Copyright Newsweek
Notre Dame Fighting Irish head football coach Marcus Freeman has become one of the most sought after coaching candidates in the nation. He has been heavily connected to multiple different openings. Most notably, Freeman has been talked about as a possible candidate for both the Florida Gators and Penn State Nittany Lions. While there is no doubt that those programs would have a high level of interest in Freeman, would he be interested in leaving Notre Dame? For those two jobs, likely not. He has a very comfortable situation with the Fighting Irish and doesn't seem motivated to leave at this point in time. Read more: Dabo Swinney Could Leave Clemson for SEC Program What would it take for Freeman to consider leaving Notre Dame? There are two specific opportunities that he might not be able to pass up. Chris Hummer of CBS Sports has shared that only two possible moves could convince Freeman to move on from the Fighting Irish. What are those two opportunities? He would have interest in coaching the Ohio State Buckeyes, which happens to be his alma mater, or making a jump into the NFL. "Freeman's come up as a candidate for Penn State and Florida, though it's unlikely he'll give those much consideration," Hummer wrote. "The thought in the industry has long been Freeman would only ever leave Notre Dame for Ohio State (his alma mater) or the NFL." Truthfully, there is no reason for Freeman to make any kind of move unless a dream opportunity were to open up for him. Since taking over as the head coach at Notre Dame back in 2021, Freeman has compiled an impressive 40-12 record. He also was able to lead Notre Dame to the national championship game last season before coming up short to Ohio State. Freeman currently has the Fighting Irish on track towards being a championship team in the near future. Assuming he is able to keep building the way he has thus far without any major setbacks, the future is extremely bright at Notre Dame. Read more: Ole Miss Players Speak Out on Lane Kiffin to Florida Rumors Of course, the rumors are going to continue swirling about his future. Other big programs are going to be connected to him. However, no one should expect to see Freeman jump at those opportunities. It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for Freeman. For right now, it sounds like he's very comfortable remaining with the Fighting Irish unless one of the aforementioned opportunities opens up.
