Marcus Freeman named as potential surprise candidate for head coaching job

If Marcus Freeman wants to make a jump, the time could be now. The Notre Dame head coach has gone 40-12 in South Bend and at age 39, has already reached a College Football Playoff title game. But with the news of New York Giants Coach Brian Daboll getting fired, Freeman is already being mentioned as a potential replacement for Daboll.

Freeman's potential NFL landing spot

Columnist Art Stapleton tagged Freeman as "one of my front runners in terms of a CEO leader to rebuild what has been broken here." Stapleton also noted that Freeman is a "great coach" but admitted concerns over his potential ability to build an NFL staff. It is worth noting that Stapleton also mentioned Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin among his possible candidates.

Freeman's resume

Marcus Freeman's most recent contact with the NFL was bouncing around the league as a rookie in 2009 before a heart condition ended his playing career. The defensive coach moved from a grad assistant role at Ohio State to position coaching at Kent State and Purdue. Freeman became a co-defensive coordinator with the Boilermakers and then was a defensive coordinator for four seasons at Cincinnati. He was defensive coordinator at Notre Dame in 2021 under Brian Kelly.

When Kelly left Notre Dame, Freeman was potentially a strong candidate to follow him and run the defense at LSU. Instead, he became the head coach at Notre Dame at age 35. Freeman led the Irish into the CFP while Kelly didn't at LSU, ultimately resulting in his firing earlier this season.

Contract issues?

Freeman's contract situation can't be thoroughly contemplated in these considerations. As Notre Dame is a private school, it is not subject to many of the disclosure rules that govern public institutions. USA Today has reported his salary at $7.4 million, but it's unclear what the financial hit would be on the Giants to poach the coach.

Giants' struggles

The Giants last reached the NFL Playoffs in 2022 under Daboll, winning a playoff game before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round. They haven't posted a 10-win season since 2016. It was 2011 when New York last tasted ultimately football glory with a win in Super Bowl XLVI. But since Tom Coughlin's departure, the Giants have been through four head coaches and an interim coach, none of whom finished their tenure with a winning record.

Notre Dame's status

The 7-2 Irish are ranked 10th in the AP poll and still have a strong CFP path this season, particularly in Freeman and company can outlast No. 24 Pitt on the road this coming weekend. Whether Freeman's burgeoning candidacy picks up momentum could certainly impact Notre Dame's focus heading into the Week 12 battle.