After Brian Kelly’s sudden departure stunned the Notre Dame football program, the Fighting Irish quickly regrouped and zeroed in on their new head coach.
On Friday, Notre Dame officially named Marcus Freeman as the 30th head coach in program history. Freeman is coming off his first season with the Irish, joining them as defensive coordinator earlier this year.
At 35 years of age, Freeman is the second-youngest head coach in Notre Dame history. He is also the second African-American head coach the program has ever hired.
But while he may be young, Freeman isn’t lacking in coaching experience at all. He’s been a rising star in the coaching ranks for a decade, starting as a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 2010. His other prominent stops include Kent State, Purdue and Cincinnati.
𝗜𝗧’𝗦 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟.
Please join us in welcoming @Marcus_Freeman1 as the 30th head coach of Notre Dame Football!#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/PVaPuPhukp
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 3, 2021
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Marcus Freeman takes over a Notre Dame team that went 11-1 in the regular season, with their only loss coming against Cincinnati. His first game as head coach will be a bowl game – but he could also be coaching for a national title.
If a few results on Championship Weekend tomorrow break for Notre Dame, they could slide into one of the final slots in the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame fans will be crossing their fingers that at least two of Alabama, Michigan, Cincinnati and Oklahoma State lose tomorrow.
Since the College Football Playoff was introduced, no one has been the head coach of a CFP game in their first game as a head coach. Freeman could make history in the weeks to come.
Did Notre Dame make the right choice at head coach?
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