Marcus Freeman Ties Notre Dame Coaching Legend in Key Statistic

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman ties a legendary coaching record, cementing his place in the program’s history with this key stat.

Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman sings the Notre Dame alma mater with teammates after the game against the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Notre Dame shines on the biggest stage under Freeman's leadership

Marcus Freeman hasn't had the smoothest or easiest start to his head coaching tenure. There have been many bumps along the way on the field and on the recruiting trail. It hasn't always been smooth sailing. That being said, Freeman is excelling in one of the most important areas there is. Beating ranked teams.

With four games remaining in his 3rd season at the helm, Freeman has posted a 10-4 record against ranked opponents. As for his predecessor for comparison's sake? Kelly is sporting a 4-7 record in this area over the same span at his new job at LSU, most recently coming off a brutal second-half collapse against Texas A&M, a team whose only loss this year was to the Irish.

Lovely Day#GoIrish☘️ | @JeremiyahLove pic.twitter.com/dQhktgH4NE

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 28, 2024

Freeman ties a Notre Dame legend with his ranked record

If you have followed my Always Irish program for any amount of time, you are well aware of my respect for Frank Leahy. I view him as the ultimate Notre Dame winner and a class act on top of it.

Frank demanded perfection and often attained it while at the helm of the Irish program and there's a handful of championships and Heismans to prove it.

With Notre Dame's win over ranked Navy last Saturday, Marcus Freeman is now tied with Frank Leahy for the most ranked wins in the first 3 years on the job with 10. This is quite the impressive feat and there's still another ranked opponent on the Irish schedule as well.

Certainly, there have been some inexplicable and frustrating losses under Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame, but what he has done on the high end has been a joy to witness. The next step for Freeman and his Irish is to continue to play well in ranked matchups and take better care of business in the other games as well. What a wild journey for Freeman's first go-round as a head coach.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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