SOUTH BEND, Ind. — When Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman turned down NFL interest last winter, he announced his decision with a simple social media post of “2026…run it back” with “Go Irish” for good measure. It read like a player putting off the NFL Draft to return for his senior season.
And the thing about senior seasons is there’s just one of them, and then it’s time to go.
While meeting Tuesday with a small group of reporters, Notre Dame’s fifth-year head coach sounded more like someone who could stay a decade in the job and probably longer.
“I’m all-in. I’ve been all-in,” Freeman said. “I don’t see myself being the head coach or coaching anywhere else.”
Freeman first mentioned the concept of retiring as Notre Dame’s coach earlier in July during an appearance on the “Not Just Football” show, hosted by former NFL defensive end Cam Heyward, who played with Freeman at Ohio State. The talk of spending the rest of his career with the Irish didn’t feel like typical Freeman, who usually meets questions about his future with versions of “being where his feet are” or not thinking about an “uncertain future” over the horizon.
Now it appears that Freeman has taken the time to look over the horizon and come back. He’s not reluctant to acknowledge that he was interested in making the NFL jump, even telling Esquire magazine this spring about how jobs like the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers would have intrigued him. Coincidentally, Heyward played for Mike Tomlin, whose exit left the Steelers job open at virtually the same time that Freeman announced his return to Notre Dame.
“There were times when I wanted to listen to some other people and I did,” Freeman said. “It confirmed that this is the place I want to be.”
None of this means the NFL interest will go away, especially if Notre Dame makes good on its preseason hype as a national championship contender. While other programs have won it all without the threat of losing their head coach, Freeman’s stature is different than that of many of his counterparts elsewhere in college football. Last week, while the ACC conducted its media days in Charlotte, ESPN hosted Freeman for Notre Dame’s own standalone preseason publicity circuit.
As a 40-year-old former player who appeals to players, fans and management, Freeman’s coaching style has been broadcast through the season-long infomercial on the in-house documentary “Here Come The Irish” on Peacock. Ironically, Freeman’s speech to the team after Notre Dame’s 0-2 start made him more appealing to some in NFL circles than the results of the games did.
Notre Dame has done its part to keep Freeman happy, reworking his contract in each of the past two offseasons while doubling down on its investment in the program. Notre Dame’s name, image and likeness budget for football is near the top of the sport. Shields Hall, the program’s new operations facility, will open soon. Notre Dame has lowered barriers to adding to its roster, accepting more undergraduate transfers from the portal last winter and now accepting high school prospects who reclassify and skip their senior year entirely.
Athletic director Pete Bevacqua called Freeman’s contract a “living, breathing document” in December, meaning it could be adjusted annually. According to sources briefed on the matter, Notre Dame’s enhancement of Freeman’s contract last winter keeps him near the top of the sport’s pay scale among coaches who have not won a national title, which would put him at nearly $12 million annually.
“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,” Bevacqua said. “I can say with 100 percent certainty he feels that way, and Notre Dame is totally aligned around the importance of college football for Notre Dame.”
Under Freeman, Notre Dame has made a habit of not taking any half measures when it comes to its football program. The College Football Playoff run of two years ago helped make that look like a smart decision. Almost every move since has helped convince Freeman that he doesn’t need to look elsewhere for professional fulfillment.
“I plan on being here as long as I can,” Freeman said. “If I do a good enough job and I’m able and wanted to be the head coach here, I want to stay the head coach here.”
