Marcus Freeman has done a number of noteworthy things in his three-plus seasons atop the storied Notre Dame football program.
Guided the Fighting Irish on their most enduring run of the College Football Playoff era last season, culminating in a hard-fought loss to Ohio State in the first-ever 12-team CFP National Championship.
Knocked off SEC foes Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas A&M -- all away from Notre Dame Stadium.
Oh, and now, more final nail than death-blow, Freeman has seen his team deliver a beating so severe that a program's coach has been dismissed the next day.
The Fighting Irish walloped host Arkansas, 56-13, last Saturday inside a Reynolds Razorback Stadium that began the day sold-out and ended up with mostly just cheers of "Let's Go Irish!" reverberating around its empty bleachers.
On Sunday, sixth-year Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman was fired.
On Monday, Freeman shared his thoughts.
“You never want to see somebody in any profession lose their job," said Notre Dame's coach, college football's reigning Paul 'Bear' Bryant and Dodd Trophy award winner as the sport's top coach in 2024. "He's a man who has a family, but this is the profession we chose. The human side of you feels for him and his family.
"But he's going to be okay because he's: A., I don't know him personally, but I've heard he is a competitive, great human. Competitive, good, selfless people succeed. That's what we need on our team and our world, like competitive fighters who are selfless, who put others in front of themselves. I've heard those types of things about him. My interaction with him pregame was great. Everything I expected from what I've heard about who he is."
Pittman's also going to be just fine because he exits with a $7.75 million golden parachute in the form of Arkansas officials having to buy out the remaining salary on Pittman's contract at a negotiated clip, Arkansas Athletics Director Hunter Yurachek revealed Monday. For his five-plus seasons atop the Razorbacks program, Pittman will ultimately earn around $40 million with the buyout-compensation.
So, financially he will be fine. Professionally, Pittman will have no shortage of opportunities to coach again -- if he even wants to. The 63-year-old Oklahoma native long has been considered among the top if the not top offensive line technician in college football. He could easily serve as an OL coach and assistant head coach in any number of high-profile programs.
He could also retire to his lake house.
At least on Monday, Yurachek acknowledged that Pittman, and a support staff that is among the smallest and lowest-paid departments anywhere in the SEC, per sources with direct knowledge, was not equipped to fully succeed by his Arkansas bosses.
"Coach Pittman did not have the resources he needed to appropriately compete in this (Southeastern) Conference right now," Yurachek told reporters, after he also called his Razorbacks football team's performance against Notre Dame "just unacceptable."
The Arkansas search for a new Boss Hogg is underway, and FootballScoop will have additional insight this week.