Marcus Freeman has been the leader of the Fighting Irish for three seasons now and has managed to win at least nine games in each of those campaigns.
After a 10-3 season last fall, Freeman went out and made one of the most impressive coordinator hires of last cycle by prying Mike Denbrock away from LSU after developing Jayden Daniels into an electric Heisman Trophy winner.
That hire, combined with the outstanding work by Al Golden on the defensive side of the ball, has the Irish sitting at 9-1, with their lone blemish coming at the hands of Northern Illinois. With games remaining against an undefeated Army squad and then a regular season finale against USC, wins in both of those tilts would assure them a spot in the college football playoff and give them a legit shot to host a first-round playoff game.
The 38-year old's impressive work in South Bend as a first-time head coach led to a report yesterday from Jeremy Fowler, who shared that Freeman is "on the league's radar" as college coach who has the potential to become an NFL head coaching candidate this off season.
Freeman was asked about that report today, and noted that it's a reflection of the current positive state of the Notre Dame program.
He then added, ""I try not to waste time thinking about an uncertain future," before stating he hasn't thought about making a move to the NFL.
Freeman also admitted he has "no clue" about what coaching in the NFL actually consists of.
When accepted the head coaching job back in December of 2021, he inked a six-year deal worth $42 million and made nearly $6.7 million in his first season. An appearance in the College Football Playoff, and word circulating about being a possible candidate for NFL openings will almost certainly lead to contract extension talks to keep him at ND.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.