By Sean Labar
Notre Dame is on the cusp of reaching the College Football Playoff under head coach Marcus Freeman, who took over the Fighting Irish football program when Brian Kelly departed for LSU in 2021.
In 2022, Freeman led the Irish to a (9-4) record and a Gator Bowl to cap off the season. In 2023, Notre Dame showed improvement and finished with a (10-3) overall record.
Now with two games left in the 2024 college football regular season, Freeman has the Notre Dame Fighting Irish positioned to compete for a College Football Playoff Championship. With a (9-1) record, the committee ranked the Irish as the No. 6 team in the latest rankings that came out on Tuesday night.
Notre Dame has an impressive win over No. 15 Texas A&M and solid victories over teams like Louisville and Navy, but still have to face No. 18 Army and USC to close out the regular season.
If the Irish make the 12-team College Football Playoff, the fan base will view this season as a success.
But regardless of how the 2024 college football season plays out, Freeman — who briefly played in the NFL after a 4-year stint at Ohio State — is getting interest for professional coaching jobs according to a report.
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Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman Getting Interest From NFL Teams
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero identified 22 rising young coaches to monitor during this offseason’s hiring cycle. Freeman was the only current college coach listed which is a bit surprising.
“NFL teams have inquired about Freeman in recent years amidst his meteoric rise in coaching, from his first GA job at his alma mater (Ohio State) in 2010 to becoming the head coach of one of college football‘s most iconic programs (Notre Dame) 11 years later,” Pelissero wrote. “Since taking over in the aftermath of Brian Kelly’s midnight exit for LSU, Freeman has led the Fighting Irish to a 28-9 record and current No. 6 national ranking. He’s an engaging presence who will win the interview — if and when he’s willing to take one.”
Freeman quickly rose up the college coaching ladder which is impressive and can’t be looked over. He was the LB coach at Purdue 2013 to 2015 before getting promoted to co-defensive coordinator for the 2016 season.
The former fifth-round draft pick landed a defensive coordinator position with Cincinnati the following year. He took the same job with Notre Dame in 2021 but ended the campaign by coaching the Fiesta Bowl following Kelly’s abrupt departure.
As of now, it appears Marcus Freeman is solely focused on attempting to lead Notre Dame to a national championship victory, but this is an interesting scenario many didn’t see coming.
