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The college football coaching carousel has ballooned before November. More News: Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman Gives Brian Kelly Brutal Reality Check On Sunday, LSU joined Florida and Penn State as marquee programs hunting for a leader who can make them a contender in the College Football Playoff. Florida State and Auburn could soon join the mix. The sheer number of open Power 4 jobs is causing an issue for administrators, as there are only so many top names to fill these high-profile positions. Ideally, PSU, FSU and LSU will want a head coach with a proven track record of winning at a Power 4 program. More News: Michigan HC Withdraws Appeal, Accepts Suspension After leading Notre Dame to an appearance in the CFP national championship in January, head coach Marcus Freeman appears to be at the top of the wish list for a few programs. Per Pete Sampson of The Athletic, Florida and Penn State have reached out to representatives for Freeman, but the fourth-year Irish head coach turned both jobs down. "Freeman keeps showing up on the lists of possible replacements at big-name schools because those big-name schools really like Freeman," Sampson wrote. "Athletic directors like Pat Kraft (Penn State) and Scott Stricklin (Florida) aren’t doing their jobs if they don’t put in a call to Freeman’s representatives. "And both have. Likely more than once until they get “no” for an answer … which they both have." Former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly's name appeared linked to other programs until he decided to take on a new challenge at LSU. That experiment didn't work out, and the Tigers have been linked to Freeman after firing Kelly. Sampson doesn't believe money or potential concessions from Notre Dame would be a deciding factor for Freeman to leave. Sampson thinks Freeman would only leave the Irish for the NFL, Ohio State or to try something different (like Kelly did). "My hunch is Notre Dame will entertain the idea of reworking Freeman’s deal this offseason," Sampson wrote. "But realistically, Freeman has basically everything he wants at Notre Dame, short of extra NIL funds, which every coach at every program wants. "If and when Freeman exits Notre Dame, I wouldn’t expect it to be because Notre Dame didn’t back him. It will be to find a new challenge. But that’s all a ways off." On Monday, Freeman suggested that what happened to Kelly served as a warning that people needed to be content with what they have. “It’s a reminder to be grateful for what you have,” Freeman said. “Because if you’re not grateful for what you have, you’ll find a way to lose it. I’m not talking about a coach. I’m talking about in life." Freeman has Notre Dame in position to return to the CFP this season. The No. 12 Irish are set to travel to play Boston College on Saturday. Freeman signed a contract extension with ND last year. His agent has to appreciate the love he's getting from rival programs this fall.
