Marcus Freeman reflects on playing experience in national championship games

Marcus Freeman will coach in his first national title game on Monday night when he leads underdog Notre Dame against Ohio State in Atlanta. He’ll also make some unique history by becoming the first black head coach to direct a team in an FBS national championship game.

But this won’t be Freeman’s first foray into the pressure cooker that is the national title game. Freeman, ironically, was a linebacker for Ohio State a few decades ago, and he was part of 2 Buckeyes teams that found their way to the title game in 2006 and 2007. Unfortunately for Freeman, Ohio State lost both of those games with everything on the line, falling to Florida in the 2006 national championship game and to LSU in the 2007 title game.

So, Freeman has a unique perspective from his experience in this exact spot to use as a teaching tool for his Fighting Irish team, which has won 13 straight games to get to this stage as Notre Dame seeks its first national title since 1988. He spoke in the leadup to Monday night’s game with SiriusXM radio host Jacob Hester, who happened to be a running back on that 2007 LSU team that beat Freeman’s Buckeyes in the title game.

“Those are the memories that I have in being a part of this game is losing both of them. I’m in a different position now than being a player, but that’s the memory I have in those national title games, and those aren’t great memories. (Monday night) is about the opportunity right in front of us, and we have to stay focused on putting ourselves in position to have success on Monday,” explained Freeman.

Cory Nightingale

Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.