by Kyle Golik
As the NFL enters its final month of the regular season, the coaching hot seat only intensifies. The New York Jets already fired Robert Saleh and are looking for someone to appease Aaron Rodgers. I don’t even think Rodgers can appease himself. The NFL will be looking for coaches and will send feelers to top college coaches to gauge their interest.
Two young commodities will certainly receive interest: Oregon’s Dan Lanning and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman.
In Lanning’s third season, Oregon is ranked No. 1 and undefeated. Unlike Lanning’s predecessors, it truly looks like Oregon is in perpetual reload mode with Lanning’s aggressive recruiting strategy, which is seemingly attracting all the nation’s top talent. After being humbled by Georgia in his very first game as a coach, Oregon has only lost to Oregon State once and Washington three times.
Freeman, like Lanning, is in his third season as Notre Dame’s head coach and has the Fighting Irish poised for the College Football Playoff for the third time in program history. Much like Lanning, Freeman is aggressive on the recruiting trail and isn’t afraid to go into Texas or Georgia and push for top recruits. Though he has had some notable de-commitments in his time, the fact they were interested to commit goes to show how Freeman has changed Notre Dame’s image. Freeman now has 11 wins against ranked opponents, which is nearly three times the total Brian Kelly has at LSU. Additionally, his 29 wins are the most by any coach during their first three seasons in South Bend.
With two amazing resumes, who would be a better fit for the NFL?
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The Case For Lanning
Lanning gets it from a culture perspective and is very organized in his approach. Lanning said at Big Ten Media Days, “We just wrapped up a coaches retreat in Central Oregon, another beautiful area. We spent some time going over future opponents, summer scouting, and really leaning in on one of the most important traits in our program, which is connection. Focusing on the roots of our program, what makes us an elite coaching staff, how we can build our roster, what things are going to be in front of us and our future.”
Lanning had his staff read The Art of War by Sun Tzu and Adam Grant’s Hidden Potential. This goes to show the continuous education a coach must undertake to maintain or grow.
Lanning connects well with the modern athlete, which is evident from glimpses of the speeches we’ve seen. With branding not as much of a priority for an NFL coach as it is in college, he relates to his players better.
As a defensive coach, Lanning’s defensive schemes emanate from the Nick Saban and Kirby Smart tree, which at its essence is professional in nature.
The Case For Freeman
Many NFL executives have identified Freeman as a top option. They feel that, unlike Lanning, who is rooted in Oregon with his family and has a known desire to see his three sons graduate from the same high school, Freeman hasn’t expressed similar sentiments in this regard, despite being married with six children.
Outside of the family realm, Freeman exhibits the same organizational traits as Lanning and is known as a great communicator.
Notre Dame might be the closest collegiate job that emulates a NFL franchise. The branding of Notre Dame is throughout the United States. With a wide base, the expectations are always high. When Freeman dropped his first two matchups against ranked opponents, he concentrated more on the preparation and detail. The results have led Notre Dame to 11 wins in his last 14 matchups. The willingness to make adjustments is key to being successful in the NFL.
Better Fit: Freeman
I feel both would be wildly successful in the NFL. However, from an emotional perspective Lanning is a perfect fit for Oregon, and I’m not sure if he would have the same exuberance for the NFL game. This isn’t to say Freeman isn’t perfect for Notre Dame. I feel the best is yet to come if Freeman stays in South Bend. I agree with the sentiment that Freeman’s mentorship and his ability to create, foster, and maintain relationships are why he is extremely successful at Notre Dame—something that really isn’t a priority for an NFL coach.
Why I like Freeman is his approach to situations. The NFL is full of challenges, and it is a week-to-week league. I think Lanning is still learning to hone his aggressive style, something that wouldn’t bode well for him in the NFL. Freeman’s refinement since his impromptu debut in the Fiesta Bowl has been evident. It still has faults, but he didn’t allow this season’s Northern Illinois loss to derail his team. That is paramount at the next level. To me, that is the difference between Lanning and Freeman, and it gives Freeman the edge here.
