Marcus Freeman began his first week of the playoffs as head coach by gathering the team and answer reporters’ questions.
A few hours later Our Lady I made sure Freeman wasn’t going anywhere.
Freeman agreed to a long-term contract extension, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country. It was announced on NBC’s Football Night in America pregame performance on Sunday night. NBC has the rights to broadcast Notre Dame games on television.
“I am grateful for the support of the Board of Trustees,” Freeman said in a statement released by the athletics department. “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, 38, went 30-9 and was a leader in three seasons in South Bend, Indiana. Fighting Irish to their first playoff appearance since 2021.
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After losing Notre Dame second game of the season against Northern Illinois, Freeman, knowing that a second defeat could eliminate the Irish from the playoffs, treated each of the 10 final matches as an elimination match. The Irish responded by winning all 10 games, returning to the top five in the Associated Press rankings and winning at home in the first round as the No. 7 seed.
They will host Indiana (seeded No. 10) on Friday night in the first playoff game played on a college campus. The winner will advance to the match against No. 2 Georgia.
Freeman was a fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 2009 and also spent time with Buffalo and Houston before announcing his retirement in 2010. He then returned to his alma mater, Ohio State, as a graduate assistant.
His coaching careers included Kent State and Purdue, where he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2016. The following season, Freeman went to Cincinnati, where he remained until 2020. He was hired as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator in 2021, and Brian Kelly was promoted to coach at LSU.
Freeman won nine games in his first season as head coach, 10 in his second season and 11 this year.
Associated Press reports.
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