Marcus Freeman Explains Why He Stayed at Notre Dame Despite NFL HC Interest

Marcus Freeman has drawn plenty of NFL interest over the last two seasons, but has opted to stay at Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish head coach said on Josh Pate's College Football Show that he "wasn't ready" to leave what he had in South Bend.

"But for me, it was the opportunity to be the head coach of this university was one that I wasn't ready to let go. And I love this place," Freeman said (h/t Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio). "I love, more importantly, the people here, the opportunity to coach these young men, many of them you've recruited for multiple years. Like, that's just something I'm not ready to let go of.

"And it's the opportunity of a lifetime and, you know, again, the other thing I use it to tell the team, 'With team success comes individual opportunities.' And the head coach is a reflection of the players of other coaches. We've had some coaches get opportunities to go coach in the NFL, and I'm happy for them. But if we weren't having team success, if we didn't win those last ten games, then my name or nobody else's name would be floating around here."

Freeman has been at Notre Dame since 2021 and has consistently put together a championship-contending team. The Fighting Irish fell just short of winning the national title in 2024 as they lost to Ohio State in the championship game.

Perhaps if Freeman can get the job done and give Notre Dame a championship, he'll be ready to make the jump to the next level.