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Notre Dame

Marcus Freeman reacts to becoming first Black coach to make national championship: 'It is an honor'

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•01/09/25•

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Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame - © Brett Davis-Imagn Images

When Notre Dame takes the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the College Football Playoff national championship, it will look for its 12th national championship. But for Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman, there’s a bit more history in play.

Freeman is the first Black head coach to play for a national title in college football history. He and the Fighting Irish will now await their opponent – either Texas or Ohio State – in the championship game on Jan. 20. But no matter what happens that day, Freeman will make history.

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Freeman previously acknowledged the honor, but deferred to his team’s success for getting him there. He struck a similar tone Thursday night, but also offered a message about what it means to be a coach at all.

“I’ve said this before. I don’t ever want to take attention away from the team,” Freeman told ESPN’s Molly McGrath during the Orange Bowl trophy ceremony. “It is an honor. And I hope all coaches – minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn’t matter – great people continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this. But this ain’t about me. This is about us. We’re gonna celebrate what we’ve done, because it’s something special.”

Notre Dame struggled mightily in the first half of Thursday’s game, scoring just three points on a field goal just before halftime. But the Fighting Irish offense broke out in the second half, starting with a Riley Leonard touchdown to begin the third quarter. From there, they scored 24 points between the third and fourth quarters, capped by Mitch Jeter’s go-ahead field goal with seven seconds left that held as the game-winner.

After those first-half struggles, Freeman had to get Notre Dame on the right track. It’s safe to say his message resonated, and Leonard shared what was said in the locker room.

“History is written by conquerors and we’re holding the pen,” Leonard said. “We decide how we want to write our history. And I’m a firm believer in whether you think you can or you can’t do something, you’re right. We believe that we can do it, and we went out there and did it.”

Notre Dame’s national championship appearance is the program’s first since 2013 – a blowout loss to Alabama in the same stadium where the Fighting Irish defeated Penn State Thursday night. It continues a late-season surge in Marcus Freeman’s third season at the helm, getting Notre Dame in striking distance of its 12th national championship.