Notre Dame Football: Marcus Freeman hired as Defensive Coordinator

Hiring a defensive coordinator was a top need for Notre Dame football this offseason, and they landed a great one in Marcus Freeman.

Over the course of the last month, the Notre Dame football team has suffered two decisive losses in big games, and seen a significant number of players announce that they will either enter the transfer portal or declare for the NFL Draft. Needless to say, Irish fans were itching for some good news to give them hope for the upcoming 2021 college football season, and on Friday night, a night renowned for its inherent goodness, that good news arrived.

Notre Dame announced that Marcus Freeman would become the team’s next defensive coordinator. Freeman spent the last four seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Freeman was arguably the most sought-after assistant coach in college football entering the off-season. Along with Cincinnati vowing to retain him, Freeman had received interest from programs like LSU, Texas, Michigan, Northwestern, and Purdue. He ultimately chose Notre Dame, and I am certain that Brian Kelly is ecstatic to have him join the Irish staff.

Freeman was outstanding at Cincinnati

During the 2020 season, the Cincinnati defense ranked third in yards per pass attempt allowed (5.5 yards) and thirteenth in yards per rush attempt allowed (3.2 yards).

Cumulatively, the Bearcats’ defense ranked fourth in yards per play allowed (4.6). That average is a full yard less than what Notre Dame allowed during the course of the 2020 season. Granted, Cincinnati did not have to play Clemson and Alabama, but that is still super impressive.

It has been reported that Marcus Freeman has aspirations to become a head coach in the near future. It is possible that he could get an opportunity to do so as early as next year.

When you have an elite assistant coach in college football, there is always the possibility that they will leave the program to step into a head coaching role somewhere else. This is something Irish fans know all too well. Clark Lea, Notre Dame’s previous defensive coordinator, just left the team to accept the head coaching job at Vanderbilt.

Even if Freeman will not be in South Bend for a few years, this is still a phenomenal hire that will make Notre Dame better this upcoming season. He brings an instant boost to a defense that just lost a Butkus Award winner and a handful of other key starters.