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Marcus Freeman Says He's Still an Ohio State Fan Before Title Game vs. Buckeyes

Freeman played three seasons of college football with the Buckeyes.

Tim Capurso

Freeman speaks during a press conference.
Freeman speaks during a press conference. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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When Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman leads the Fighting Irish out onto the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the national championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, he'll be doing so as an opponent of his alma mater.

But Freeman, who spent three seasons with the Buckeyes as a player from 2006-08, still has a lot of love for Ohio State. In fact, during a joint interview alongside Ohio State coach Ryan Day with ESPN's Chris Fowler ahead of the title game, Freeman admitted, as part of a response to another question, that he still roots for his alma mater, unless they're playing against the Fighting Irish, of course.

"I got a lot of respect for Coach Day," Freeman said. "Being a former player ... When you're not playing them, I'm a huge Ohio State fan. The job he's done leading that program has been tremendous, so got a lot of respect for him."

And it's not just the Ohio State program that has a special place in Freeman's heart. The Notre Dame coach still has a lot of love for one of his ex-Buckeyes teammates, former three-time All-American and current Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis.

"Yeah, it won't be something you'll think about once the game starts," Freeman said of his relationship with Laurinaitis during a Saturday news conference. "But again, you talk about a guy that you care about more than the game of football, and we have a personal relationship. Our wives know each other really well. Our kids know each other really well."

"He's a friend, and at the end of the day you care about friends. But when the game starts, the game starts. It's going to be about winning, and look forward to the opportunity."

Notre Dame and Ohio State kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday night.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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