Marcus Freeman Is Ranked As The 30th Best Coach For 2023
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Sporting News released its ranking of the head coaches in college football for the 2023 season, and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman ranked 30th on the list. Freeman enters his second season as a head coach with a lot to prove after going 9-4 in his first season. Only two first-year coaches from last season ranked ahead of Freeman.
Freeman had a huge win in his first season, with the Irish dominating Clemson 35-14 to earn a Top 10 win in November. After a rough 3-3 start, Freeman righted the ship and Notre Dame won six of the last seven games. That included the win over the Tigers and also included a 44-0 blowout victory over Boston College and a 45-38 bowl victory over South Carolina.
The second-year Notre Dame head coach will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself in 2023. Notre Dame isn't ranked as high heading into the season as it was a year ago when the Irish were considered a Top 5 team. That means Notre Dame will get a chance to surprise some folks this season.
Freeman will certainly have chances to earn victories over coaches ranked higher than he is right now.
Three of Notre Dame's 2023 opponents have coached ranked in the Top 10, and there are five opponents with a head coach ranked higher than Freeman.
Clemson's Dabo Swinney tops the list as the No. 3 ranked coach. It's a big year for Clemson, who have fallen off in recent seasons after battling Alabama for status as the nation's top program from 2015-19.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is ranked as the No. 5 head coach, which is certainly a debatable ranking after he lost back-to-back games against Michigan. Day is another coach who has a chance to prove himself this season.
USC head coach Lincoln Riley is ranked as the No. 7 head coach in the Sporting News rankings. Riley took over a 4-8 USC team but led the Trojans to an 11-3 record and a berth to the Pac 12 title game in his first season.
Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi rose up six spots in the rankings and is now ranked No. 17 in the Sporting News list. NC State head coach Dave Doeren also moved up in the rankings and checks in at No. 22 in the latest head coach rankings.
Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson was just one spot behind Freeman at No. 31.
Here is where each Notre Dame opponent's head coach is ranked for 2023:
3. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
5. Ryan Day, Ohio State
7. Lincoln Riley, USC
17. Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh
22. Dave Doeren, NC State
31. Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
39. Jeff Brohm, Louisville
44. Mike Elko, Duke
69. Troy Taylor, Stanford
104. Brian Newberry, Navy
110. Jim McElwain, Central Michigan
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