NFL Rumors: Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman 'On the Radar' as Possible HC Candidate

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is "on the radar" of NFL teams looking for coaching staff changes, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler named both Freeman and Oregon's Dan Lanning as coaches who have "generated intrigue in some NFL circles."

"Neither Lanning nor Freeman have any NFL experience, but if there's a year to think creatively, this might be it," Fowler wrote.

Freeman, formerly the Notre Dame defensive coordinator, was promoted to replace Brian Kelly as head coach in December 2021. He has since led the Fighting Irish to a 28-9 record and two bowl wins.

Fowler noted that Lanning's NFL candidacy is complicated by the buyout clause contained in his contract with Oregon.

The buyout in Lanning's contract is $20 million, but hiring him away from the Ducks could cost more than that due to a separate contract he reportedly holds with Nike, according to college football insider Bruce Feldman.

It sounds like NFL teams might have an easier time hiring Freeman, who reportedly has a buyout of less than $4 million, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

After coaching linebackers at Kent State and Purdue, Freeman graduated to a co-defensive coordinator job with Purdue in 2016 before taking a DC role in Cincinnati the following season.

Following four seasons with Cincinnati, Freeman arrived at Notre Dame, putting himself in position to succeed Kelly following the head coach's move to LSU.

The Fighting Irish are 9-1 in Freeman's third full season at the helm, and despite the team's lone loss of the season coming in historic fashion—Notre Dame became the first AP top-five team to lose to an MAC opponent following a 16-14 upset by Northern Illinois on Sept. 7—the team has since remained on track for a potential berth in the expanded College Football Playoff.

Since the Los Angeles Rams hired Sean McVay, then 30 years old, as head coach in 2017, new head coaching hires have overall trended younger. Between McVay's hiring and the beginning of the 2023 season, almost half of the coaches hired were under 45 and had no prior NFL head coaching experience, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Freeman, 38, could potentially benefit from that trend.