Updated Giants HC Rumors on Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman and Widespread Search

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is reportedly on the New York Giants' radar after his team missed the College Football Playoff.

"I expect him to be among the foremost among the college candidates," NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Sunday. "As it pertains to NFL coaches, this is going to be a widespread search. Because there's no Ben Johnson, offensive play-caller, belle of the ball type candidate in this cycle. And a lot of the head coaches are calling plays offensively as well. That really dwindles down a lot of the offensive guys."

This comes after Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported earlier this month that Freeman was on the Giants' list of head coaching candidates and was also expected to generate interest from other teams around the league despite a contract with Notre Dame that runs through 2030.

"Everybody has eyes on Marcus. College has eyes on Marcus. NFL has eyes on Marcus... all the credit to him, he deserves it," Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua told reporters during a press conference while adding the school would "never say we wouldn't match anything."

He continued and said, "I view his contract, although a multi-year contract is a living, breathing document that we will revise, every year, as need be to make sure he's where he deserves to be. He knows he has that commitment from me, and more importantly from the university."

Despite being on staffs with Ohio State, Kent State, Purdue and Cincinnati earlier in his career, Freeman's first head-coaching job came with the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame is 43-12 during his tenure and reached the College Football Playoff national championship game just last season. It also looked like one of the nation's best teams that was capable of reaching the title game again as it won the final 10 games of the regular season in 2025 but was left out of the 12-team CFP field.

Notre Dame's 94-Yd TD Run 💨

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Freeman took home the 2024 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award for his efforts.

The Fighting Irish were ahead of Miami for every set of CFP rankings during the season until the final one, which determined the field. The Hurricanes' head-to-head win over Freeman's team to open the season seemed to be the most important factor as they seized the final at-large spot.

If Freeman does decide to coach at the NFL level, the Giants are an enticing opportunity.

While they are just 2-12 on the season, quarterback Jaxson Dart, running back Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers are three young foundational building blocks. All three of them have dealt with injury concerns this season, but New York could have a potent offense for years to come if they remain healthy in 2026 and beyond.

And Freeman would surely provide a boost for the defense considering the former linebacker is a defensive-minded coach who was a coordinator on that side of the ball before taking over as the leader of Notre Dame.

With his defensive knowledge and the offensive pieces in place, the Giants may not be far away from contending in the NFC East if they did hire Freeman.