NBC Sports reporter Kathryn Tappen doesn’t expect Marcus Freeman to leave Notre Dame anytime soon. The network’s on-field correspondent has covered the Fighting Irish for over a decade.
Tappen believes Freeman won’t jump to the NFL or his alma mater Ohio State until he wins a championship in South Bend first.
The rumor mill connected Freeman to several NFL openings during the winter coaching carousel. The New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers all reportedly showed interest. None of the speculation materialized into concrete offers.
Ahead of NBC’s coverage of the 2026 American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Resort, Tappen discussed Freeman’s future and college football with reporters. The celebrity golf tournament runs July 8-12 in Stateline, Nevada.
Tappen will compete alongside 90 celebrities in the field. She’s one of only two women participating, joining LPGA Tour legend Annika Sörenstam.
Freeman Drawing NFL Interest
“I think it’s great for Marcus Freeman,” Tappen said. “I think every NFL team should be looking at Marcus. I think the world of him.”
She praised Freeman’s coaching ability and character.
“I think he’s an outstanding football coach, and I think when teams are successful at the collegiate level, and I see it in every sport I cover, we see it in the National Hockey League as well. Coaches who are successful at the collegiate level are absolutely going to get a look at the NFL level.”
“Marcus is probably getting, I don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors, but I’m sure there are a lot of teams that were interested and probably wanted to make an offer to him. But he believes in Notre Dame. I love that he stands by this program.”
Tappen expects Freeman to stay until he accomplishes his championship goal.
“I think, quite frankly, Marcus is not going to leave Notre Dame until he wins a national title, and he probably will.”
She highlighted Freeman’s impact beyond X’s and O’s.
“I love what he stands for. I love the mentor that he is to that group. We spend a lot of time with him in meetings, and he’s a super impressive man.”
Perfect Fit at Notre Dame
Tappen emphasized how Freeman’s values align with Notre Dame’s standards.
“That resonates at a school like Notre Dame, because you’re not getting your average football player at Notre Dame. You’re getting a 5-star recruit who’s also an exceptional student-athlete.”
The program attracts players with strong backgrounds and develops those who need guidance.
“They also come from great families, or have great upbringings, whose values are there. And if they’re not, they’re going to be there within a few days of being on the campus of Notre Dame.”
Freeman maintains the program’s high standards established by his predecessor.
“I always gave credit to Brian Kelly for upholding that level of standard at Notre Dame. But I think Marcus will go if he wants to go to the NFL.”
Ohio State Connection Unlikely
Regarding Freeman’s alma mater, Tappen doesn’t see a realistic path back to Columbus.
“I see a lot of these guys that narrowly miss an opportunity to go back to their alma mater. Mike Vrabel, for a short period of time, was coaching at Ohio State a little bit.”
Current Buckeyes coach Ryan Day appears secure in his position.
“I don’t see Ryan Day leaving anytime soon. I guess it would be a timing thing for Marcus if it did open up, but again, the Ohio State football team is very different than the Notre Dame football team.”
Freeman’s personal situation favors staying in South Bend.
“Marcus is extremely spiritual. His family really loves it there. He has a lot of pride. I think that is a perfect fit for him right now.”
“I don’t think he’s even thinking about Ohio State. If Ryan Day were to leave, I don’t know if he would go that direction.”
CFP Snub Fueling Championship Drive
Tappen criticized the College Football Playoff committee’s decision to exclude Notre Dame in favor of Alabama.
“It was not handled the way I thought it was going to go. I thought Notre Dame should have been in as well. And to your point, I also think Alabama should have been the team left out.”
The snub has motivated the Fighting Irish.
“I think that only fuels Notre Dame. Now they have this massive chip on their shoulder. They so narrowly missed the College Football Playoff.”
Notre Dame declined their bowl invitation, sending a message about their expectations.
“I think that was a huge message sent. And now they’re loaded, and they’re ready, and they’re totally focused on winning their 12th national title in school history.”
Tappen believes the committee’s decision will backfire.
“You just gave them more reason to steamroll through their opponents this year, and I think they will. I do think Notre Dame has national championship aspirations.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they win it this year.”
