SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman would welcome one other spherical of NFL curiosity. It’s much less sure whether or not he would really act on it.
Talking to reporters Wednesday for the primary time since signing day on Dec. 3, Freeman had a variety of floor to cowl, together with Notre Dame’s exclusion from the Faculty Soccer Playoff, this system’s determination to decide out of its non-CFP bowl sport, the Irish’s exercise within the switch portal and his adjusted teaching workers. Freeman additionally addressed the alleged shove of a neighborhood wrestling coach throughout a highschool meet earlier this month, sooner or later after St. Joseph County (Ind.) prosecutors introduced they’d not be submitting fees.
However the greatest query going through Notre Dame soccer over the previous six weeks was the way forward for its head coach, who has been talked about across the majority of NFL jobs which have come open thus far. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on Jan. 3 that Freeman was a candidate of curiosity for the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, in addition to for the Pittsburgh Steelers within the occasion Mike Tomlin left the staff, a risk that turned actuality on Tuesday.
“I’m the top coach at Notre Dame,” Freeman stated Wednesday. “Particular person recognition, particular person success, NFL curiosity, these are all reflections of staff success and the place this soccer program is.”
On Dec. 29, Freeman tweeted, “2026…run it again” within the wake of reporting from Sports activities Illustrated that he’d informed no less than two NFL franchises he was not excited about making the bounce to the NFL.
2026…run it again
Go Irish ☘️
— Marcus Freeman (@Marcus_Freeman1) December 29, 2025
On Wednesday, he was requested if he ever could be excited about being an NFL head coach. And even after Freeman answered the query, he hadn’t totally made his future intentions clear.
“I imply, I don’t actually, I’ve by no means carried out it,” Freeman stated. “I don’t know sufficient about it, and possibly someday sooner or later, if it’s the correct time and it’s what I feel is correct for me, then possibly I’ll pursue it. I don’t love losing time occupied with issues that aren’t proper in entrance of me. And so I don’t know what I would like in nonetheless any size of time, how a lot size of the time, I don’t know. However I do know proper now that I used to be convicted and motivated to be the perfect head coach of the Notre Dame soccer program as I might be.”
Sources with direct data of the state of affairs have indicated Notre Dame and Freeman agreed to an enhanced contract this offseason, which mirrored the market adjustment to the raises triggered throughout school soccer by openings at LSU, Florida and Penn State. All three colleges expressed some curiosity in Freeman on the time. It’s believed Freeman is now compensated on the prime of the school soccer market amongst coaches and not using a nationwide championship.
If Freeman’s future at Notre Dame is a year-to-year proposition, like a lot of faculty soccer at massive, this system and head coach seem aligned on profiting from their partnership for its length. Notre Dame is placing the ultimate touches on its newest switch portal class, which might embrace seven incoming gamers with a number of years of eligibility remaining; the Irish had signed simply two gamers with a number of years of eligibility remaining within the earlier 4 lessons mixed. And simply final month, Notre Dame signed its highest-rated class of highschool prospects within the fashionable period.
“Every part I would like and all the pieces that I want personally might be achieved proper right here as the top coach of this program,” Freeman stated. “So I hope that is one thing we’ve got to deal with yearly. I actually do as a result of it means we’re having a variety of success proper right here at Notre Dame.”
