Marcus Freeman came close to delivering Notre Dame its first national championship since 1988.
The 2024 season proved to be a turning point for the young head coach, who has now compiled a 33-10 record in his first head coaching job. Freeman guided the Fighting Irish through the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff — a grueling 16-game schedule — and finished 14-2, marking the most wins in a single season in Notre Dame history.
Naturally, that success has elevated Freeman’s national profile. The 39-year-old is now widely viewed as one of the top coaches in college football, with his breakout year even sparking early speculation that he could be a candidate for an NFL job.
Freeman remains in South Bend for now — and has landed on ESPN’s list of top 10 college football coaches heading into the 2025 season. But not everyone at ESPN agreed on where he should rank.
Jake Trotter placed Freeman as high as No. 2, one of only two voters to do so. On the flip side, David Hale left Freeman off his top 10 entirely.
“If I had it to do over again, I'd probably have Freeman somewhere in the 8-10 range,” Hale said. “But my initial doubts are still reasonable: some notable in-game blunders (10 defenders vs. Ohio State in 2022), inconsistency on offense, and not quite enough of a track record of success ... yet. He can silence any doubters this year.”
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Freeman, who ended up ranked fourth overall in ESPN's rankings, may get that opportunity soon. Despite losing several key players from last year’s team — including quarterback Riley Leonard — Notre Dame is once again projected to be a top-10 program in 2025.
The Sporting News’ Bill Bender ranked the Irish No. 5 in his post-spring poll, further fueling expectations that Freeman can keep Notre Dame in the national title conversation.
If he does, expect the remaining skeptics to fall in line.