Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman Nominated for Major National Coaching Award

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman receives national recognition with a nomination for a prestigious coaching award, highlighting his impact this season.

John Kennedy

Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts after a turnover on downs by the Louisville Cardinals in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts after a turnover on downs by the Louisville Cardinals in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
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Freeman recognized for on-field and off-field contributions

Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman has been nominated for the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach Of The Year award.

Since becoming the head man in South Bend, Freeman and his family have immersed themselves in the community and have helped accomplish some terrific things.

On the field is where this nomination takes an interesting turn and I feel is up for debate. Notre Dame has one of the worst losses in college football this year. At home. As over a 3 TD favorite. To Northern Illinois. Isn't this disqualifying to be coach of the year? Maybe. But maybe not. Hear me out.

Despite horrifically long injured list, Notre Dame keeps on winning

Despite an injury list that prints out longer than a typical CVS receipt, Notre Dame just keeps on winning and is favored to do so in each of the remaining six games this season with a defense that is holding steady and an offense on the rise. If this continues, the Irish will be trending up through October and November. This makes them a dangerous team.

Should Marcus Freeman go from a week 2 loss to Northern Illinois at home, to an 11-1 playoff team, it'd be an unbelievable turnaround. And when you consider how decimated the roster is due to injury, this feat becomes even more impressive.

These are all bigger-picture goals , the ideal outcome that is fun to ponder, but for now, Marcus Freeman's entire focus is on winning 1 game per week. That's it and that's all. The Irish are in a 6-week playoff elimination battle where the name of the game is "survive and advance".

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John Kennedy
JOHN KENNEDY

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