Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame Tenure Enters a Crucial New Phase

Marcus Freeman faces a defining stretch as Notre Dame’s head coach. Can he take the Irish to the next level in this critical new phase?

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Marcus Freeman passed the "year 3 test" at Notre Dame

Entering the 2024 season, much was written and talked about regarding the year three history of former Irish coaches. For whatever reason, year three has been a historical success for Notre Dame coaches who ended up having winning tenures in South Bend.

Certainly, the ultimate goal was not met as the Irish fell to the Buckeyes in the title game, but there was clear progress made by this program via the 11-1 regular season and historic 13-game winning streak which included three impressive playoff wins, three more major post-season wins than the program has had in the last 30 years.

The next natural question becomes can the Irish maintain this level of program success without suffering any regression?

The 2024 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year, Marcus Freeman ☘️#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/9AoBbKJDTr

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) January 23, 2025

Freeman enters a new phase as he is no longer considered a "rookie" head coach

Marcus Freeman took his lumps early on in his Notre Dame tenure. He wasn't just a first-time young head coach, he was a first-time young head coach at Notre Dame. Every mistake was magnified, and every questionable decision was analyzed to the bone, it was an intense, public, and difficult learning curve for certain.

2025 will be Marcus Freeman's fourth year at Notre Dame. Freeman is no longer considered the "rookie". With this acknowledgment and the success of the 2024 campaign, the dynamic has shifted. Freeman is entering the middle part of his tenure and expectations have been raised.

There will be no more "new coach" leeway for mistakes from Freeman moving forward. And thanks to the success of 2024, a new bar has been set. The expectation is for the Irish to be competitive in the playoffs yearly from now on.

The new challenge for Freeman will be to maintain and build off of the success of this season. Nobody in Notre Dame land is open to regression at this point, especially given how tantalizingly close the Irish came to hoisting the title trophy.

The Irish will have a new GM, a new DC, and the roster will be shaken up through portal additions and subtractions heading into 2025. The pressure is on and never goes away in South Bend.

Fortunately for Irish fans, the head coach's relentless work ethic and energy instills confidence that 2024 was the beginning of a climb and not the top of the mountain for this Irish program.

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