Soon after Brian Kelly left his job as Notre Dame’s football coach to take the same position at LSU, the Fighting Irish chose in December 2021 to promote defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman. Never mind that Freeman had never been a head coach at any level and was a month shy of his 36th birthday. Notre Dame’s administrators were confident in Freeman, and after some trying stretches, their move has seemingly paid off.

With No. 7 seed Notre Dame (11-1) set to host No. 10 seed Indiana (11-1) on Friday in the College Football Playoff opener, Freeman agreed on Sunday to a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2030 season. FootballScoop and Irish Illustrated writer John Brice reported Freeman will earn more than $9 million annually, up from $7 million in the deal he signed when hired three years ago. Freeman will also have access to more money to compensate his assistant coaches and other staff members.

While securing Freeman for the long-term seems like a no-brainer for Notre Dame, it wasn’t always seen that way. After the Fighting Irish lost, 16-14, to lowly Northern Illinois on Sept. 7 to fall to 1-1, some questioned whether Freeman could live up to the expectations and keep the team on track for a full season. During Freeman’s first two seasons, the Fighting Irish went 9-4 and 10-3 and won two bowl games, but they had upset losses to Marshall and Stanford in 2022 and Louisville and Clemson last year.

Since the Northern Illinois game, though, Notre Dame has gone on a dominant run, winning 10 consecutive games by an average of 30.7 points per game. Still, Notre Dame athletics director Pete Bevacqua claims he was sold on Freeman even before the Fighting Irish’s latest stretch. In recent weeks, Bevacqua was in constant contact with Clint Dowdle, Freeman’s agent and the head of football coaches and executives at WME. Bevacqua also discussed contract specifics with Father Robert Dowd, Notre Dame’s President, and John Veihmeyer, a former KPMG Chairman and current Chair of Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees. The men agreed it was an “easy” decision to extend Freeman’s contract, according to Bevacqua, who said he often tells people the two most visible representatives of Notre Dame are its President and football coach.

“When you think about Coach Freeman, there’s no better representative of Notre Dame,” Bevacqua said at a Tuesday press conference. “He’s so authentic, so sincere. Everything that makes Notre Dame different and special, and some would say maybe harder, he embraces and uses that as an advantage and as a differentiator.”

The timing of the announcement was intentional. Bevacqua said he wanted to get a deal done several days before the CFP opener, so the talks were not a distraction to Freeman or anyone else at Notre Dame.

Bevacqua, who was chairman of NBC Sports before taking over as Notre Dame’s AD earlier this year, said Friday’s game is the most excited he’s been for a sporting event since November 1993, a few months after he graduated from Notre Dame. Back then, Bevacqua was in attendance when the No. 2 ranked Fighting Irish defeated No. 1 Florida State in what was billed as the Game of the Century.

“That’s where my expectations are heading into Friday, that type of atmosphere, where it felt like the whole country was focused singularly on a sporting event,” Bevacqua said. “I think because we’re the first game (of this year’s CFP), because it’s in Notre Dame Stadium, because it’s going to be this great interstate game on prime time on a Friday, I think it really has the chance to be a spectacular moment in sports and a spectacular, hopefully, moment in Notre Dame sports history.”

Bevacqua anticipates many more memorable games with Freeman at the helm. Although Freeman has a new contract in place, numerous coaches have left for other jobs, leading some to wonder whether Freeman would depart for an offer from an NFL franchise or Ohio State, his alma mater. Bevacqua said there are no “carveouts” in Freeman’s contract pertaining to the NFL or Ohio State, meaning it would likely come with a significant buyout if Freeman would ever want to leave Notre Dame.

Still, the way things are going, Bevacqua seems confident Freeman is in an enviable position. Bevacqua said Notre Dame would opt into the House settlement, which a judge is expected to rule in favor of in April, opening the door for athletics departments for the first time to share revenue with athletes. If the settlement is approved, Bevacqua estimated athletics departments will share $20.5 million with athletes starting with the 2025-26 school year. He added “a large portion” of that revenue will be dedicated to the Fighting Irish’s football team.

During conversations with Freeman about his contract extension, Bevacqua said the coach was primarily focused on having money available for his staff, including defensive coordinator Al Golden and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, both of whom are reportedly among the highest-paid assistants in college football. The idea is that it takes millions to retain and hire the best coaches and other personnel. Notre Dame is also upgrading its facilities, including breaking ground in April on the Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall, a 150,000-square-foot building for football players that is set to open in 2026.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that we’re keeping our foot on the gas,” Bevacqua said. “Football is a priority, and winning national championships is a priority. I’ve said this to Marcus and we were laughing. We’re both kind of maniacally obsessed with winning a national championship and more in football.”