Marcus Freeman captivated fans with his charisma and charm. The more you know about Freeman, the more you fall in awe of this guy. This is a 38-year-old coach mesmerizing us like he has got all the experience in the world. Natty final was just a short teaser; the whole Freeman bucket list is in the pipeline. And you better believe that the man has all the plans to make every bullet point in that bucket list a reality.
Freeman has roped in a 12th-ranked 2025 class nationally, and that just screams talent. Linebacker Madden Faraimo, safety JaDon Blair, and running back Nolan James Jr. These prospects are just the tip of the iceberg in a roster that has everything for another championship run. But what if someone told you that all that could change? All the hard work and momentum are going to go down the drain.
Well, a similar scenario was contemplated by ON3’s J.D. PicKell, as he provided why Marcus Freeman loves the Notre Dame job. “He’s a dude (Marcus Freeman) that seems like he wants to stay at Notre Dame. I mean, the only job I think you could maybe talk yourself into being a concern if you’re a Notre Dame fan is if Ohio State were to open up because that’s his alma mater. But, like, he probably could have had a chance to go for some NFL jobs this past season, but that didn’t happen. He seems like he’s invested in Notre Dame. He loves Notre Dame, he gets Notre Dame, and again, he’s only going to get better at this head coaching thing.”
Well, at first, that scenario looks quite impossible and ridiculous, too, at best. But let’s just put a scenario. What if Ryan Day gets fired or even leaves his job for the NFL in the near future? At first, that doesn’t look like it’s happening, but it’s not like Ryan Day will stay at OSU forever, right? He could get a lucrative NFL offer, or one or two more consecutive losses to Michigan could mean doomsday for Ryan Day. In that scenario, the best choice for OSU will undoubtedly be Marcus Freeman. And since Freeman is an alum, he will surely go hopping away no matter the love for Notre Dame.
That being said, this is just pure speculation. Marcus Freeman’s love and the time he has invested in the program are something unmatched. In his 3 seasons with the Irish, he has taken the dreams and made them at least some inches away from becoming reality. His transfer portal additions, like Riley Leonard, paid dividends, and he has taken the program to a level Kelly couldn’t have.
Playoff concerns for Marcus Freeman?
Notre Dame doesn’t share any revenue with any teams by remaining independent. They churn that green and keep that for themselves. No charity there. This is unlike other conference teams, who have to share their revenue despite being the dominant force. So that’s where the Irish get the edge. However, what would happen if they failed to capitalize on the edge and can’t even make the playoffs?
J.D. PicKell in his previous video, provided the reasoning why the Irish’s first game of the season could bring doom for them. “Let’s start here with week one. You got Notre Dame going to Miami. Week one [of] an expanded playoff, that’s the most, that’s the most pivotal game,” PicKell said. “Notre Dame, if you want to make the college football playoff, you probably have to be 11-1 or 10-2 with no, you know, conference title game. I think you’re playing with fire there a little bit.”
The season opens against the Miami Hurricanes on the road. This will be a team that has left no stone unturned after their playoff ‘snub’ (as their fans call it). They have Carson Beck as the crown jewel in their lineup. They currently have the 1st ranked class in the ACC and have the requisite receiver additions to back the offense. Cristobal also wants to win that game because, for him, the margins would be a paper thing, considering they didn’t make it after losing just 2 games in 2024. So, Notre Dame would have to make sure they do not falter in the first game and also take that momentum and win later games, too. Because more than one loss can signal tragedy.
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