Marcus Freeman describes what it means for his first head coaching gig to be at Notre Dame

Marcus Freeman was hired by Brian Kelly to be the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame before the 2021 season. A year later, Freeman found himself replacing Kelly and stepping into the head coaching role himself. His tenure began with a Fiesta Bowl loss against Oklahoma State but now the real fun begins with a road matchup vs. Ohio State this Saturday.

Prior to being named the Fighting Irish’s head coach, Freeman had only been a position coach and defensive coordinator. In a recent interview with Greg McElroy, he said there were always aspirations to be a head coach. However, when asked if a place like Notre Dame was thought to be his first stop, Freeman replied, “no, definitely not.”

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“When I think about our time that we spent at Cincinnati, the aspirations of someday being a head coach were there,” Freeman said. “I was really thinking of that in terms of, at one point, I would love the challenge of being a head coach. But, I never got inspired to say ‘Okay, I got to be the head coach at Notre Dame or Ohio State.’

“You just work as hard as you could, where you’re at and if the opportunity presents itself, definitely take the challenge. Who knew it would be here at Notre Dame? A year after I was hired as the defensive coordinator but I am forever grateful for it.”

Marcus Freeman making regular-season coaching debut

Notre Dame opening a season against Ohio State would be special, no matter the circumstances. Two of the top brands in college football — who are expected to win a decent amount this season — meeting up is something to mark your calendar for. But when you put yourself in Freeman’s shoes, there’s more to it.

Freeman played linebacker for the Buckeyes under head coach Jim Tressell. He was even a graduate assistant for the program during the 2010 season and got his coaching career underway. Facing off against your alma mater can be a special moment.

Kelly even tried to bring Freeman down south to Baton Rouge with him but Freeman opted to stay in South Bend. When given the opportunity, Freeman decided to stay the Notre Dame head coach and is now ready for the moment.

Kick-off will be on Saturday night in the Horseshoe, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. For the first time in his career, you’ll see Freeman on the sidelines as a head coach.