Marcus Freeman confirms commitment to Notre Dame amid NFL rumors

Despite not making it to the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame had a successful season, finishing on a ten-game win streak to end the year 10-2. This led to interest from the NFL in head coach Marcus Freeman. Freeman, during his press conference on Wednesday, confirmed his commitment to the Irish.

“I’m the head coach at Notre Dame. Individual recognition and success and NFL interest is all a reflection of team success and where this football program is … I’ve used some of the interest from the NFL to personally gain wisdom from some of the GMs about your players and what they view as a successful coach … I utilize these opportunities to be the best coach I can be of the Notre Dame football program. That’s where my mindset is. I don’t control the noise, but I know where my focus is,” Freeman said during the conference, according to Mike Singer of On3Sports.

While the Notre Dame coach made it clear that he will be remaining with the team for the foreseeable future, the questions about his possible move to the NFL would continue. The next question was if he had to re-evaluate as other jobs came open, possibly referring to the recent connection of Freeman replacing Mike Tomlin with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I didn’t have to re-evaluate. Only statement I put out is ‘Run it back.’ I don’t need to come out with a statement every time one of these jobs comes open … I hope this is something we have to address every year because it’ll mean we’re having success here at Notre Dame,” responded Freeman, clearly trying to refocus the line of questioning back to the team.

The questions about the NFL did not stop there, although he did address the transfer portal and the bowl opt-out before the next NFL question reared up. He was asked if he wanted to be an NFL coach later in his career.

“I’ve never done it. I don’t know enough about it. Maybe sometime in the future if it’s the right time and if it’s what I think is right for me, then maybe I’ll pursue it. But I don’t like wasting time thinking about things that aren’t right in front of me,” The Irish coach said in response.

While the NFL is now on the table for this season, it could be an option in the future. Until then, Freeman will focus on the 2026 campaign for the Irish, as they hope to return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus.

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