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Chicago Bears eyeing blockbuster head coaching hire with superstar college football candidate

The Chicago Bears are interested in interviewing a superstar college football coach for their vacant head coaching position.
Bryan Perez|
Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

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The Chicago Bears are interested in interviewing Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman for their vacant head coaching position, according to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero.

The Bears have done 'extensive research' on Freeman, and while it's unclear whether he'd even take an interview, GM Ryan Poles is doing his homework on who many consider to be the best coaching candidate from the college ranks.

Freeman's Fighting Irish have advanced to the National Championship against Ohio State, which won't take place until January 20. Any decision about his pro future won't come until after the title game concludes.

The fact the Bears are considering Marcus Freeman for their head coaching position suggests they're in no rush to hire anyone before they have a chance to gauge his interest, which also matches a potential Ben Johnson timeline.

Johnson's Detroit Lions will play in the NFC divisional round on either January 18 or 19.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates after winning the first round of the College Football Playoff
MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Bears' list of head coaching candidates continues to expand by the day, with Freeman arguably having the highest profile.

Whether Freeman's style at Notre Dame would translate well to an NFL locker room is a concern Bears fans justifiably should have. The list of failed college coaches is a long one, especially when they don't have prior NFL coaching experience.

Freeman's coaching career has exclusively been in the college ranks, kicking off in 2010 as a grad assistant at Ohio State. He's made stops at Kent State, Purdue, and Cincinnati before joining Notre Dame's staff in 2017. He was named the Fighting Irish head coach in 2021.

Freeman has led Notre Dame to a 33-9 record and has amassed more than 10 wins in each of the last two seasons. If he pulls off a historic National Championship victory and decides there's nothing left for him to accomplish in the college ranks, the odds he takes the Chicago Bears' job seriously will go way up.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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