Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman Welcomes NFL Coaching Speculation

The Fighting Irish head coach sees interest from the pros as a chance to learn about the NFL landscape.

Apr. 15, 2026 at 2:21am

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a college football game or match, with the players and field broken down into sharp, overlapping planes of navy blue, gold, and emerald green, conveying the strategic complexity of the sport.Notre Dame's head coach Marcus Freeman sees NFL interest as a chance to expand his coaching knowledge.Notre Dame Today

Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman, who led the Fighting Irish to the 2025 national championship game, is open to speculation about a potential future in the NFL. Freeman addressed rumors that he was a candidate for the New York Giants head coaching job, saying he used the opportunity to learn more about the differences between college and professional football.

Why it matters

As one of the top young coaches in college football, Freeman's name will continue to be linked to NFL openings. His willingness to entertain those conversations and learn from the experience could make him an even more attractive candidate down the line, whether he chooses to stay at Notre Dame or make the jump to the pros.

The details

Freeman said that with team success comes individual opportunities, and he hopes conversations about his NFL candidacy continue because it means Notre Dame is doing well. He noted that he only spent one year in the NFL as a coach, so the Giants speculation gave him a chance to learn more about what being an NFL head coach entails, including working with general managers and the salary cap.

  • In the 2025 season, Notre Dame reached the national championship game.
  • During the 2026 offseason, Freeman's name was linked to the New York Giants head coaching vacancy.

The players

Marcus Freeman

The head football coach at the University of Notre Dame, who led the Fighting Irish to the 2025 national championship game.

New York Giants

An NFL team that was reportedly interested in Freeman as a head coaching candidate during the 2026 offseason.

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What they’re saying

“With team success comes individual opportunities, and so I hope conversations like this continue to happen because that means our team is doing really, really good. And they want to give credit to one. They're going to give credit to the quarterback when we win. They'll give it to the head coach. They're going to fire me when we lose and they want me to replace you when we lose, but we know it takes people.”

— Marcus Freeman, Head Football Coach, University of Notre Dame

“I used it as an opportunity. I never coached in the NFL, I was in the NFL for one year. I use an opportunity to figure out like what [does] being a head coach in the NFL entail? What's the differences? How do you work with GMs and the salary cap and all these different things? It was good for me to learn.”

— Marcus Freeman, Head Football Coach, University of Notre Dame

What’s next

With Freeman set to return to Notre Dame in 2026, all eyes will be on how the Fighting Irish rebound from a disappointing 2025 campaign short of their National Championship-contending aspirations.

The takeaway

Freeman's willingness to entertain NFL coaching speculation and use it as a learning opportunity shows his adaptability and desire to continuously improve as a coach, which could make him an even more attractive candidate for professional opportunities down the line.