Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman agrees to contract extension
Notre Dame has locked up its leader for the foreseeable future.
Irish head coach Marcus Freeman has agreed to a contract extension, the Irish announced Sunday evening. ESPN’s Heather Dinich reported that Freeman has agreed to a four-year deal that will keep him under contract through 2030 and is believed to make him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.
“I am grateful for the support of the Board of Trustees, led by John Veihmeyer, President Fr. Bob Dowd, C.S.C., and Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua,” Freeman said in a statement obtained by Blue & Gold. “The investment they continue to pour into our program is invaluable to our student-athletes and staff. This commitment goes well beyond myself, as they are dedicated to ensuring all aspects of our program are competitive within the upper echelon of college football.”
Freeman has a 30-9 record as Notre Dame’s head coach since former athletics director Jack Swarbrick promoted him from defensive coordinator after the departure of Brian Kelly. After going 8-4 and 9-3 in his first two full seasons, respectively, the Ohio native and former Ohio State linebacker guided the Irish to an 11-1 regular-season and a College Football Playoff berth in 2024.
His résumé also includes wins in the Gator Bowl in 2022 and Sun Bowl in 2023.
Freeman was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award and has been lauded for turning the Irish around after their early-season loss to Northern Illinois. The Irish rattled off 10-straight wins after NIU, nine of which they won by double-digits. Before NIU, Freeman picked up his biggest win at Notre Dame: A 23-13 victory over Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.
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Notre Dame clinched a CFP bid and the opportunity to host a first-round game with a 49-35 win over USC.
The Irish earned the No. 7 seed and will face Indiana at 8 p.m. ET on Friday in South Bend. Freeman has said the 2024 team is the most talented he’s had with the Irish, but he and his staff — which includes offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, whom he poached from Kelly at LSU — maximized that talented and gave the Irish a chance to compete for a national championship.
“There’s the work that it takes to take talent and turn it into skill and turn it into being a great football team, and there isn’t a defining moment for that,” Freeman said Sunday. “It’s a constant process from when we started in January to fall camp to where we’re at now, and we’re still in a process of continuing to reach our full potential, as I always say, and improve.”
Notre Dame athletics director Pete Bevacqua is scheduled to speak to reporters on Tuesday.
