Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman Received Serious NFL Interest After 2024 CFP Title Appearance

The 39-year-old coach has turned heads at the professional level for the job he's done in South Bend.

Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman received significant NFL interest after leading the Fighting Irish to a national championship game appearance. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman garnered serious NFL interest following the Fighting Irish's 2024 College Football Playoff run that culminated with a title appearance against Ohio State, industry sources told Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde in a cover story published Wednesday.

Freeman, who guided the Irish to 13 straight victories following an embarrassing Sept. 2024 loss to Northern Illinois, cemented himself as the school's coach long-term. Freeman received a contract extension from Notre Dame during the College Football Playoff last winter that made him one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport. He now makes north of $9 million annually.

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Per Forde, the NFL could be "Notre Dame's only serious competition when it comes to keeping [Freeman] in the fold for a long time."

Freeman has the sixth-ranked Fighting Irish in the mix once again as one of the sport's top title contenders heading into the 2025 season, which kicks off against the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes on Sunday night.

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