Last week, at a news conference before the College Football Playoff semifinals, Penn State coach James Franklin turned to his counterpart, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, and asked a question.
“How old are you now, Marcus?”
“Thirty-eight,” Freeman curtly answered.
Franklin, 52, was trying to make a joke about how Freeman’s full head of hair compared to his own bald dome (“I mean, look at the hairline on this guy”).
He went on to praise Freeman’s leadership and coaching acumen and, considering Franklin was just 39 when he was hired as the head coach of Vanderbilt, is probably empathetic to being a young coach.
Still, the question hung in the air. It felt dismissive. It felt condescending. It felt like a mental game. Whatever it was, it caused the self-deprecating joke to fall flat. Freeman didn’t look happy.
“He was angry,” Xavier Watts, a Notre Dame safety, told the Athletic. “He was angry with the press conference thing, whatever was going on between that. He was mad about that. All the anger went toward us and that anger went onto the field.”
Freeman, who has since turned 39, will lead the Fighting Irish into Monday’s national title game against Ohio State.
If he is still considered youthful by college coaching standards — he’s the fifth-youngest in the power leagues — respect in his abilities is all grown up. Notre Dame’s three playoff victories, complete with excellent gameplans, second-half comebacks and wrinkle plays at key moments, have played a large role in that.
It’s why the Chicago Bears, according to the NFL Network, are interested in speaking with him about becoming their head coach.
And it’s also why Freeman should say thanks but no thanks to the NFL, at least for now.
Start with this: The Bears aren’t exactly the Kansas City Chiefs. The organization is a picture of dysfunction and even with a promising quarterback in Caleb Williams, this is not an opportunity that is too good to turn down.
The nature of Chicago’s job search is testament to that — they’ve already interviewed 10 men, have three more scheduled and, Freeman included, have been linked to requests with six more.
Why enter that mess? The NFL isn’t going anywhere.
This moment of momentum for Notre Dame is far more fluid. Know this: Freeman is almost solely focused on leading the Irish to an upset of the Buckeyes.
At a news conference Sunday, he brushed off the opportunity to offer benign thoughts on everything from how he played at Ohio State (“This has nothing to do with … where I went to school”) to his overall opinion of the inaugural 12-team playoff (“I have not spent a lot of time thinking about [it]”).
“I’m just trying to get this team ready to win,” Freeman said.
Freeman is having a massive glow-up in these playoffs. He was hired three years ago, at 35, as a charismatic figure and a promising coach. Notre Dame is a vast and demanding job, though, and he lacked experience. The school smartly gave him time to learn.
He once looked to be a likable figure who struggled with in-game coaching at times — losses to Marshall and Northern Illinois, not to mention having just 10 men on the field in a late-game situation against Ohio State in 2023.
That narrative has flipped during Notre Dame’s current 13-game win streak following the NIU debacle. He pushed all the right buttons, despite myriad injuries, to get to the playoffs. Once there, he’s bested Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Penn State’s Franklin.
Everything from his in-game adjustments, to his player development, to his clock management has turned heads. The guy has become an elite coach.
It answers the final question about Freeman and coupled with the changing way rosters are built and national champions are crowned it bodes extremely well for the Irish.
Notre Dame hasn’t won a national title since 1988 and was often non-competitive in massive regular season or postseason games. The victories over Georgia and Penn State are the two biggest since a 1993 triumph over Florida State.
For the last few decades, the program could get very good, but never great. It was hamstrung by limitations to the type of high school recruit it could bring in (lots of four stars, rarely a five star), especially compared to SEC juggernauts. And as an independent, there was little margin for error to reach a small playoff or BCS game.
Freeman is not only drawing in a different level of high school recruit than his predecessor Brian Kelly (successful, no matter what critics say), but the transfer portal has allowed him to plug roster holes and improve depth by using Notre Dame’s elite academics to attract grad transfers.
As for NIL money, well, a university that has a golden dome in the middle of campus has never lacked for funds. Then there is the expanded playoff, which provides a clear path for Notre Dame every season.
It offers a tantalizing coaching opportunity — leading a storied program during a time when the competitive landscape has become more favorable. A recent contract extension likely pushed his annual salary toward the eight-figure range (if not above it). He could become one of the faces of the sport.
Things are all set up for him in South Bend, a far cry from the ongoing chaos in Chicago that has chewed up four coaches in the last dozen years.
And besides, as James Franklin reminded everyone, at his age, there is plenty of time ahead for the NFL.
Right now Marcus Freeman has a national title to pursue. This year and across the foreseeable future as well.