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Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman Boasts Strong Ohio State Ties

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kyle Wood | Last updated Jan 15, 2025 2:52 PM ET

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is trying to end a national championship drought for the Fighting Irish that dates back to when he was a toddler.

Freeman, 39, was 2 years old when Lou Holtz led Notre Dame to its most recent title in the 1988 season. The three-plus decades since then have seen the Fighting Irish fall short more often than not in major bowl games.

This year has been different as No. 7 Notre Dame (14-1) picked up wins in the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday against No. 8 Ohio State (13-2), Freeman’s alma mater.

When Did Marcus Freeman Play at Ohio State?

A native of the Buckeye State, Freeman played linebacker at Ohio State from 2004-08. He played as a true freshmen under coach Jim Tressel and redshirted in 2005 after injuring his knee in the season opener.

Freeman’s playing time increased in 2006 when he started the majority of games for the Buckeyes, who won the Big Ten that year. In 2007, Freeman earned second team All-Big Ten honors after totaling 109 tackles and 10 tackles for loss on another Big Ten championship team.

Freeman was a second team all-conference selection again in 2008 when the Buckeyes shared the Big Ten title with Penn State. He finished his collegiate playing career with 264 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, six sacks and two interceptions across 51 games.

Did Freeman Win a National Championship with the Buckeyes?

Ohio State played in the BCS National Championship Game in 2006 and again the following season. The Buckeyes lost both games decisively, falling 41-14 to Tim Tebow’s Florida Gators on Jan. 8, 2007, and 38-24 to the Matt Flynn-led LSU Tigers on Jan. 7, 2008.Monday’s game will mark Freeman’s third national championship appearance overall and first as a coach.

Did Freeman Play in the NFL?

Freeman was drafted in the fifth round by the Chicago Bears in the 2009 NFL Draft. However, he never played in a game after he was waived by the Bears and spent time on the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans.

Freeman retired in the spring of 2010 due to an enlarged heart condition. Soon after, he started his coaching career.

Where Did Freeman Coach Before Notre Dame?

Freeman’s first coaching stop after the NFL was as a graduate assistant back in Columbus, Ohio, under his old coach, Tressel. Ohio State went 12-1 in 2010 and won the Sugar Bowl that season.

From there, Freeman coached linebackers at Kent State from 2011-12 and held the same position at Purdue from 2013-15. His responsibilities with the Boilermakers expanded in 2016 when he assumed the co-defensive coordinator role in addition to his position as linebackers coach. Freeman worked under head coach Darrell Hazell at both Kent State and Purdue.

Freeman’s next stop was back in Ohio at the University of Cincinnati, where he was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2017-20 under head coach Luke Fickell. The Bearcats became a powerhouse in the American Athletic Conference during that stretch, leading up to their CFP appearance in 2021. But by then, Freeman was in South Bend in that same role.

After one year as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under former Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly, Freeman became the 30th coach in Notre Dame history after Kelly left to coach LSU.

Freeman has a 33-9 record as a head coach. Since losing his first game — the 2021 Fiesta Bowl — he has won five straight bowl games.

Has Freeman Coached Against OSU Before?

Monday’s national championship won’t be Freeman’s first matchup against Ohio State. The Buckeyes beat the Fighting Irish, 21-0, in Columbus in 2022 and 17-14 in South Bend a season ago.

This will be the third season in a row these blue bloods meet. Ohio State leads the all-time series 6-2 and has won six in a row. That includes the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, which the Buckeyes won, 34-20. Freeman was on Ohio State’s roster that year, but did not play due to a season-ending knee injury.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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