Marcus Freeman plans to stay at Notre Dame despite interest from other major programs. According to CBS Sports, athletic directors from Penn State and Florida reached out to gauge Freeman’s interest in their open positions.
Both schools received a simple “no” from Freeman’s camp.
The inquiries came after LSU fired Brian Kelly, Freeman’s former boss who originally hired him as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator. Freeman offered measured comments about Kelly’s dismissal.
“I’ve said this previously — you never want to see anybody lose their job. Coach Kelly gave me an opportunity to come here, and I’m always rooting for him. But it’s also the profession we’ve chosen. We know that can be the result of choosing this profession.”
Freeman has good reason to stay put. Notre Dame sits at No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings and controls its playoff destiny.
The Fighting Irish are 38-11 under Freeman since he became head coach. They’ve won 19 of their last 23 games and reached the postseason every year under his leadership.
That includes a Fiesta Bowl appearance as interim head coach, wins in the Gator Bowl and Sun Bowl, plus three College Football Playoff victories before falling in the National Championship game.
Notre Dame’s independence from conference affiliation creates a unique playoff path. The Irish can’t rely on a conference championship for automatic qualification. They need to earn an at-large bid based on their regular season performance.
The remaining schedule looks manageable. Notre Dame faces Boston College, Pitt, Syracuse, Stanford and Navy in their traditional season-ending matchup.
The 12-team playoff format helps Notre Dame’s chances, but it’s not a guarantee. The first five seeds go to conference champions, leaving the Irish competing with other at-large candidates.
That pool includes SEC teams that don’t win their conference, Big Ten runners-up, and the ACC’s second-place finisher.
Eight Power 4 programs currently have head coaching vacancies. They’ll continue their searches without Freeman as a realistic option, barring unexpected developments.
Notably, LSU hasn’t reached out to Freeman despite their high-profile opening.
Freeman’s immediate focus remains on securing Notre Dame’s playoff position. The Irish travel to face Boston College with a 3:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff on ESPN.
