Marcus Freeman Focused on College Football Playoff Over Outside Noise
If there is one constant in the head football coach position at Notre Dame, it is the fact that rumors will follow every step of the tenure.
It’s unavoidable, but the price and sometimes fortune of being in one of the powerful chairs in college football.
Third-year head coach Marcus Freeman is going through some of that right now. Every time one refreshes Social Media, it’s hard not to see a post or hot take about the Chicago Bears or Ohio State potentially pursuing Freeman. Heck, one of those jobs isn’t even open at this stage.
Sure, Freeman is likely angling for an extension from Notre Dame that would put him among the nation’s elite, but he also understands he can’t control the narrative of social media posters or even AI-generated articles that routinely pop up on Facebook.
“No,” Freeman said when asked if he had thought about the Bears job. “I thought it was brought up a couple of weeks ago at the press conference. With team success comes individual success, but that’s nothing that has taken any of my attention away from preparing for these playoffs.”
Freeman has long stressed the importance of team glory, which leads to individual success. The coaching rumors are a prime example of Freeman’s message coming to fruition as with more wins, the more he becomes coveted by other programs or organizations. It’s the way of the world.
“That moment when you win, there’s no greater feeling than that,” said Freeman on the Outta Pocket podcast. “We call that team glory. What I’ve told the players, with team glory comes individual glory. The media or somebody is going to have to pick out somebody and say, ‘You get the credit.’ We know it’s because of everyone getting their job done.
“The recognition that you get as a head coach or the quarterback or a certain individual because your team is having success. If we weren’t having success, it’d be the complete opposite. ‘You’re going to be fired. He stinks. You need to replace him.’
Freeman also made his feelings about Notre Dame and coaching in college perfectly clear.
“I love this place,” stated Freeman. “I love these guys. I love 18-22-year olds. The impact you can make on young people is so special. I don’t know what it’s like in the NFL. I spent one year there. I don’t know what that life is like. This is the life I’ve been coaching for 15-16 years now. It’s a joy.
“I’m all about getting this team prepared and let the rest of this stuff take care of itself.”
Notre Dame is 30-9 under Freeman and the Fighting Irish will host Indiana on December 20th in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Want the latest scoop on the Fighting Irish? Sign up for our newsletter and become an ISD Premium Subscriber: Sign Up for ISD
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Pace Pullover Hoodie
