Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman’s Fighting Irish have been in the headlines recently after they were snubbed for a spot in the College Football Playoff on Selection Sunday. After being jumped by the Miami Hurricanes in the rankings, the Fighting Irish opted against accepting an invitation to the Pop-Tarts Bowl against the BYU Cougars.
Off the gridiron, the Fighting Irish are also facing further upheaval after Freeman has been heavily linked with the New York Giants’ job.
Analyst Addresses Marcus Freeman Links to Giants
During Wednesday’s segment of “The Herd” podcast, analyst Colin Cowherd issued a strong verdict on Freeman leaving South Bend for the $10.3 billion valued NFL franchise.
“Marcus Freeman is getting a lot of interest in professional football,” Cowherd said. “There’s guarantees for him in college, there’s no guarantees for him in the NFL. Freeman is facing a dilemma, do you stay in your really good job or do you take a big swing at the highest level of your profession?
“Here’s the three reasons I would stay in college. College jobs now pay 80-90% of NFL jobs. NFL owners have now become multibillionaires and they become crazier and more impulsive. Start looking at old NFL coaches, they look beat up, weathered and tired. College football coaches are happier, they age better.”
In four seasons in charge of the Fighting Irish after succeeding Brian Kelly, Freeman has compiled a 43-12 record and led them to the national championship game, where they lost against the Ohio State Buckeyes last season.
Notre Dame A.D. Determined To Keep Freeman
During a fiery news conference on Wednesday addressing Notre Dame’s snub from the College Football Playoff, Fighting Irish athletic director Pete Bevacqua revealed his determination to keep Freeman in South Bend amid interest in his services from several teams.
“Everybody has eyes on Marcus,” Bevacqua said. “College has eyes on Marcus, NFL has eyes on Marcus. I bet Hollywood has eyes on Marcus. He’s the absolute best coach in the country for Notre Dame, full stop, one of the greatest college coaches in the country.
“I can say with 100% certainty he feels that way, and Notre Dame is totally aligned around the importance of college football for Notre Dame. I make sure that he knows that he will be where he deserves to be, and that is at the top, top, top tier of college football coaches when it comes to compensation every year.”
Last year in December, Freeman signed a four-year contract extension, through to 2030. According to USA TODAY, Freeman has an annual salary of $9.5 million.
