation is you make
the College Football Playoff,

you win games
in the College Football Playoff.

It's a big year, right?
People expect a lot from us.

Everybody feels it.

We're all one goal,
but our goal is to be the best.

We want to go undefeated.
There is no question.

[Freeman] We gotta remember,
it's gotta be special
to come in this place.

It's a privilege to play here,
but we gotta make sure

that it's something different
about protecting our home turf.

The opportunity to come back,
be a leader on the team

that has a chance
of doing something that
hasn't been done in so long.

That's something I hold
very dear to my heart.

I want to bring a national
championship to Notre Dame.

I'm proud of you, men.
Let's keep building it together.

Coaches, players, staff.

Just keep building
this thing together.

That's what we do.

[music fading]

* You're like Heaven,
like Heaven to me *

* You're the flowers,
the birds and the bees *

* You're the green grass,
the leaves on the trees *

* You mean everything to me *

["Like Heaven" playing]

* You're the sun
warming my heart *

* You're the stars
lighting up the dark *

* You're the rainbow,
the moon up above *

* You're the only one
that I am thinking of *

* You're like Heaven,
like Heaven to me *

* You're the flowers,
the birds and the bees *

* You're the green grass,
the leaves on the trees *

* You mean everything to me *