Where Marcus Freeman Ranks Among Head Coaches That Played College Football

Freeman followed up that campaign with another All-Big Ten season in 2008, when he racked up 84 tackles (10 for loss) with 3.5 sacks and four pass breakups. 

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg ranked Freeman 19th out of 30 current head coaches that first put together impressive careers as players. 

That ranking puts Freeman ahead of others like Miami's Mario Cristobal (No. 20), Alabama's Kalen DeBoer (No. 23) and Georgia Tech's Brent Key (No. 25). 

Freeman, who totaled 268 tackles in 51 appearances and 37 starts as a Buckeye, went on to be drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. 

Freeman's NFL career was ended the same year due to a heart condition, prompting the start to his coaching career. He began as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 2010. 

With an expertise at linebacker, Freeman took his first true role in coaching the position at Kent State before serving in the same capacity at Purdue, where he also took on defensive coordinator duties. 

Freeman leveraged that role into an opportunity as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Cincinnati (2017-2020). 

The Bearcats – led by former Ohio State player and head coach Luke Fickell – posted back-to-back 11-win seasons and a 35-14 overall record during Freeman's stay. 

Notre Dame initially hired Freeman in to serve in the same role in 2021 before Brian Kelly took the head coaching role at LSU. Instead of starting a search, the Irish elected to rely on Freeman as a first-time head coach. 

And Freeman has certainly made the most of the opportunity in a short span, leading Notre Dame to three playoff wins and a national championship appearance in 2024. 

The 14-2 finish last season marked the highest win total in school history and bolstered Freeman's head coaching record to 33-10 through four seasons.