Marcus Freeman is staying in South Bend and getting a raise.
After leading Notre Dame to an 11-1 regular season and a berth in this year’s College Football Playoff, the former Ohio State linebacker signed a four-year contract extension with the Fighting Irish on Sunday.
Marcus Freeman will call South Bend his long-term home. @NDFootball | #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/GcEZHWoeo9
— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) December 16, 2024
While Freeman’s contract is not subject to public release since Notre Dame is a private university, the contract extension is expected to make him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football, according to multiple reports.
The new deal makes Freeman one of the highest paid coaches in the country, but specific terms of the deal were not disclosed. https://t.co/83DsT6V0lO
— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) December 16, 2024
Freeman's extension also comes with an increase in Notre Dame's staff salary pool and his own salary increase that makes him one of the highest paid in the country, source tells @YahooSports.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 16, 2024
Freeman has been Notre Dame’s head coach since 2021, when he was promoted from defensive coordinator following the departure of Brian Kelly to LSU.
Freeman, who played for Ohio State from 2004-08, had been viewed as a potential candidate to become Ohio State’s next coach if the Buckeyes were to make a change. The announcement of his contract extension comes three days after Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork reaffirmed his commitment to Ryan Day in a radio interview with 97.1 The Fan.
Freeman had also been linked to the Chicago Bears as a potential candidate for their head coaching vacancy, though The Athletic‘s Pete Sampson reported Freeman was not interested in making the jump to the NFL, citing a source close to Freeman.
