Report: Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame Football Agree to Long-Term Contract Extension

Marcus Freeman is sticking around in South Bend after leading Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff this season.

Per ESPN's Heather Dinich, Freeman and Notre Dame agreed to a long-term contract extension which is "believed to be a four year extension." The deal keeps Freeman under contract with the Fighting Irish for six more years.

Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports reported that the extension will make Freeman "one of the highest-paid coaches in the country."

Freeman, 38, was Notre Dame's defensive coordinator in 2021 and took over the head coaching job after Brian Kelly left for LSU. Things started rough in Freeman's first season as the Fighting Irish were upset by Marshall in their second game of the 2022 season, but he managed to turn things around and Notre Dame finished 9-4.

The Fighting Irish showed improvement a season ago, finishing 10-3 with a 40-8 walloping of Oregon State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

The 2024 season has been Freeman's best at the helm. Notre Dame faced an early upset against Northern Illinois, but quickly inserted itself back in the College Football Playoff conversation by winning 10 straight games to close out the season.

The 11-1 season was enough for Notre Dame to put its trust in Freeman and he'll now look to lead the Fighting Irish to their first national championship since 1988.

His first task following his extension will be taking on No. 10 Indiana in the first round of the CFP. The 11-1 Hoosiers come into the matchup looking to prove that they can hang with college football's best after managing a relatively weak schedule throughout the regular season.

The winner of the matchup will square off with SEC champion No. 2 Georgia. If Freeman can get past Indiana and take down the Bulldogs, Notre Dame will be more than happy with hits decision to give him an extension.