Notre Dame has signed head coach football coach Marcus Freeman to a long term extension that makes him one of the highest paid coaches in college football. The school announced the extension tonight in advance of Friday’s College Football Playoff game.
Here is Freeman’s statement about the extension.
“I am grateful for the support of the Board of Trustees, led by John Veihmeyer, President Fr. Bob Dowd, C.S.C., and Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua. The investment they continue to pour into our program is invaluable to our student-athletes and staff. This commitment goes well beyond myself, as they are dedicated to ensuring all aspects of our program are competitive within the upper echelon of college football.”
According to Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports, this extension will make Freeman one of the highest paid coaches in all of college football.
Freeman is currently in the third year of a five-year contract, and this extension ensures he will stay at Notre Dame beyond that deal. It should also quiet the rumors about him being a candidate for NFL openings and potentially other college jobs that could come open.
Freeman came to Notre Dame as the program’s defensive coordinator in 2021, and he helped lead the Irish to an 11-2 record. Following the regular season head coach Brian Kelly departed and Freeman was ultimately named his replacement.
After starting 0-2 in his first full season, Freeman go the program back on track. Since that start Notre Dame has gone 30-6, and the Irish are currently in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. Freeman led Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff in his third season, and the program has won 14 of its last 15 games.
In his three seasons, Freeman has led Notre Dame to an 11-4 record against Top 25 opponents, including a 7-2 mark the last two seasons. Freeman has also significantly upgraded Notre Dame’s recruiting efforts, which have been evident throughout the 2024 season.
Freeman is showing a commitment to Notre Dame with this extension, but the university has also shown a commitment to Freeman. On top of this extension, Notre Dame also paid top dollar to keep defensive coordinator Al Golden and secondary coach Mike Mickens, and also paid top dollar to land offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. Notre Dame is also in the process of building a brand new state of the art football facility.