Marcus Freeman addresses how serious talks with New York Giants, NFL teams became

For a moment this offseason, it appeared as if Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman could possibly become the latest college coach to make the leap to the NFL.

There were multiple reports linking Freeman to the New York Giants head coaching vacancy, which was ultimately filled by former longtime Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. However, there was definitely more than smoke to the rumors for the 40-year-old.

Since taking over the Notre Dame football program full-time in 2022 following Brian Kelly‘s departure, Freeman has emerged as one of the brightest young coaches in the sport. Across his four-year tenure at Notre Dame, Freeman has led the Irish to a 43-12 record and an appearance in the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Marcus Freeman dives into rumors that he nearly became head coach of the New York Giants

During an appearance on the latest episode of Bussin’ With The Boys, Freeman discussed just how close he came to joining the likes of Nick Saban, Pete Carroll, Chip Kelly, Bill O’Brien, and Urban Meyer. Of this group, Carroll was really the lone former collegiate coach to thrive in the NFL.

“I don’t want to give a cliché answer, but I believe this strongly; with team success comes individual opportunities,” Freeman said. “I hope conversations like this continue to happen, because that means our team is doing really, really good. People want to give credit when we win… they’re going to give it to the quarterback and the head coach. They’re gonna fire me when I lose, and they want me to replace [CJ Carr] when we lose.

“We know it takes people, and that’s why I was in that situation in the offseason. I’ve never coached in the NFL. I was in the NFL one year. I used the opportunity to find out ‘what does being a head coach in the NFL entail?’ What’s the differences? How do you work with a GM and deal with salary caps and all these different things? It was good for me to learn, but I’m as happy at this place with this group of young people, this coaching staff, and this University.

“This is special,” Freeman continued. “It’s a special place with special people. You get to impact their lives. That’s what I love about coaching 18-22-year-olds. You can impact 120 guys, and not just the starters and the ones that play. I love that. That’s my why.”

The upcoming 2026 season will be Freeman’s fifth at the helm in South Bend. The Irish will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing (for their standards) 2025 campaign, which saw them finish with a 10-2 record and miss the College Football Playoff. Instead of playing in a bowl game, however, Notre Dame declined all postseason invitations.