Lou Holtz, Marcus Freeman, and the Endless Notre Dame-NFL Question

It seems like nothing can happen at Notre Dame these days without it resulting in Marcus Freeman somehow being linked to the NFL.

To be fair, Freeman certainly hasn't made it easy on himself in that regard, as he has repeatedly stopped short of shooting down the idea the last two years, unlike other coaches who have.

But with it being the week that Lou Holtz died, I can't help but think back to what the discussion was when he chose to leave Notre Dame at the end of the 1996 season. I found myself in a YouTube wormhole reagrding Holtz this week, and came across a roughly half-hour video of ESPN's coverage of him stepping down in 1996.

Those old enough to have lived through it, do you remember what the rumor was regarding Holtz at that time?

That he was leaving Notre Dame to take the Minnesota Vikings job. Even then, 11 years into his time at Notre Dame, the idea of him jumping to the NFL couldn't escape the nation.

But that's a story seemingly as old as time.

Marcus Freeman Again Asked About Potential NFL Leap

The morning after Holtz passed away, NFL Network's Good Morning Football had Marcus Freeman on as a guest. Of course they asked about Freeman's relationship with Holtz and general questions about Notre Dame as a whole.

And without fail, Freeman was again asked about potentially making a jump to the NFL one day.

And again, Freeman didn't go as far as to say no.

"I have the best job in America, and I say that with a strong conviction."@NDFootball HC Marcus Freeman on his current role along with the potential of eventually being a NFL HC. pic.twitter.com/eH6YfuXXB7
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 5, 2026

Is there a plan behind Freeman's words there?

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts:

A couple of questions immediately come to mind for Notre Dame fans whenever Freeman is linked to or asked about a potential move to the NFL:

1. Who replaces him?

2. How does Freeman not giving a hard no impact his and Notre Dame's ability to attract top talent to South Bend?

3. How long will Freeman ultimately be at Notre Dame?

There are others but let's keep it with those for now.

in the last 40 or so years, whenever Notre Dame has had a successful head coach, the national desire for him to jump to the NFL are undeniable.

It happened with Holtz and Brian Kelly, but even Charlie Weis was rumored to potentially head back to the NFL after the thriller against USC in 2005.

Whenever Notre Dame has success, there is a portion of the national media that thinks the coach will automatically head to the NFL.

Again, Freeman hasn't gone as far to shoot the idea of it down entirely, but is that on purpose?

Marcus Freeman during a game in 2025 at Pittsburg — Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman (middle) leads the team onto the field to play the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

I'm not saying in the "never say never" capacity, but does he do that to create more interest in the Notre Dame football program?

If Freeman were to come out and say that he has no desire to ever coach in the NFL, that coaches 18-22 (now more like 25) year olds is his jam, and that he'll stay at Notre Dame as long as he's welcomed, then the rumors of him ever leaving for the league go away.

And maybe just maybe, Freeman is playing that up to his and Notre Dame's advantage by how he's continued to answer the question the last two years.