Marcus Freeman reached out to Riley Leonard after BYU, having gone through a similar moment with him after NIU. Freeman explained the responsibility that comes with leadership during difficult moments: “In leadership you can't show sometimes what you're feeling on the inside. That's not what the people you lead need. CJ needed that same thing after BYU.” Leonard offered his own perspective on the pressure that comes with playing at Notre Dame: “Notre Dame is worldwide. There is no such thing as Notre Dame lost I don't care. At times it can feel like a lot of people are against us, but what a privilege that is.”