SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Head coach Marcus Freeman will remain at Notre Dame.

After drawing NFL eyes, including serious interest from the New York Giants, Freeman has decided to stay in the college ranks for another season and has agreed with the school on a new contract that makes him among the highest-paid coaches in the sport.

Freeman signed a restructured six-year contract barely a year ago, putting pen to paper before a run to the national championship game. Now Notre Dame will compensate Freeman at a level commensurate with another march through the postseason, although the Irish opted out of bowl season after missing the College Football Playoff.

2026…run it back

Go Irish ☘️

— Marcus Freeman (@Marcus_Freeman1) December 29, 2025

Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde reported Monday morning that Freeman had informed two NFL franchises he was staying in South Bend.

Sources briefed on the negotiation told The Athletic earlier this month the target for renegotiating Freeman’s contract was the end of the calendar year, at which point the market for a top college head coach would have fully reset following hires at LSU, Florida, Penn State and Michigan. The first three of those programs showed heavy interest in Freeman after firing their head coaches but were quickly rebuffed.

Freeman is 43-12 in four seasons in South Bend, including a 24-4 record the last two years. Notre Dame had little leverage in negotiations, which athletic director Pete Bevacqua made plain earlier in December when asked about the status of Freeman’s new deal during a local media news conference.

“I would never say we wouldn’t match anything when it comes to Marcus,” Bevacqua said. “Everybody has eyes on Marcus. College has eyes on Marcus. NFL has eyes on Marcus. I bet Hollywood has eyes on Marcus. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the next Leo DiCaprio movies with Martin Scorsese.

“Marcus is Marcus. All the credit to him, he deserves it. He is the absolute best coach in the country for Notre Dame, full stop. One of the greatest college coaches in the country.”

Losing Freeman this late in the hiring cycle would have been disastrous for Notre Dame, considering the job would have come open after every other post had been filled and most of Notre Dame’s top candidates had signed extensions at their current schools. And with the transfer portal opening later this week, the Irish roster could have been picked over, adding more uncertainty on top of the NFL Draft departures of Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, Aamil Wagner and Billy Schrauth.

While the College Football Playoff snub wounded Notre Dame and removed a potential contender from the field, the 2026 season is set up to be one where the Irish take a shot at winning the whole thing. Quarterback CJ Carr will return, along with most of the defense, including perhaps the entire starting secondary. The bulk of the coaching staff should return, too, despite the departure of linebackers coach Max Bullough to Pat Fitzgerald’s staff at Michigan State.