Marcus Freeman Earned Notre Dame's First CFP Victory The Hard Way

Nothing has come easy for Freeman in his first three years in South Bend

Dec 20, 2024; Notre Dame, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman during the third quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

"Making your bones" on the biggest stage is not easy

As everyone in the college football world is well aware, Marcus Freeman became the head man at Notre Dame with no head coaching experience. This meant that every natural growing pain he was sure to endure would be in the public eye on one of the biggest stages in the sport. This was always going to be a daunting and difficult period of time to navigate.

Every misstep, every mistake, every tough lesson learned has been front-page news. From Marshall to Stanford, to the complete nightmare fiasco that the end of the 2023 Ohio State game turned into, to the Northern Illinois debacle, all of it, was front-page news. Marcus Freeman had to own all of this. And he did just that with humility and dignity.

Would he crumble under this pressure or emerge stronger because of it? After notching the first-ever playoff win in Irish history, it is safe to say Freeman has evolved and the scar tissue endured fueled him.

"We're gonna enjoy this one, and we've earned ourselves another one."

—Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman after advancing in the #CFBPlayoff ☘️ pic.twitter.com/2q6TNMg9SI

— ESPN (@espn) December 21, 2024

Notre Dame fans' relationship with Marcus is unique and special for all the right reasons

Notre Dame fans feel a special appreciation and affinity for Marcus Freeman that hasn't existed with recent Irish coaches. There's a unique bond forming that feels very "Notre Dame" ish, for all the right reasons.

Freeman's personality is a perfect fit for Notre Dame. He's a grade-A communicator high on humility and low on outward phony bravado, a far cry from the demeanor of the coach he just defeated and also the one he replaced at Notre Dame. Irish fans are drawn to this, and for good reason. This type of personality wins in South Bend. It's a breath of fresh air.

A secondary aspect of the Irish fans' building loyalty towards Freeman relates directly to his work ethic. Irish fans truly feel that Freeman wants to win every bit as much as they do. And the way he grinds on the job in a Leahy esq way is exactly what Notre Dame fans deserve in a head coach.

The relationship between Freeman and the Irish fan base is special and still growing. After a tough start the first couple of seasons it's great for all parties involved to be able to start to reap the rewards after some tough moments early on.

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