Approaching the first game of the season, head coach Marcus Freeman prepares for his fourth season at the helm for Notre Dame. After a tenure colored by early doubts, he has begun to cement a legacy with the program that he hopes to continue building. His young coaching career has seen moments of adversity along with incredible accomplishments, both with team success and players reaching the next level under his tutelage.
Hailing from Ohio, Freeman brings many great qualities to the table as head coach, his past playing experience being one of them. From 2004-2008, Freeman was a linebacker for Ohio State before making his way to the NFL. He began his professional career after being selected in the fifth round by the Chicago Bears in the 2009 NFL Draft. After being waived by the Bears, he spent brief periods on the practice squads of the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans. He retired in 2010 after a medical condition resulted in an enlarged heart.
Despite a breif NFL career that finished before it even started, Freeman continued pursuing his passion for football by becoming a coach. He took a position in 2010 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Ohio State, before moving to Kent State University to be the linebackers coach from 2011-2012. Following this, he made his way to the state of Indiana to become the linebackers coach at Purdue from 2013-2015, eventually getting promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2016. In 2017, Freeman moved one state over to coach at Cincinnati University in his first defensive coordinator role, while also serving as linebackers coach. He would stay in Ohio until he got a call about an open role at Notre Dame in 2020.
After serving as defensive coordinator in the 2021 season, Freeman became head coach at Notre Dame in December, 2021 after Brian Kelly left the program for the same job job at LSU. Freeman would step into his role only a month after arriving in South Bend. He led the team in a devastating 37-35 Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State.
Freeman’s first full year as head coach with the Irish was worrying to several fans, as the team finished with a disappointing 8-4 regular season record, including upset losses to Marshall and Stanford. Despite this record, Freeman took the team to the Gator Bowl, where the Irish earned a 45-38 victory over South Carolina.
2023 was more successful, with Notre Dame finishing 10-3 and ending the year with a dominant 40-8 victory over Oregon State in the Sun Bowl.
In Freeman's third season, the team shocked fans around the country after a devastating 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois in the home opener. This led to some tough conversations, not only about the team and its upcoming games, but about Freeman's capability as a coach. He took that criticism and brought the team together to fly through the rest of the season undefeated, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP). With this momentum, he led his group through a comfortable 27-17 win against Indiana in Notre Dame Stadium, a statement 23-10 win against Georgia and a thrilling 27-24 win against Penn State, setting up a date with Ohio State in the national championship. Despite their best effort, Freeman's Irish came up short against the Buckeyes in a 34-23 loss.
In addition to immense team success, Freeman coached six players in the 2024 season who were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Cornerback Benjamin Morrison made his way to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, safety Xavier Watts was selected by the Atlanta Falcons, linebacker Jack Kiser made his way to the Jacksonville Jaguars, defensive linemen Rylie Mills joined the Seattle Seahawks, tight end Mitchell Evans went to the Carolina Panthers and Riley Leonard stayed in Indiana with the Indianapolis Colts.
Freeman's work has earned him a multitude of awards that reflect his coaching skills.
In the 2024 season alone, he was named Bear Bryant Coach of the Year, Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year, George Munger Coach of the Year, Ted Ginn Coach of the Year and AFCA Good Works Coach of the Year.
Freeman now looks to put the loss to his alma mater, Ohio State, behind him as he prepares his team for another CFP run. Their first game of the season will be a tough test, going on the road to face No. 10 Miami in Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday night. To bring the Irish back to the pinnacle of college football, Freeman will need to have the group prepared.