CJ Carr Leading Championship Push
The quarterback position provides a foundation for success.
“A lot of that has to do with their quarterback. CJ Carr is just a complete stud. He is 110% all ball all the time.”
Notre Dame’s recruiting continues to produce elite talent across the roster.
“They always recruit an elite offensive line. The defense is always impressive. They’ve got some new defensive coaches on staff that I’m really excited to see what they can do.”
The playoff exclusion created additional motivation.
“I think it’s almost like ‘shame on the committee,’ because you just gave these guys an absolute fire to go win a national championship.”
Rutgers Ready for Big Ten Progress
Tappen, a Rutgers alumna, outlined realistic expectations for her alma mater’s 2026 season.
“I think a fair goal for Rutgers would be to finish in, I would hope, the middle of the Big Ten conference. I think these realistic goals need to be set and need to be achieved.”
Last season’s 2-7 conference record needs improvement.
“We finished near the bottom. 2-7 in the conference is just not going to be good enough.”
The Scarlet Knights showed promise despite the record.
“What’s interesting about Rutgers is, of those seven games that they lost, there were so many close calls. I think that’s just a symbol of where we’re at.”
Rutgers aims to reach the conference’s middle tier.
“There’s no reason why we can’t be where Illinois, Minnesota, and Washington are in the middle of the pack there.”
Certain programs remain out of reach currently.
“I think you’ve got to eliminate Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon. We’re not quite at that level at this moment. In time.”
Iowa provides a model for consistent success.
“Iowa finished 6-3, that’s a great football team and is consistent year after year. I think that’s what Rutgers needs to aim to achieve.”
Quarterback Competition Benefits Program
Dylan Lonergan and AJ Surace are battling for the starting position.
“Obviously, we saw what Lonergan did at Boston College, and we had him for one of our Big Ten Saturday Night games last year against Michigan State. His pedigree is pretty impressive.”
Surace brings familiarity with the system.
“The one advantage for AJ Surace is that he spent time and learned the playbook. He backed up Athan Kaliakmanis.”
Kaliakmanis showed significant improvement under Greg Schiano’s guidance.
“When you look at Athan, when he was at Minnesota, compared to who he was under Greg Schiano’s tutelage at Rutgers, and the way he thrived, I was super impressed.”
System familiarity provides long-term benefits.
“I would love to see one of these guys, AJ, for example, a redshirt freshman. I would love to see him stay for a number of years and develop this program.”
Competition elevates both quarterbacks.
“I think the fact that there is a competition is great because it makes these guys perform to their absolute best, leading up to whoever’s named the starter for Week 1.”
Pass Rush Improvement Expected
Four-star EDGE Rinaldo Callaway should address defensive weaknesses.
“We have to see it. That was obviously a glaring issue last fall. He’s going to make a difference and have an immediate impact.”
Callaway’s leadership will influence the entire defense.
“His leadership and his presence in that defense are going to be looked at by everyone else. So it’s going to be up to him to set that level of expectation in that locker room.”
Schiano’s defensive philosophy suits the personnel.
“Schiano’s defense is, by definition, aggressive, physical, and very sound man coverage. It’s very principled.”
Stanley Cup and Golf Predictions
Tappen expects Colorado to advance past Vegas in the NHL playoffs.
“I think the Avs are going to get through this series with Vegas. I think Carolina is going to get through their series with Montreal.”
Nathan MacKinnon’s motivation could drive the Avalanche to the title.
“I think Nathan MacKinnon is on a mission. I think losing that gold medal with Canada is fueling him right now.”
For the American Century Championship, Tappen picks Annika Sörenstam.
“I’m going to go with Annika. I obviously love Annika. I grew up rooting for Annika.”
Sörenstam’s experience in the event gives her an advantage.
“She’s well aware of what it takes to win. I think this is her year.”
Tappen hopes to see more women in future fields, including former Rutgers teammate Carli Lloyd.
“Carli Lloyd and I went to Rutgers University together, and I reached out to her two summers ago.”
The tournament raised over $8 million for charity last year.
