Report: Notre Dame Players Want Marcus Freeman as new Head Coach

Freeman was Cincinnati's defensive coordinator from 2017-20.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Dec 1, 2021 11:28 AM EST

CINCINNATI — Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick isn't meeting with the rest of college football's power brokers in-person today. According to The Athletic, Swarbrick stayed back in Indiana to meet with defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman about the open head football coaching position.

"Players, largely fed up with the distant, CEO-type approach of Kelly, made it abundantly clear throughout the day to Swarbrick and to anyone else who would listen that they wanted 35-year-old defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to become their next head coach," Pete Sampson and Matt Fortuna wrote.

"Freeman was scheduled to meet with Swarbrick on Wednesday," Sampson and Fortuna continued. "Though there are many steps between here and there, Freeman’s preferred choice of offensive coordinator is current OC Tommy Rees, the 29-year-old former Irish quarterback."

ESPN's Heather Dinich is in Grapevine, Texas for the meetings and confirmed that Swarbrick is not in attendance and will join via Zoom.

All of this comes on the heels of Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton giving his stamp of approval to the former Cincinnati defensive coordinator. Hamilton is a consensus top-ten prospect in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft.

Notre Dame's season is on hold at 11-1 while they await their postseason fate. The question remains, how desperate is Notre Dame to hire someone quickly and save the 2022 signing class? We'll find out over these next two weeks. The final signing window before national signing day in February opens on Dec. 15.

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