Notre Dame football: Marcus Freeman set for immediate success with Irish
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football program is in better shape than it was when Brian Kelly took over, setting Marcus Freeman up for immediate success.
In 1964, Ara Parseghian took over the helm of the Notre Dame football program from Hugh Devore, and he quickly turned around a team that went 2-7 the year before. The 1964 Fighting Irish went 9-1 in Parseghian’s first season, beginning a string of success under the head coach that would see them lose three games in a season only once.
His successor, Dan Devine, would lose three games in every season he coached except one, which puts into perspective how good Parseghian’s run was. In his first season, 1975, Devine went 8-3, which would be the last time a coach got off to a winning record in Year 1 at the school until Bob Davies went 7-6 in 1997.
Since then, every coach that has taken the helm of the program has had a winning record, with Ty Willingham going 10-3, Charlie Weis going 9-3, and even Brian Kelly going 8-5 in their debut seasons. For Marcus Freeman, who was officially named head coach of the program on Friday, he is in line to have the best first season in South Bend since Parseghian’s 1964 team.
Notre Dame football on the rise
The Irish have enjoyed unprecedented success under Brian Kelly, winning at least ten games in each of the last five seasons. They have made multiple trips to the College Football Playoff, and based on the recruiting classes coming in 2022 and 2023, as well as how good the young players looked in 2021, the talent is there for the Irish to continue to roll.
Freeman will be tasked with getting the program over the hump, as Kelly was able to take it only so far. He will have to slay the dragon that is the Irish faltering in big games, especially if the team does make it back to the CFP shortly.
Looking ahead, there is nothing easy about the schedule Freeman and the Irish will have to navigate, including a season-opening battle against his alma mater, Ohio State. For Freeman, this is the opportunity of a lifetime, and for the Irish, they may have found their head coach for the next 20-plus years.