Marcus Freeman reveals his reaction to Brian Kelly leaving for LSU

Marcus Freeman is now the head coach at Notre Dame. It’s his 1st head-coaching job, and it came after he spent only 1 season on the Fighting Irish’s staff as their defensive coordinator.

It also came as a surprise to Freeman. And that’s because he was not expecting it when Brian Kelly called him and told him that he was leaving Notre Dame to become the LSU head coach.

Freeman discussed that conversation he had with Kelly during an appearance on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd on Monday.

“When he called me and told me, ‘Hey, I’m going to take the job as the head coach at LSU,’ I was in complete shock,” Freeman said. “I did not see this coming at all. And my mind started racing. And then he said, ‘Hey, I want you to be my defensive coordinator,’ and I said, ‘OK.’ I said, ‘But I need to ask my wife.’ So from that point, that drive from where I was at recruiting to home, it all became crazy. But to say I’m not surprised that he decided to go to LSU, that would be a lie.”

"When he called me and told me, I was in complete shock. I did not see it coming at all. My mind started racing."

— @Marcus_Freeman1 talks Brian Kelly's departure from Notre Dame and his transition to head coach: pic.twitter.com/FstGBOTbFE

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) December 6, 2021

Of course, Freeman didn’t end up becoming LSU’s defensive coordinator because he landed the job as Notre Dame’s head coach. And now, he’ll look to help the Fighting Irish maintain the level of success they had during Kelly’s 12 seasons at the helm.

Freeman is only 35, and he previously spent time as the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati and Purdue.

Jake Rill

Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.