Marcus Freeman Addresses Nfl Rumors, Reaffirms Commitment To Notre Dame

Marcus Freeman posted "2026 ... tally it back. Go Irish" connected X connected Dec. 29, stating his volition to return arsenic Notre Dame's shot coach adjacent season.

However, that hasn't tempered liking successful Freeman from NFL teams. His sanction has consistently been mentioned complete nan past 2 weeks arsenic 9 teams hunt for a caller coach, including nan Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals.

While it could beryllium intriguing to coach astatine nan highest level, Freeman's plans for nan contiguous early stay unchanged.

"I'm nan caput coach astatine Notre Dame" Freeman said Wednesday. "And I've said this earlier that individual recognition, individual success, NFL interest, those are each a reflection of squad success, right, and wherever this shot programme is."

"I've utilized immoderate of nan liking from nan NFL to personally summation contented from possibly immoderate of nan GMs aliases nan beforehand agency executives that you get a chance to talk to astir your players, but besides astir what they position is simply a successful coach. Maybe it's an NFL coach, but what are immoderate of nan things they've seen that person made a coach successful successful their statement aliases franchise and possibly not truthful successful. So I utilize these opportunities done conversations to summation knowledge myself to beryllium nan champion caput coach I tin beryllium of nan Notre Dame Football program. So again, that's wherever my mindset is and I don't power nan noise, but again, I cognize nan sound that's successful my caput and wherever my attraction is."

The sound that Freeman mentioned caused by reports of NFL teams' liking successful him could origin immoderate fans to deliberation that he, too, has liking successful nan NFL. But according to Freeman, location was thing to reevaluate successful respect to Notre Dame.

He has everything he needs astatine Notre Dame, evidenced by his nationalist title quality past season, highly-ranked incoming freshman people and caller haul of talented transfers.

"I didn't person to reevaluate, right. Other group whitethorn enactment I reevaluated –– I didn't ever person to reevaluate, " Freeman said. "Again, nan only connection I put retired was, "let's tally it back," right, and I was intentional astir that. I don't request to travel retired pinch a connection each clip 1 of these occupation openings happen. You cognize I ever opportunity nan future's uncertain. That's what I show our players. That's what I show myself. It's nan reality of life."

But everything I want and everything that I request personally tin beryllium achieved correct present arsenic nan caput coach of this program. So I dream this is thing we person to reside each year. I really do, because it intends we're having a batch of occurrence correct present astatine Notre Dame. And if this isn't thing we person to address, past there's bigger issues, I think, wrong what we're doing arsenic a shot program. Because arsenic your programme has success, these types of things are gonna occur."

While Freeman answered pinch condemnation nan first 2 questions astir nan NFL, he was much hesitant erstwhile it was phrased a definite way. Regarding whether he has individual liking aliases wants to beryllium an NFL coach immoderate day, he wasn't rather judge really to respond initially.

"Um, do I want to be? I mean, I don't really –– I've ne'er done it. Um, you know, I don't cognize if –– I don't cognize capable astir it, you know," Freeman said. "Maybe immoderate clip successful nan early if it's nan correct clip and it's what I deliberation is correct for me, past possibly I'll prosecute it."

"But I don't emotion wasting clip reasoning astir things that aren't correct successful beforehand of me. And so, I don't cognize what I'll want successful really overmuch magnitude of clip from now. I don't know. But I cognize correct now that I americium arsenic convicted and motivated to being nan champion caput coach of nan Notre Dame shot programme arsenic I tin be."

Decipher what Freeman's comments mean for nan early nevertheless you'd like. But for now, he's nan caput coach of Notre Dame, which has a beardown operation of returning talent, incoming transfers and freshmen, that should put nan Irish successful nan operation to contend for a nationalist title successful 2026.