The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had an incredible season, finishing 11-1 before earning a spot in the College Football Playoff as the No. 7 seed. They went on an impressive run, securing three straight victories against tough opponents, including No. 2 seed Georgia and No. 6 seed Penn State, to reach the national championship in Atlanta. There, they faced off against No. 8 seed Ohio State.
Despite a strong effort, Ohio State proved to be too much to handle, winning 34-23, but Notre Dame kept the game closer than any of the Buckeyes’ other postseason opponents.
While the loss was disappointing and compounded by the departure of defensive coordinator Al Golden to the NFL, there was still positive news out of South Bend on Wednesday night.
Notre Dame announced that head coach Marcus Freeman has been named the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year—an honor that recognizes his outstanding leadership and success in guiding the team to its first national championship appearance since 2003.
The Fighting Irish’s official post read: “The Golden Standard.”
Marcus Freeman took the helm of Notre Dame in 2021, succeeding longtime head coach Brian Kelly, who left for LSU. In just a short time, Freeman has already had a major impact on the program, leading the Fighting Irish to a memorable run in the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff.
Capping off the year with a 14-2 overall record, Freeman now boasts a 33-10 record over his four seasons at Notre Dame. Under his leadership, the Fighting Irish have consistently remained among the top teams in the country, reaching the top 10 in the AP rankings at some point in every one of his four seasons.
Coincidentally, Freeman’s first national title appearance came against his former alma mater in Ohio State. However, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day had extremely high praise for the former Scarlet and Gray linebacker before the two teams met on Monday night.
“Everybody at Ohio State respects Marcus and the fact that he went to Ohio State and had a great career there and certainly have a lot of respect for what he’s done in his coaching career and what he’s doing,” Day said. “He’s a tremendous coach and does an unbelievable job.”