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

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.

The Bears are looking to interview Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman for their HC opening, per @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/fjujUFyVKW
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 12, 2025

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.”

WATCH: #NDFootball coach Marcus Freeman on #USC QB Caleb Williams: “There’s a reason why he’s the Heisman Trophy winner.”#NotreDame pic.twitter.com/QRwqjuaRff
— Mike BerardinoNDI (@MikeBerardino) October 9, 2023

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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