Recently, several online bloggers have suggested that Marcus Freeman would be an ideal hire to fill the vacant head coaching position at Michigan State. At first glance, this seems like a strange fit, if not a clear downgrade from his current role at Notre Dame. The Spartans have had very little on-field success since 2016. Located in dead-center Michigan (East Lansing), it’s a hard area to recruit. Local talent is sparse. Academically, it’s significantly lower in rankings than Notre Dame and the endowment is less than 20% of Notre Dame’s. However, if we saw one thing with Mel Tucker, it’s that Michigan State is willing to pay for a head coach. Tucker received an annual salary of $9.5 million. Notre Dame is skimpier. Of course, I don’t think Marcus Freeman would leave for the raise and I don’t think the position in a competitive Big Ten makes a lot of sense for him.
However, the idea that Notre Dame coaches – whether it be head coaches or coordinators – can find more money elsewhere for a linear change in position isn’t new. The trend started in 2018, when current Duke head coach Mike Elko left Notre Dame (where he was defensive coordinator) for the same job at Texas A&M. Elko left Notre Dame over a roughly $400,000 difference in salary offers. Nonetheless, Elko was impressive at Notre Dame and has continued to be in the time since.
Elko at Notre Dame
During his time at Notre Dame in 2017, Elko ran a 4-2-5 scheme with a floater/rover. The Irish averaged 1.5 turnovers per game with a strong run defense, holding opponents to 4.0 yards per carry. In his short time with the Irish, Elko helped Notre Dame sign five four-star defensive recruits. He is one of college football’s best recruiters. But the Elko story at Notre Dame is very similar to Marcus Freeman’s current story. Both had a good – not great – level of success. Both were huge “gets” for the University. Neither had an existing relationship with Notre Dame. The Irish undervalued Elko, relative to the market. Freeman is currently undervalued as well.
Expectations for Freeman
The expectations for Freeman are sky-high. Every single year, he’s expected to win at least nine games. Some years, like 2023, his team’s schedule is brutally difficult. Freeman is paid around $5 million a year. Recent reports indicate that Freeman’s salary is outside of the top 25 in the country among head coaches. Notre Dame has to be cognizant that its offerings can easily be matched elsewhere and if Freeman is the long-term guy, as all accounts indicate that he should be, further investment may be required.
Notre Dame’s frugality continues to puzzle both myself and countless fans elsewhere. All we can do is hope that, unlike Mike Elko, we’ll never have to play against a brilliant Marcus Freeman.
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The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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