On Monday night time within the School Soccer Playoff Nationwide Championship Sport, head coach Marcus Freeman shall be seeking to lead the Notre Dame Combating Irish to their first Nationwide Title since 1988. Win or lose, the 2024 season has made Freeman one thing of a legend in South Bend, an sudden improvement contemplating a Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois was the low-point in Freeman’s tenure. However since that early season upset, ND has gained 13 video games in a row and at the moment are getting ready to historical past.
However now the query turns into, if Freeman does lead the Irish to a victory over the favored Ohio State Buckeyes within the Nationwide Championship Sport, will he eye an historic leap to the Nationwide Soccer League? Primarily based on what Freeman has been saying lately, it feels like he hasn’t given a lot thought to the proposition simply but.
“I’ve given zero thought to the NFL,” Freeman mentioned on Saturday morning, in line with Ari Wasserman of On3 Sports activities. “All of my consideration has been on getting this staff prepared for the sport.”
Now at first look, this looks as if a reasonably agency ‘nuh-uh’ from Freeman concerning a leap to the NFL, although I might be inclined to remind you that simply final yr, because the Michigan Wolverines have been getting ready for his or her School Soccer Playoff semifinal matchup towards the Alabama Crimson Tide, that is what Jim Harbaugh needed to say about probably leaving his alma mater to teach within the NFL:
“It’s only a very one-track thoughts about this sport,” Harbaugh mentioned, per Aaron McMann of Michigan Stay. “Proper now having enjoyable with the household, the staff and the gamers.”
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It was just a few weeks later when Harbaugh accepted the job with the Los Angeles Chargers on the heels of a title sport win over Washington.
The Chicago Bears have been the staff that has come up most steadily in discussions about Freeman leaving Notre Dame to go to the NFL. The Bears are reportedly “enamored” by the thought of bringing the 39-year-old head coach to Chicago as a long-term associate for his or her 23-year-old quarterback Caleb Williams, who put collectively a formidable rookie marketing campaign within the midst of a tumultuous and disappointing Bears season.
The excellent news for Notre Dame followers is that in line with folks within the know, it does sound like Freeman is content material with remaining the person answerable for the Combating Irish.
“I’d be very shocked if Marcus left to go be the Bears head coach,” mentioned faculty soccer insider Bruce Feldman on a current episode of The Athletic’s Scoop Metropolis Podcast. NFL insider Dianna Russini added, “I’ve talked to folks near him, too, which have instructed me that he’s been fairly affected person in his profession. He’s had tons of various alternatives that I suppose the general public doesn’t even learn about that he’s turned down.”