Heather Dinich, senior college football specialist
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman has agreed to a long-term extension that will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country, a Notre Dame official confirmed to ESPN on Sunday. Specific contract details were not immediately available, but a source said Freeman has two years left on his current contract.
“I am grateful for the support of the Board of Trustees, headed by John Veihmeyer, president of Fr. CSC’s Bob Dowd and Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua,” Freeman said in a prepared statement. “The investment they continue to make in our program is invaluable to our student-athletes and staff. This commitment goes far beyond my capabilities as they strive to ensure that all aspects of our program remain competitive at the higher levels of college football.”
Freeman, who is 30-9 as a head coach and is in his third season with the Irish, led No. 7 Notre Dame to a first-round home game in the College Football Playoff against No. 10 Indiana on Friday. Freeman led the Irish to 10 straight wins after a stunning home loss to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7 and enters the inaugural 12-team playoffs with an 11-1 record.
This is the third time Notre Dame has qualified for the CFP (2018, 2020), but the first under Freeman. Notre Dame has never played a game at Notre Dame Stadium on a Friday. The winner will face No. 2 Georgia on Jan. 1, 2025, in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Notre Dame promoted Freeman from defensive coordinator to head coach in 2021 after Brian Kelly left to become LSU’s head coach. In 2022, Freeman’s first season as head coach, the Irish finished 9-4 with a win over South Carolina in the Gator Bowl. Last year, Notre Dame finished 10-3 with a win over Oregon State in the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl. He became the third Notre Dame head coach to post a 10-win season in each of his first two years with the program.
Before coming to Notre Dame, Freeman spent four seasons as the defensive coordinator in Cincinnati.
