Marcus Freeman Informs NFL Teams He’s Staying At Notre Dame

Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman indicated he will return to Notre Dame for the 2026 season, per his social media.

2026…run it back

Go Irish ☘️

— Marcus Freeman (@Marcus_Freeman1) December 29, 2025

Per SI.com’s Pat Forde, Freeman informed two interested NFL franchises that he’s returning to Notre Dame. Forde also mentions Freeman agreed to a restructured contract that puts him in the top tier of college coaches with an additional year through 2031. 

Forde says Freeman trusted the leadership alignment at Notre Dame as the main driver to returning despite “the high degree of interest from the NFL.”

Freeman was previously listed among the names to watch for the Giants’ HC vacancy. 

Freeman, 39, played linebacker at Ohio State and was drafted by the Bears in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. However, he was cut as a rookie and never appeared in an NFL game. 

He transitioned into coaching and had stops at Ohio State, Kent State, and Purdue before landing at Cincinnati as the defensive coordinator. From there, he joined Notre Dame as the defensive coordinator in 2021 and was promoted to head coach the following season. 

In four years at Notre Dame, Freeman has a record of 43-12 with two bowl appearances, one College Football Playoff berth, and a finish as national runner-ups in 2024.