Marcus Freeman officially named Notre Dame head coach

Marcus Freeman is officially the newest coach at Notre Dame, and he will coach the Irish in their upcoming bowl game. The school made the announcement on Friday morning.

Freeman, who is just 35 years old, is the 30th head coach in South Bend and takes over an 11-1 program with national championship aspirations in the coming years.

“It is an honor to be named the head coach of Notre Dame Football,” Freeman said in a statement. “I am eternally grateful to both Father John Jenkins and Jack Swarbrick for giving me the opportunity to lead the exceptional men who make this program what it is. Notre Dame is a very special place and I look forward to pursuing a national championship with the most outstanding student-athletes, coaches and staff in college football.”

Freeman spent four seasons at Cincinnati as their defensive coordinator from 2017-2020 where he led one of the nation’s top defenses. He has continued that streak of excellence at Notre Dame, as the Irish have allowed just 18.3 points per game this season. They are one sack shy of the Notre Dame single-season record of 41 sacks, set in 1996. His quick success and leadership style in his first year drew athletic director Jack Swarbrick to him for the job.

“Marcus’ ability to connect with people, his fit at Notre Dame and the way he coaches young men set him apart as we went through our search process,” Swarbrick said. “I can’t wait to see how the culture created by these remarkable student-athletes continues to grow under the tutelage of Marcus and his staff.”

In addition to Cincinnati, the former Ohio State player has spent time as an assistant in Columbus as well as at Kent State and Purdue. He was a co-defensive coordinator for the Boilermakers in 2015 after three seasons coaching their linebackers.

There will be a press conference at 2:00 p.m. ET on Monday to introduce Freeman. Due to Notre Dame’s status as a private school, Freeman’s contract details are currently unavailable.

Freeman is replacing former head coach Brian Kelly, who resigned to take the same job at LSU on Monday.

Notre Dame will learn their postseason fate on Sunday. They remain in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff, and should they get in, it would be their third appearance in the CFP in four years.