Marcus Freeman’s name now starting to surface in NFL head coaching searches as Notre Dame football tries to block out the noise

As head coach Marcus Freeman has more and more success with the Notre Dame football team, other programs are going to try and pursue him heavily. At only 39 years old, Freeman is a young and vibrant head coach who continues to get better with more experience. Add in the fact that he’s a dynamite recruiter, holds a 40-12 overall record, and it makes sense why his name keeps getting mentioned with openings such as LSU, Penn State, and Florida. 

While the college jobs have mostly been the ones where Coach Freeman’s name gets mentioned, we have also started to hear more and more interest from the NFL level as well. That includes the Chicago Bears last offseason, which eventually led to Freeman receiving a raise from Notre Dame. Prepare yourself Irish fans, but the NFL talk is about to heat up in the very near future. 

From the folks that cover the New York Giants, Freeman’s name has already come up just a day after the team fired head coach Brian Daboll. While those early conversations are mostly just speculation and a guessing game, the more times you hear it, typically the more smoke might be present. 

Joe DeLeone, who covers the Giants for A to Z Sports, also mentioned Freeman’s name if the team chooses to go the college route with their search. The other big name mentioned was Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, which would potentially reunite him with quarterback Jaxson Dart. Here is what DeLeone wrote about Freeman, and his potential fit. 

Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame HC

Since leading the Fighting Irish to the National Championship last season, Marcus Freeman’s name has been frequently mentioned for NFL head coaching openings. It’s been considered unlikely that he leaves Notre Dame, but he’s been discussed as an option for the top college openings of LSU, Florida, Penn State, and Auburn.

Freeman has compiled a fantastic 40-12 record at Notre Dame, including three College Football Playoff wins in 2024. He’s generated significant respect in college football for his ability to develop and build relationships with young players. His ability to establish culture and recruit at an elite level has helped Notre Dame reach heights it hasn’t reached for a long time.

Jumping to another college program shouldn’t entice Freeman, as he’s already leading one of the biggest brands in the sport to tremendous success. However, an opportunity in the NFL is one that many college coaches strongly consider.

Roberts’ take 

For the majority of the Notre Dame fanbase, they are tired of hearing Freeman’s names involved with these openings, and frankly, so am I. Unfortunately it is going to be the case when you have such an attractive head cos hint option like Freeman. That isn’t going to change anytime soon, so you might as well try and get used to it.  

The correct perspective might be to treat it as a compliment. As long as his name is mentioned of these types of jobs, that means that things are going very well in South Bend. Anytime you have a valuable commodity, it’s the job of the program to hold onto them as long as possible, no matter the cost (within reason anyway). 

As DeLeone mentioned, the Freeman fit in New York is probably unlikely at this point. While NFL jobs do worry me more than the college jobs that have come open, I’m not sure Freeman taking a job where there is a lack of alignment up top is a wise decision. If he were to make the jump, it is a chance you have to make sure is worth it. That’s a long rebuild that is a difficult sell, especially in that type of media market. 

For now, I’m not worried about these Giants rumors. We have no idea if he is a real target for the organization, and until they request an interview, freaking out about it feels unnecessary. If that changes, then we will cross that bridge when we get there. As for Freeman’s career aspirations, there isn’t much to suggest that the NFL is his ultimate goal, but you never do know. 

This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Nov 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.