Marcus Freeman is staying at Notre Dame, but the NFL question isn't going away. So what's next?
Marcus Freeman isn’t going anywhere for now. But if NFL interest in Notre Dame's coach continues, the Irish can learn from this month.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — When Marcus Freeman tweeted Monday that he would “run it back” at Notre Dame next season, it felt more like a player announcing a return for his senior season than a head coach making a long-term commitment to the school that has turned the head coach into a national brand.
And that’s fine. But now everyone has a better idea of where everyone stands.
As the calendar turns to 2026 and Freeman enters his fifth season in charge at Notre Dame, it feels like coach and program are closer to the end of their time together than they are to its beginning. And five years is a long time in this sport, even at a school that let Brian Kelly stay longer than a decade. Of the 67 programs in Power 4 conferences, just nine entered the 2025 season with their head coach having been in charge for more than five seasons.
With college football now more of a year-to-year proposition than ever before, Freeman’s return, Notre Dame’s enhancement of his contract and the timing of it all put both coach and football program on solid ground. Even if it’s not the place Notre Dame would ideally be with a unicorn of a head coach. It’s becoming clearer that eventually Freeman will answer the NFL’s call, assuming the Irish continue to compete for national championships. And for the sake for the “Is the NFL interested?” discussion, last season worked in Freeman’s favor even if the year was a disappointment for Notre Dame. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on Dec. 13 that the New York Giants were just one of the teams interested in Freeman in recent weeks.
Freeman is about to turn 40 but has the energy of a guy who just finished playing. He’s a natural leader for any organization. He may not say anything groundbreaking in the fields of of leadership or motivation, but his delivery is outstanding. That shows up in the program’s “Here Come The Irish” docuseries, which felt ironic when New York Giants fans were tweeting out Freeman’s speech to his players after Notre Dame’s 0-2 start as evidence of why the team should hire him.
“That’s what family does.”
We’ve got a head coach who will go down swinging with us.
For more behind-the-scenes moments with Marcus Freeman, watch #HereComeTheIrish on @peacock https://t.co/jjjhCAUm7v pic.twitter.com/A0gOjgpQEn
— Here Come The Irish (@ND_HCTI) December 30, 2025