Marcus Freeman Surpasses Brian Kelly at Notre Dame with CFP Wins and Vibe

Marcus Freeman elevates Notre Dame football, exceeding the Brian Kelly era with CFP victories and a whole new vibe.

Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman arrives at the Superdome before the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Two major postseason wins more than the last four Irish coaches combined over 30 years

Up until this season, Notre Dame's last postseason win of merit was on New Year's Day 1994, when Lou Holtz and the Irish defeated Texas A&M 24-21 in the Cotton Bowl. Since then, Notre Dame's postseason record has been full of low-level bowl wins that don't move the needle to go along with humiliating losses on the big stage.

Each year when bowl season rolled around, Irish fans were reminded of their major bowl game futility that for a while, including during the Brian Kelly era, felt and looked like it may never end.

Marcus Freeman has changed all of this after collecting his second playoff win against the SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs that has the Irish one win away from playing for its next national title.

Marcus Freeman did a somewhat unusual thing on Wednesday. A day before a game - a big one at that - he permitted his players three hours to meet up with their families in New Orleans.

In time of tragedy, he said, he wanted to bring some comfort to his players & their parents.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 3, 2025

Freeman is a class act and has earned respect on and off the field

Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame tenure hasn't always been smooth sailing on the field. There have been many painful and quite frankly embarrassing public lessons learned in his short time as the head man in South Bend.

Marshall comes to mind. As does the end of 2023's Ohio State game and this year's NIU fiasco. How did Freeman handle these setbacks?

No, he didn't throw his players under the bus. Nor did he lash out at the media for asking fair but tough questions. He also didn't allude to the fact that Notre Dame doesn't properly support the football program resource-wise, all avenues his predecessor traveled down frequently and publicly in a feeble attempt to avoid accountability and protect his oversized ego.

Instead, Freeman accepted all critiques and criticisms personally. He vowed to improve and continue to work his tail off to get the program where he wanted it. He did so with class, openness, and humility, all Notre Dame values that the Irish community respects and expects from the program's leader, that have been lacking for decades.

Marcus Freeman is the right man for this program in the modern era.

The way he carries himself with class and works relentlessly in a Frank Leahy-like manner is a breath of fresh air in South Bend. Freeman has found his footing as a head coach, and with a contract extension keeping him in the Bend through 2030, he, and his rejuvenated Notre Dame program are just getting started.

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