Notre Dame coach addresses NFL rumors ahead of semifinal

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman shut down any speculation about his jumping to the NFL as the Fighting Irish prepare for the College Football Playoff semifinal game.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head football coach Marcus Freeman / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Marcus Freeman has put together some of college football’s finest coaching this season, leading his team to the national semifinal game, and, as tends to happen, that has resulted in some speculation about his jumping to the NFL at some point.

No chance, Freeman said.

“I don’t know when they announced it, I can’t remember, but about a week or two ago, they announced another long contract here at Notre Dame. So I don’t think we have anything to worry about,” Freeman told ESPN’s SportsCenter about that NFL talk.

That contract did go public last month, as Notre Dame announced a four-year extension to the three years Freeman already had remaining on his six-year deal signed in December 2021.

The terms of that deal include a raise from $7 million to more than $9 million per year, in addition to bonuses for reaching the College Football Playoff.

Freeman wasn’t alone among college football coaches to be mentioned for NFL vacancies, as the annual coaching carousel finds pro teams looking to fix their prior mistakes.

Oregon’s Dan Lanning and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian are also among those getting some buzz.

Freeman joined that group after leading Notre Dame to a 10-game win streak in the regular season since the Northern Illinois loss.

And the Irish are on a two-game postseason streak after discarding Indiana in the first round and a signature victory against SEC power Georgia in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal.

Now, Freeman and Notre Dame move one step closer to what would be the school’s first national championship since 1988 with a date against Penn State in the semifinal round.

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