Cincinnati's Marcus Freeman Hired by Notre Dame as New Defensive Coordinator

Notre Dame announced Friday that it hired University of Cincinnati defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to fill the same role for the Fighting Irish.

Regarding the hiring, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said:

"As we looked into finding someone to run our defense, it was important to find the right fit for our program and Marcus and his family are just that. He has had great success on the field, both running a defense and in his direct work with his linebackers. Additionally, he is considered among the elite recruiters in the coaching ranks. 

"The work Marcus has done elevating the programs he has been a part of speaks for itself, but equally as important is the exceptional work he has done in building relationships with his staff and players. Marcus was our top choice to become our next defensive coordinator, and we are pleased he and his family will be joining us at Notre Dame."

Freeman will replace Clark Lea, who left Notre Dame after three seasons as defensive coordinator to become the head coach at Vanderbilt.

The 34-year-old Freeman spent the past four seasons as Cincinnati's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under head coach Luke Fickell. Freeman will continue to coach linebackers at Notre Dame in addition to his role as DC.

During his time at Cincinnati, Freeman helped mold the Bearcats defense into one of the best in the nation. That was especially apparent this season when Cincy went 9-1.

With Freeman at the helm, the Bearcats ranked 13th in total defense (324.6 yards per game) and eighth in scoring defense (16.8 points per game). They also ranked 10th in forced turnovers with 21 and 16th in sacks with three per game.

Before joining the staff at Cincinnati, Freeman was a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 2010, the linebackers coach at Kent State from 2011 to '12 and the linebackers coach at Purdue from 2013 to '15.

He was also a star linebacker at Ohio State and spent time with the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans during the 2009 season, although he never appeared in a regular-season game.

Freeman was a finalist for the Broyles Award this season, given annually to the best assistant coach in college football.

Next season, he will look to maintain that positive momentum for a Fighting Irish team that reached the College Football Playoff in 2020 and finished 14th in the nation in scoring defense.