Any hope that rumors around Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and the New York Giants will die down needs to be officially put to bed. As of Sunday morning, things are only heating up.
On the NFL Network, insider Mike Garafolo reported on the latest talk about Freeman making a move to the NFL. Unfortunately for Irish fans, he laid out his case for why the head coach will be the top candidate for the job, even if the franchise does plan to talk to numerous people. More than that, it looks like more than the Giants will be looking at him.
"I expect him to be the foremost amongst the college candidates as it pertains to NFL, NFL coaches," Garafalo said of the Notre Dame leader.
Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman is expected to be a top candidate for the Giants HC position, per @MikeGarafolo. pic.twitter.com/mx4fDybzAM
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) December 21, 2025
What Marcus Freeman’s Giants buzz means for Notre Dame football
The analyst then made it clear why a college coach is among the top candidates for any job opening this winter in the NFL.
"This is going to be a widespread search because there's no Ben Johnson offensive play caller, bell of the ball type candidate in this cycle. And a lot of the head coaches are calling plays offensively as well, so that really dwindles down the offensive guys."
"I expect to see some defensive guys, some veteran coaches, as well in the mix. So that one will get underway in earnest after the season."
That last part of the update might be the most frustrating for the Notre Dame football team. It shows that rumors of Freeman possibly leaving will roll on for several weeks. There are still two weeks in the regular season.
It's unlikely the talk will die down until mid-January at the earliest. And that's only if the Notre Dame head coach doesn't take the job.