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Chicago Bears To Interview Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman For Coaching Vacancy?

The Chicago Bears are looking to interview Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman for their coaching vacancy. Freeman has experience facing former USC Trojans star Caleb Williams, Chicago's rookie quarterback. What does the news mean for USC's football program?

Kyron Samuels

(EDITORS NOTE: caption correction) Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
(EDITORS NOTE: caption correction) Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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Just minutes before the Sunday NFL Playoff slate was set to kickoff, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Chicago Bears are looking to interview Notre Dame Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman for their head coaching vacancy. The news comes as a surprise as Freeman is eight days away from leading Notre Dame into battle against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship game. The interview would come after the title game according to the report.

Freeman, only 39 years old, is one of the premier college football coaches in the country. In three seasons as a head coach, Freeman boasts a 33-8 record overall, including a 14-1 record this season. Prior to taking the Notre Dame job, Freeman coached at Cincinnati, Purdue, Kent State, and Ohio State. Although young, Freeman has a wealth of experience coaching and familiarity building a program back up. 

Freeman is also no stranger to the National Football League, after a four-year playing career as a linebacker at Ohio State University, he was selected on the fifth round of the 2009 to the, you guessed it, Chicago Bears. Freeman also had short stints with the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans before retiring in 2010 after doctors discovered an enlarged heart condition. As soon as Freeman’s playing career was over, he hit the ground running in coaching.

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Freeman is also no stranger to Caleb Williams. The two met as opponents when Caleb Williams was at the University of Southern California. Williams famously cemented his Heisman campaign in the 2022 matchup defeating Freeman’s Irish. Freeman and his vaunted defense returned the favor in 2023 in South Bend, when Williams infamously had one of the worst football games of his life in primetime. 

“He’s a talented quarterback. We’ve faced some really good quarterbacks this season and he is one of the best. One of the best I’ve seen,” said Freeman in 2022 before facing Williams. “His arm strength is one thing. His decision-making is another, his ability to extend plays. And he’s one of the few guys I’ve seen continuously break tackles.”

Whether the two become a pairing remains to be seen, but the familiarity is there. Freeman is a young, proven culture builder who can relate to players, and he has a keen eye for talent. The Chicago Bears are right to do their due diligence and see where the chips fall after the meetings.

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Kyron Samuels
KYRON SAMUELS

Kyron Samuels is a former college and professional football player now a writer, analyst, & digital host. Kyron is a writer for USC Trojans on SI and contributes to Oregon Ducks on SI. A graduate and letterman at Jacksonville State University, Samuels was a three-year starter, two-time all-conference, and won three consecutive conference titles. After a four-year professional stint between the AFL & XFL, Samuels retired from football. In 2022, Samuels was inducted into the Fairhope Athletic Hall of Fame. Post-playing career, Samuels has become a credentialed sports media member covering the NFL, UFL, USFL, & college football. The NFL Combine, Reese’s Senior Bowl, & East-West Shrine Bowl are amongst the events Kyron has covered. As a guest and host, Samuels has been featured on ESPNRadio, FoxSportsRadio, & IHeartRadio. Outside of sports media, Samuels works as a scouting consultant and has experience coaching at the collegiate level.

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