Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was heavily linked with a move to the NFL after the Fighting Irish were controversially snubbed from the College Football Playoff in December despite finishing the season with a 10-2 record. Despite the interest from the NFL, Freeman opted to remain in South Bend, but the speculation about his future has lingered.
Jeremiyah Love Addresses Marcus Freeman’s Future at Notre Dame
After the New York Giants job links, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua restructured and extended Freeman’s contract through 2031, reportedly making him one of the best-paid coaches in the country.
During an interview with reporter Kevin Clark, former Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love addressed Freeman’s future in South Bend amid the lingering interest from the NFL.
“Coach Free is a very loyal man. He’s a father, he’s a husband. I feel like he started at Notre Dame, and I feel like he’s gonna finish there,” Love said. “That’s kind of like how he recruits. Guys that have the same mindset and values as him. They want to go to somewhere that is considered hard, with the academics and stuff like that.
“They’re coming into school ready to work. It’s how he recruits. It’s how he is as a person and it’s who he likes to surround himself with. Great people think alike.”
After last season’s disappointment of missing the College Football Playoffs, Freeman has recruited aggressively ahead of a pivotal 2026 season, where the Fighting Irish will once again be one of the frontrunners for the national championship.
Freeman Using NFL Interest To Become a Better Coach
While speaking to reporters on Jan. 14, Freeman admitted to listening to NFL offers and using the feedback from those interactions to make himself a better coach for the Fighting Irish.
“I’m the head coach at Notre Dame,” Freeman said. “Individual success, NFL interest, those are all a reflection of team success and where this football program is. I’ve used some of the interest from the NFL to personally gain wisdom from GMs and front-office executives.
“I utilize these conversations to gain knowledge for myself to be the best coach I can be of the Notre Dame football program. I didn’t have to re-evaluate. The only statement I put out was ‘let’s run it back.’ I was intentional about that. Right now, I’m convinced and motivated to be the best head coach of the Notre Dame football program as I can be.”
In four seasons in charge of the Fighting Irish, Freeman has compiled a 43-12 record, including reaching the national championship game, which they lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in Jan. 2025.
