There isn’t a college football program in the country more synonymous with pregame speeches than Notre Dame. And while he might not exactly be Knute Rockne, Shane Gillis had the privilege of addressing his beloved Fighting Irish hours before their matchup against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday.
The comedy star made the revelation during the latest episode of Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, which featured comedian Druski. Gillis described the experience as “awesome” while admitting he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be sharing that he had spoken to the team the morning of the game.
“You gave them a pep talk?” Druski asked.
“I did,” Gillis sheepishly admitted. “I met the boys in the morning, gave them a little chat… it was incredible. I think I’m not supposed to talk about it… but no, that was awesome. I got to meet Marcus Freeman before the game. [Gillis’ dad] Phil talked to him. It was nice. Phil made his way all the way back to the title after the Week 2 heart attack [following Notre Dame’s loss to Northern Illinois]. Beast.”
Despite originally stating that he wasn’t supposed to reveal he had given Notre Dame’s roster a pep talk, the Tires star once again referenced the occasion as he expressed concerns he had about connecting with the Fighting Irish’s Black players.
“I was going over to say what’s up to the team before the game and I was like, ‘it’d be nice to have Druski with me for the Black players.’ You know what I mean?” Gillis said. “I walk in, the O-line was hyped to see me. Let’s get the wideouts and DBs fired up. Let’s get the running backs and wideouts going a little. Let’s get Druski. The linebacker and O-line were flying.”
Gillis admitted that despite his skepticism, most players on the Fighting Irish roster — regardless of race — were excited to see him.
“I was surprised. I didn’t think they’d get as hyped,” he said. “I was just going into it like, ‘no one’s going to give a f**k. This is going to be awkward.'”
As for the content of his actual speech, Gillis opted to keep that a secret, although the mere visual of him addressing his favorite team hours before one of the biggest games in program history is equally amazing as it is hilarious.
And while the the Pennsylvania native didn’t get a storybook ending in the form of a Fighting Irish win, he did further establish his unique place in Notre Dame lore, which has already included sparring with Nick Saban on College GameDay ahead of its first-round matchup against Indiana, calling into a YouTube postgame show following the Orange Bowl and a starring role in an Under Armour ad.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.