Marcus Freeman Reportedly Expected to Stay at Notre Dame Amid Steelers Buzz After Tomlin Exit

Marcus Freeman reportedly plans to stay with Notre Dame.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Fighting Irish head coach "is expected to remain" with the school for the 2026 campaign despite interest from a handful of NFL teams.

Freeman was drawing some NFL buzz towards the end of the season, but he seemingly put to rest any rumors about leaving Notre Dame when he agreed to a restructured contract that reportedly puts him in the "top tier" of the college football world when it comes to compensation.

The New York Giants and Tennessee Titans reportedly were among the teams interested in Freeman. The Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly were also interested in him if Mike Tomlin stepped down, which he did on Tuesday.

Despite agreeing to the new deal, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported last week that "every NFL team that covets" Freeman "basically ignored" his announcement that he will stay with Notre Dame for the 2026 season.

"These teams who viewed him highly still believe there is a chance that he comes to the NFL," Rapoport said. "They still believe that he's a top-tier candidate."

Freeman has no experience as an NFL coach and has only been a head coach at the collegiate level for four seasons. The 40-year-old cut his teeth as a position coach for several programs before taking over as Purdue's defensive coordinator in 2016. He then served as Cincinnati's defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020.

He joined Notre Dame as the team's defensive coordinator in 2021 and took over as head coach following Brian Kelly's exit at the end of the season.

It's easy to see why Freeman is so highly coveted. He's compiled a 38-10 record, winning nine or more games in each of his seasons as head coach.

Last year, Freeman led the Fighting Irish to a 14-2 record and a national championship game appearance.

Freeman might one day leave the collegiate ranks for the NFL, but it appears he's staying put in 2026.