Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman named to The Athletic’s College Sports 40 Under 40
He has yet to coach a regular season game yet, but Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman continues to impact the college athletics space to a point of national recognition. This time, that acknowledgement is courtesy of Nicole Auerbach and Chris Vannini of The Athletic.
On Tuesday, the college football writers released an inaugural College Sports 40 Under 40, a list of coaches, athletes, administrators, media, business executives and more who have greatly impacted the collegiate athletics landscape prior to their 40th birthdays. The list is in no particular order, but the article acknowledged Freeman as a “headliner” of the group.
“Cool is not usually an adjective associated with Notre Dame, one of the most storied programs in college football,” Auerbach and Vannini said. “But the 36-year-old Freeman has challenged that in his first eight months in charge, connecting with his players and younger Fighting Irish fans in creative ways while keeping on-field expectations as high as ever.”
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The writers cited Freeman’s participation in the now-famous parody of “The Hangover,” which was used to release Notre Dame’s uniforms for the Oct. 8 matchup against BYU in Las Vegas back in July. The video now has three million views.
Auerbach and Vannini spoke with Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, who made the December hire during a tumultuous week following the departure of Brian Kelly for LSU, about Freeman. The players wanted to maintain the foundation they had built in recent seasons, which meant promoting their then-defensive coordinator. While the players’ opinions were certainly a factor, Swarbrick also went through an extensive interview regimen.
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“His performance was compelling,” Swarbrick told The Athletic. “He had a strong vision and an ability to articulate how he wanted the program built, what he thought was important. He had a strong sense of Notre Dame, which was interesting for a guy who had only been here a year.
“But the thing that struck me most then and strikes me every day now is, he is an unbelievably direct communicator. He tells you precisely what he thinks. He is not going to sugarcoat something or say something he doesn’t believe in. It sets him apart in many ways.”
Since the promotion, Freeman has been thrust onto the national stage and confirmed Swarbrick’s characterization of the 36-year-old. The Irish staff is full of youthful blood, as the average age of the group was 40.4 years old in February. There is uncertainty on the coaching end at this point, but Notre Dame fans will start to get clarity on that topic in the coming weeks.
Notre Dame faces a couple of the other coaches on Auerbach and Vannini’s list this fall: 35-year-old Ohio State passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Brain Hartline and 38-year-old USC head coach Lincoln Riley. USC quarterback Caleb Williams also made the cut.
