Marcus Freeman agrees to multiyear extension with Notre Dame football

Posted by Admin December 16, 2024 Football

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SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman is putting down roots.

A multiyear contract extension was announced Sunday night for the third-year head coach, who will lead the fifth-ranked Irish (11-1) against 10^th-seeded Indiana on Friday night in the College Football Playoff.

In a statement, Freeman thanked Notre Dame President Rev. Bob Dowd, athletic director Pete Bevacqua and the Board of Trustees, led by John Veihmeyer.

“The investment they continue to pour into our program is invaluable to our student-athletes and staff,” Freeman said. “This commitment goes well beyond myself, as they are dedicated to ensuring all aspects of our program are competitive within the upper echelon of college football.”

According to NBC Sports, Notre Dame’s longtime television partner, Freeman’s new contract will come with a hefty raise that will make him among the sport’s highest-paid coaches. Multiple national reports said the deal also includes a significant increase in available pay for assistant coaches.

Freeman, 38, drew $6.69 million in total compensation as a first-time head coach in 2022, according to federal tax documents released in May 2024. That left Freeman just outside the top 25 highest-paid football coaches at the college level.

As a private university, Notre Dame’s employment contracts are not made public.

Promoted after one season as defensive coordinator in December 2021 to replace Brian Kelly after his departure for LSU, Freeman is 30-9 at the helm and has led the Irish to 10 straight wins on the heels of an embarrassing home loss to Northern Illinois.

Notre Dame is seeded seventh in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff as it seeks to win its first national championship in football since 1988.

Speculative candidate for the Bears and Buckeyes

Raised in the Dayton suburb of Huber Heights, Ohio, Freeman starred at linebacker for Ohio State from 2004-08 and was a fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 2009.

Freeman’s name was grist for the coaching rumor mill after Ohio State coach Ryan Day lost to Michigan for a fourth straight year. The Bears, meanwhile, are again looking for a coach after firing Matt Eberflus in the wake of a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions.

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman on quality of Indiana prep talent

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman, speaking on Dec. 4, 2024; discusses his program’s emphasis on signing in-state talents such as CB Mark Zackery IV

With Notre Dame law graduate and former Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren now serving as president and CEO of the NFL franchise, Freeman found himself answering questions in recent weeks about rumored interest from the Bears.

“I try not to waste time thinking about an uncertain future,” Freeman said on Nov. 21. “I tell our players all the time: ‘Your future is uncertain.’ I try not to waste time thinking about any things that aren’t in the moment, and so I haven’t spent any time really thinking about what the future will provide.

“Do I ever want to coach in the NFL? I have no clue. I don’t even know what that entails really right now because I’ve never done it. I’m just focused on staying here in the present and getting this team ready to have a great Thursday practice.”

On Freeman’s watch, Notre Dame recently signed the nation’s No. 12 recruiting class for 2025, continuing a trend that has seen the program compete annually for more high-end talent via the high school route and the transfer portal.

With Broyles Award finalist Al Golden and former Cincinnati cohort Mike Denbrock at the forefront, Freeman has built a formidable coaching staff of teachers and recruiters at Notre Dame. Golden has the Irish defense in the top three in scoring defense (13.6 points per game) this season, while Denbrock’s offense has climbed to No. 3 at 39.8 points per game after a slow start.

Both Golden, who was among Freeman’s original hires after his promotion from defensive coordinator, and Denbrock, now on his third tour of duty at Notre Dame, are reportedly working on contracts that run through the 2027 season and pay them more than $2 million per year.

Former NFL quarterback and head coach Jason Garrett, who led the Dallas Cowboys for 10 seasons (2010-19), praised the decision to extend Freeman.

“They got it right,” Garrett, NBC’s Notre Dame color commentator and NFL studio analyst, said during Sunday Night Football’s on-air announcement. “I don’t like Marcus Freeman. I love Marcus Freeman. I think this guy is fantastic, an incredible leader for that program.”

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman on exchange with Adon Shuler

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman explains his ‘tough love’ approach to young safety Adon Shuler after ill-timed penalty vs. Miami (Ohio)

Pipeline to NFL progeny

Georgia’s Kirby Smart topped the list of total compensation for the most recent reporting period at $13.2 million. Smart’s second-seeded Bulldogs, looking for their third CFP title in four years, await the winner of Friday’s Indiana-Notre Dame game in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Seven college football coaches reached the $10 million annual threshold in the most recent reporting period, including two who lost to Notre Dame in November: Florida State’s Mike Norvell ($10 million) and USC’s Lincoln Riley ($10.04 million).

Purdue recently gave former UNLV coach Barry Odom a six-year contract, and North Carolina made headlines with a reported five-year, $50 million deal that lured six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick out of retirement despite no previous college coaching experience.

While pundits predicted Belichick would make an immediate impact with his pro-style approach to player evaluation and on-field leadership, Freeman and Co., have already convinced numerous former NFL players to send their sons to Notre Dame under his mentorship.

With four more wins this season over ranked opponents — Texas A&M, Louisville, Navy and Army — Freeman has led the Irish to 11 such wins in his first three seasons, breaking Frank Leahy’s program record for the start of a career (1941-43).

“He’s a young coach, connects with the players, but it’s an old-school program,” Garrett said on-air of Freeman. “He’s getting the most out of them on the field and off the field. The job he did leading that program after they lost to Northern Illinois in Week 2 and what they’ve done since then to position themselves? Off the charts.”

Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.