After Penn State fired James Franklin, it was a safe bet that Notre Dame football fans needed to gird their loins for talk about head coach Marcus Freeman at least getting a look. Despite some Irish insiders spending the last few days proclaiming there was no chance Freeman would leave South Bend for Happy Valley, the day is here.
According to On3's Pete Nakos, those inside Penn State expect the school to take some "big swings" during its head coaching search. Nakos specifically pointed to Freeman as one of the swings the Nittany Lions will take.
Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame reportedly in Penn State's coaching search crosshairs
Penn State is welcome to take the big swings, but it's still unlikely that Freeman is a realistic target for the Nittany Lions. There's long been talk that the Notre Dame coach isn't leaving the Fighting Irish for anyone other than Ohio State.
He's also built the kind of culture that reflects his personality completely in South Bend. While some point to State College being an easier place to recruit, the Irish haven't had any problems in that regard. They have one of the best classes in the 2026 class and are off to an excellent start for the 2027 cycle as well.
Still, Penn State trustee and son of legendary coach Joe Paterno echoed the idea that the Nittany Lions will "swing for the fences" when talking to the Omaha World-Herald on Tuesday.
"I think one thing Pat Kraft has shown is he’s not afraid to go be aggressive and swing for the fences. He went out and got the women’s lacrosse coach (Kayla Treanor) at Syracuse, who was an established coach at a very, very established program to come here. Same thing with the baseball coach, Mike Gambino, came from Boston College. He went out and really pursued him. I think it’ll be a really broad search. I think he’ll be aggressive in the marketplace, which is what Penn State should be."
One thing Notre Dame fans should keep in mind when hearing this kind of thing. Phrases like "big swings" and "swing for the fences" are the baseball equivalent of football's "Hail Mary." It's still improbable that Marcus Freeman is leaving. But his name will keep getting mentioned.