MARCUS FREEMAN NOTRE DAME FULL

Numbers such as that caught the eye of former Irish head coach Brian Kelly, who had arrived at Notre Dame after coaching at Cincinnati.Ĭlark Lea’s departure to become head coach at Vanderbilt opened the door for Freeman’s hiring in January of last year and the newcomer took full advantage of the opportunity. They also sparkled in other categories, such as total and rushing defense. In his last three seasons at the school, Cincinnati compiled a record of 31-6, with Freeman helping them make their mark among the upper echelon of defenses across the country.įreeman’s input was especially noteworthy for the Bearcats in 20, when they finished among the top 10 teams in scoring defense. Quickly showing that Fickell’s faith in him was justified, Freeman’s efforts played a key role in the Bearcats’ emergence as a quality team. New Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell had coached Freeman at Ohio State and hired him in January 2017 as the program’s new defensive coordinator. For three seasons with the Boilermakers, Freeman focused on the school’s linebacking corps before then also serving as co-defensive coordinator in 2016.įreeman’s past connections from Ohio State played a role in his next job with the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. In each of the next two seasons, Freeman served as the linebackers coach at Kent State University, making enough of an impact to lead to his appointment in that same role at Purdue in 2013.

Medical issues eventually led to the Ohio native’s retirement as a player and kick-started his coaching career that began as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 2010. He already has one game under his belt as head coach, with that contest ending in disappointment at last year’s Fiesta Bowl.įrom 2004 to 2008, Freeman was a linebacker for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was drafted by the Chicago Bears. 3, a move that was met with enthusiasm by his players.ĭespite being only 36 years of age, Freeman has quickly honed his coaching skills to the point that he’s now entrusted with the challenge of taking the Irish to the next level.

He was named the Irish’s 30th head coach last Dec. Marcus Freeman is poised to begin his first full season as head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, a formidable position that he’s been preparing for since his entry into the coaching profession.

Marcus freeman notre dame