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USA Today reveals 2023 salary for Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman

IMG_9992by:Tyler Horka•05/16/25•

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marcus freeman-8
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. (Mike Miller, Blue & Gold)

USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz sent out a social media post Thursday detailing Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman‘s 2023 earnings report. The total figure would have slotted him as the 14th highest-paid head coach in college football, excluding head coaches of other private universities, according to USA Today’s records.

Per Berkowitz, Freeman made just over $7.4 million in 2023. That was right behind Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and just ahead of Florida State’s Mike Norvell. The highest-paid head coach in college football in 2023 was Alabama’s Nick Saban. He made between $11 and $12 million.

Freeman’s base salary was $6.2 million. He made nearly half a million dollars in bonuses and just over $700,000 in a category listed as “other reportable.” This information is coming out almost a year and a half after the conclusion of that calendar year because USA Today finally got ahold of Notre Dame’s federal tax documents. Notre Dame is a private institution, so those are tricky to get hands on.

USA Today’s most recent head coach salary data has Georgia’s Kirby Smart as the lead money getter in the sport. He’s up over $13 million. Clemson’s Dabo Swinney is next in line, just over $11 million. Five other coaches are in eight-figure territory; Steve Sarkisian of Texas, Lincoln Riley of USC, Ryan Day of Ohio State, Mike Novell of Florida State and Kalen DeBoer of Alabama.

Freeman has earned the right to be in the same air as those head coaches. He led Notre Dame to the national championship game. The Fighting Irish put up a good fight against Day’s Buckeyes but fell just short in an 11-point loss.

Notre Dame has gotten better every year of the Freeman era, from 9-4 to 10-3 and 14-2. His record of 33-10, including a loss in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 2021 season, and the winning percentage of .767 that goes along with it is good for seventh all-time in Notre Dame history behind Knute Rockne (.881), Jesse Harper (.863), Frank Leahy (.885), Ara Parseghian (.836), Ed McKeever (.800) and Elmer Layden (.770).

The Irish beat Indiana, Georgia and Penn State in the College Football Playoff to earn the right to take on Ohio State a few months back. Expectations are similarly high in 2025; Notre Dame is expected to be among the final teams playing come playoff time. Time for Freeman to earn his money again.

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