Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman will reportedly remain at the school despite garnering interest from NFL teams,according to SI's Pat Forde.
Freeman seemed to confirm the report on X on Monday morning, saying he was ready to run it back with Notre Dame in 2026.
2026…run it backGo Irish ☘️
— Marcus Freeman (@Marcus_Freeman1)December 29, 2025
Freeman and the school reportedly agreed to a restructured deal that will pay the coach among the "top tier" of head-coach salaries, per Forde.
Freeman, 39, has excelled at the university since taking over the head-coaching role in 2021. Since then, Freeman has compiled a 43-12 record. The Fighting Irish have been ranked every season under Freeman and made it all the way to the national championship last season, where Notre Dame lost to Ohio State.
Notre Dame was in good shape to make the College Football Playoff this season, but a final-week change by the committee left the Fighting Irish out of the bracket. That decision was met with controversy anddrew some salty responsesfrom Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua. Notre Dame declined to participate in bowl games following the snub.
[Get more Fighting Irish football news: Notre Dame team feed]
Given Freeman's college excellence, the coach was rumored to be a candidate for a few openings in the NFL. With one week of the regular season left, the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans are the only teams to have already fired their head coaches. Freeman was reportedly on the Giants' short list, and the Titans were reportedly looking into the coach as well.
While Freeman never appeared in an NFL game, he has experience in the league. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He was cut by the team after the preseason and joined the Buffalo Bills' practice squad before finishing out the year on the Houston Texans' practice squad. He was set to sign with the Indianapolis Colts in 2010, butretired due to an enlarged heart.
Freeman's announcement comes less than 24 hours after the Giants defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17. With the win, the Giants may have taken themselves out of the running for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It's unclear how much, if at all, that played into Freeman's decision to return to Notre Dame, though the reported contract revision probably carried a lot of weight.
Freeman's decision to stick around at Notre Dame comes at a time where a number of premium college programs have endured high-profile coaching changes. Ole Miss, LSU, Michigan and Penn State, among others, are just a handful of universities to make coaching changes this year.
With his reported new contract in hand, Freeman will provide stability to Notre Dame at a time where other programs have seen massive upheaval. After missing out on the CFP this season, Freeman should be more motivated than ever to lead the Fighting Irish to another national championship.
