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Marcus Freeman comments on NFL links ahead of National Championship game
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Marcus Freeman is close to wrapping up his third full season as the head coach at Notre Dame. Each year has featured improvements and, on Monday, he has a chance to win Notre Dame’s first national championship since 1988 when the Fighting Irish face Ohio State in the College Football Playoff final.
As Freeman prepares for the biggest game of his young career, he’s facing speculation about what comes next.
In recent weeks, Freeman has been linked to the NFL, with insiders reporting that Freeman is a person of interest in the Chicago Bears’ search for their next head coach. During a media event on Saturday, Freeman was asked about those links.
“The reality is with team success comes individual recognition,” Freeman said. “To hear that the Bears have interest, it’s humbling. It’s the NFL. It’s also a reminder that with team success comes individual success. I have put zero thought into coaching in the NFL. All my attention has just been getting this team prepared.”
Before Christmas, Freeman agreed to a 4-year contract extension with Notre Dame that is believed to make him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football. It also reportedly came with a bump to his assistant salary pool.
That extension has done nothing to stymie the NFL links. Earlier this month, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said teams will want to talk to Freeman as the league starts to trend toward younger coaches. Days later, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reported that Chicago wanted to interview Freeman and had done “extensive research for months” on the 39-year-old coach.
In 3 full seasons with Notre Dame, Freeman is 33-8.
Freeman and the Irish will face Ohio State on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. ET. Notre Dame is an 8.5-point underdog in the game, via ESPN Bet.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
