A Stepping Stone, Not the Summit, for Notre Dame Football's Ascent

The Irish are just getting started under Marcus Freeman. The CFP run is a first step.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman looks up at the scoreboard during the first round of the College Football Playoff between Notre Dame and Indiana at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The journey to elite is a long & arduous one

Marcus Freeman has had a very public up-and-down start to his head coaching tenure. While most coaches cut their teeth at the lower levels of college football before entering the big leagues, Freeman's journey has been much different.

Marcus Freeman has had to learn how to be a head coach in the bright lights of one of, if not the most historic of all college football programs, Notre Dame.

After a rocky start through two seasons, Freeman his squad has broken through to the next level of modern college football credibility, winning a playoff game.

While this alone is a very impressive feat that will live in Irish history books forever, this needs to be the beginning of Notre Dame's journey in the modern era, not the summit.

Riley Leonard and the Irish will look to stay hot against Georgia. 🍀 pic.twitter.com/nMECSunINL

— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) December 30, 2024

Freeman's extension means this is his program for the long-term

Marcus Freeman has had his contract extended through 2030. His DNA will permeate every aspect of this Irish program. Under the blessing of new AD Pete Bevacqua and new president Father Dowd, trust has been bestowed upon Marcus to usher in the new CFP era at Notre Dame.

Regardless of how this season ends, with just one playoff win or hoisting the ultimate trophy, the 2024 season needs to be a sign of things to come for Notre Dame, not be the ultimate destination. This season's success, to whatever degree it ends up measuring up to, must lead to more CFP appearances and victories.

There is a chance that under Marcus Freeman Notre Dame will become a CFP regular almost every season, and the more experience the program has in these moments, the more comfortable it will be to succeed in them. Just ask Georgia, a program that up until recently hadn't won a title since 1980 but now is a fierce CFP competitor year in and year out.

Notre Dame's journey back to post-season relevance has been arduous and hard-earned. It cannot be a one time thing, it needs to become the standard expectation in the modern era of Irish football.

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