Marcus Freeman is the “top guy” for yet another HC search, utilizing a unique pitch to try and lure him away from Notre Dame

If the name Ausberry sounds familiar to Notre Dame fans, it’s because he is the father of current Fighting Irish linebacker Jaiden Ausberry. While that relationship feels like no more than an interesting coincidence, it does feel reasonable to believe that the older Ausberry has a personal relationship with Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. That is typically the case for coaches and the parents of players. 

Even while Ausberry just held the interim tag following the Woodward firing, there began to be whispers surrounding the LSU interest in Freeman for their vacated head coaching position. That isn’t much of a surprise for the Irish fanbase, who have had to deal with a lot of these storylines in recent weeks. If both Penn State and Florida also had high interest in Freeman, it’s understandable that LSU would also. 

According to multiple people with knowledge of the coaching search, Freeman has quickly become the “top guy” for the job, and they are going “all in” on their pursuit. A big reason for that is Ausberry’s presence with the program and his admiration for the Irish head coach. This rumor is one that is going to gain more attention as things start to heat up. 

To my knowledge, LSU has already been in contact with Freeman, which isn’t surprising. That is just a starting point, and nobody should freak out about either side demonstrating interest. It only matters if Freeman reciprocates that level of interest. 

The truth about Marcus Freeman and LSU

This isn’t the first time LSU has shown interest in Freeman. Before he came to South Bend to be the Notre Dame defensive coordinator, the Tigers also offered him the same position and more money to come to Baton Rouge. Coach Kelly also reached out to Freeman once he took the job following the 2021 regular season. 

Freeman declined LSU both times. From my understanding, he is very comfortable with where he is, and as a Midwestern guy, it feels like it would take something extraordinary for him to completely uproot his life and family. That hasn’t been the Tigers up until this point. 

From folks on the LSU side, there doesn’t appear to be much confidence that Freeman will seriously consider the opportunity. While he will certainly listen, this doesn’t appear to be an ideal fit for him, and there is a legitimate argument that Notre Dame is a better job right now. As of today, I’m not at all worried about Freeman and the LSU job. 

Perhaps something changes down the stretch and it makes Freeman consider heavily, but I’m not sure what that would entail. There are only a couple of jobs that would worry me if I were a Notre Dame fan in the future. As of right now, LSU isn’t one of them.