Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football have captivated the college football world, and for good reason. The Fighting Irish are on the verge of winning their first national championship in nearly 40 years on Monday night when they face Ohio State.
That said, Freeman has earned his flowers after having transformed Notre Dame not just into a force on the field this season, but made the team… likeable—something rarely associated with the storied program.
Freeman’s work hasn’t just turned heads in college football, however; he’s also become a rumored candidate for several NFL head coaching jobs, including the Chicago Bears.
Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd is likewise impressed by Freeman’s impact. On a recent episode of The Herd, Cowherd likened Freeman to Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.
“He’s the closest thing I’ve seen to Sean McVay,” Cowherd said.
Cowherd noted that it was McVay’s charisma, energy, and youthful approach that convinced Rams owner Stan Kroenke to hire him before he even returned home from his interview back in 2017. Similarly, Cowherd believes Freeman possesses similar qualities.
While the Bears job is reportedly a two-man race between former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Cowherd made it clear why Freeman should remain a top choice for Chicago.
“I don’t know if Marcus Freeman even has to beat Ohio State,” Cowherd added. “But one of the things that’s pretty clear having watched McVay here—there are coaches that are simply different.”
Both Freeman and McVay made immediate impacts upon taking on their first head coaching jobs. McVay led the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance in Year 2 and won a title in Year 5. Freeman has Notre Dame playing for a national championship in just his third season as head coach.
Although Freeman’s record at Notre Dame isn’t far off from Brian Kelly’s, his trajectory suggests he is elevating the program at another level.
“I think with Marcus Freeman… he may just be different,” Cowherd continued. “Notre Dame is not your typical college coaching job. It’s somewhere between college and the pros. It’s not the pros, but the pressure, the alumni, the religious umbrella, the academic difficulty—it is not a typical college job.”
Whether Freeman remains in South Bend or takes his talents to the NFL, his growing reputation will be a major storyline as Notre Dame prepares to face Ohio State for the national championship on Monday night.
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