Marcus Freeman Named College Football Coach Of The Year

Two seasons after going 9-4 in his first season as Notre Dame's full-time head coach, Marcus Freeman has the Fighting Irish within one game of the College Football Playoff final.

It wasn't looking good for him when his team dropped a game to Northern Illinois in Week 2, but the Irish bounced back and won 10 straight to finish out the regular season and secure the No. 7 spot in the expanded 12-team tournament.

Freeman was rewarded for his efforts with a lucrative contract extension that will make him one of CFB's most highly-compensated coaches through 2030. And now he's reportedly been named the Coach of the Year in 2024.

Per Action Network's Brett McMurphy, the Notre Dame HC won the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award on Wednesday.

It's just the latest honor in what's been a banner year for Freeman. He's already been named the winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy, was selected as the honorary head coach for the 2024 AFCA Allstate Good Works Team and is also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.

Lou Holtz is the only coach in Notre Dame history to win the Eddie Robinson Award, so Freeman would be in elite company were he able to take that home.