The Notre Dame football team is a few wins away from reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time under head coach Marcus Freeman, who is turning heads in the NFL.
Freeman, 38, took over as the Notre Dame football coach in December 2021 when Brian Kelly left for LSU. And in the three seasons since, he has steadily improved the Irish year-over-year.
In his first season, Freeman led Notre Dame to a 9-4 record. The following year, the Irish won 10 games and finished the season with a blowout bowl victory. And now, Freeman has the Irish at nine wins and is on pace to increase the team’s win total again and, most importantly, get Notre Dame back into the College Football Playoff.
Like Oregon football coach Dan Lanning, the success at the college level has reportedly brought Freeman some interest from NFL teams.
“Do I think Lanning, who is in his third year with the Ducks and has a massive buyout, is leaving for the pros right now? No,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote. “But the point is that a relatively thin pool of candidates leaguewide could create a lane for top college coaches if they choose to pivot. Another name that is on the radar of the league office is Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman. Neither Lanning nor Freeman have any NFL experience, but if there’s a year to think creatively, this might be it.”
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame football two wins away from College Football Playoff berth
Whether Freeman is destined for the NFL remains to be seen, but it’s not hard to see why the pros could be calling soon. Freeman has led Notre Dame to a 28-9 record since taking over as head coach, and this season appears to be his best team yet.
Despite an early-season upset loss to Northern Illinois, the Irish are firmly in contention for a CFP berth this year. Notre Dame has beaten three AP top-25 teams and could add another name to that list this weekend when the Irish play No. 19 Army, one of three undefeated teams left in the country.
If Notre Dame wins this weekend at Yankee Stadium against the Black Knights and can finish off the regular season with a road win against rival USC, the Irish, currently No. 6 by the committee, will certainly be a part of the 12-team playoff and most likely host their first-round opponent.
Since the CFP began during the 2014 season, Notre Dame has qualified for it twice. However, both times (2018 and 2020), the Irish were defeated in the semifinal by three or more scores.
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