College Football HQ

College football world reacts to Marcus Freeman's NFL decision

The college football reacts to Marcus Freeman's decision to stay away from the NFL.
Tucker Harlin|
Nov 8, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman claps after scoring against the Navy Midshipmen during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images
Nov 8, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman claps after scoring against the Navy Midshipmen during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting IrishNew York Giants

The college football coaching carousel has officially come to a halt after a chaotic cycle that began in September. The last vacancy was taken by former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham on Friday at Michigan.

While no vacancies exist in the FBS level of college football, the coaching searches are underway in the NFL. At least two different NFL organizations will look for new head coaches, and more could join their number when the regular season concludes on Sunday.

One name that had been heavily linked with a head coaching vacancy was Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman with the New York Giants. Oddsmakers increased the odds of Freeman's potential departure after Notre Dame announced it was opting out of bowl games following its exclusion from the 2025 College Football Playoff.

Despite all the outside noise, Freeman announced his decision to stay with the Fighting Irish, turning down all potential NFL opportunities for 2026.

The leap from college football to the NFL, though not unprecedented, is a challenge for some of the very best college football coaches. Urban Meyer, Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier have all tried their hands at NFL jobs in the last 25 years and were out of their post within two seasons.

Had Freeman decided to leave South Bend for the Giants, he would have been the first coach to do so in two seasons. Jim Harbaugh's departure from Michigan for the Chargers in the 2024 offseason was the last from college to the NFL.

Since the move was uncommon, it sparked a discourse on social media about both Freeman's future and the next move for NFL franchises with Freeman off the board. Pundits around the college football and NFL media landscapes reacted to Freeman's decision on Monday.

Freeman worked his way up the college football coaching ranks as a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach with stops at Kent State, Purdue and Cincinnati before Notre Dame hired him for the same role in 2021. When Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for the head coaching vacancy at LSU in the 2022 offseason, the Fighting Irish promoted Freeman to head coach.

Notre Dame has amassed a 43-12 record in Freeman's four seasons as its head coach. Freeman guided the Fighting Irish on a College Football Playoff run in 2024 that featured wins over Indiana (27-17), Georgia (23-10) and Penn State (27-24) en route to a national championship appearance.

Marcus Freeman after Notre Dame's win over Syracuse.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with his players after winning a game 70-7 against Syracuse | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Tucker Harlin
TUCKER HARLIN

Tucker Harlin is a passionate sports fan and journalist covering college sports. His work can be found on Vols Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and The Voice of College Football Network. He graduated from the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Tennessee in 2024 and is based in Nashville.

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