Marcus Freeman's Present At Notre Dame Impacts His Future Outlook
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In December of 2021, the Notre Dame football program was in need of a new head coach, and they found one in defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman. Fast forward to March of 2026, Freeman has been the most successful Notre Dame head coach since legendary coach Lou Holtz. The former defensive coordinator has led Notre Dame to a 43-12 overall record, a win percentage of .782, multiple post season wins including the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl in 2024 and an appearance in the National Championship.
Every season, Freeman picks up valuable lessons and he rarely makes the same mistake twice. This year, the expectations are the highest they've been in nearly two decades for the fifth year head coach. Earlier this week, he spoke with On3's JD Pickell about his experience as a head coach and what he's learned along the way.
"You learn with experience," Freeman answered when asked what he's learned. "You can think you're prepared as much as you think you are, but the experience of going through what we go through helps you become the best version of yourself. As I look at going into year five, it's gone by so fast. To think about how fast it's gone, the experiences of the season, out of season and the different things you have to do, that's what makes this thing fun."
Over the last two seasons, Freeman has led Notre Dame to a 24-4 record with an appearance in the national title game, a deep playoff run which ended the major bowl win drought which stood for over 30 years and has had back to back regular seasons where his team rattled off 10-straight wins in each of the last two years.
With that level of success, you're going to start drawing eyes from all over. I think back to Athletic Director Pete Bevaqua's comments earlier this offseason about Hollywood likely being interested in the 40-year old head coach. That being said, Freeman's level of success has garnished a lot of interest from the NFL, which in the eyes of the former defensive coordinator, is a good thing for the program.
"I think it's the ultimate sign of with team success comes individual opportunities," Freeman said. "I hope that I have to continue to address that every single year. Because that means we're having success as a football program and it's not because of me; it's not because of one person. It's because of every person, every male and female, man and woman, that invest into the Notre Dame football program to make sure that we're reaching our full potential."
Notre Dame is one of the premier programs in collegiate sports, especially football. With that, comes a lot of attention from other programs and the NFL for coaching opportunities. All three of the defensive assistants from the 2025 staff have moved on to opportunities in the NFL or at another P4 program.
For Freeman, his current time at Notre Dame has been a learning experience, but one that he's grateful for. An opportunity like this may be easy for some to take for granted, and we've seen that happen with a handful of coaches who have been at the helm in South Bend. Staying grounded is something Freeman thinks about regularly.
"I want to have gratitude and I do have gratitude for the position I hold," Freeman explained. "In order to have that gratitude, I have to remind myself that I'm living a dream. If you would have told that kid growing up in Dayton, Ohio that he's going to be the head coach at Notre Dame, he would have said you're crazy. But I am and I'm honored and I'm grateful to be in this position."
Ideally, Freeman stays at Notre Dame for the duration of his coaching career. Is it likely that happens? That remains to be seen. I'm sure LSU would have loved for Nick Saban to still be down in Baton Rouge. I'm sure USC would love for Pete Carroll to still be at the helm. The future is uncertain, but when asked about his outlook on his future in South Bend, Freeman didn't hesitate to answer.
"This is such a special place," Freeman exclaimed. "The people that support and have love for Notre Dame and a love for this university and a love for this football program is special. Again, man, this is something I have a lot of gratitude for, but a place I'm going to be for a long time."
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