Ohio State fans have found a reason to hold a grudge against Marcus Freeman

Since Marcus Freeman arrived in South Bend, the Notre Dame football team and the Ohio State Buckeyes have started up an unofficial rivalry. That’s underlined by tonight’s National Title Game being the third time that Freeman and OSU head coach Ryan Day will have faced off in three years.

There’s also the little tidbit that Freeman is an Ohio State alum. There are more than a few Buckeyes fans who hope that if and when Day moves on, that Marcus would move in.

Despite those hopes, there are some Buckeyes’ fan who are holding a bit of a grudge against Freeman. And last week, they dug up another reason to hold that grudge, citing the letter that Freeman wrote to the South Bend Denizens when he first took the job with the Fighting Irish.

Ohio State fans are mad about Marcus Freeman’s ‘wrong decision’

Back in 2021, Freeman was still engratiating himself to the Blue and Gold faithful and sent a very flowery note when he took the job. He also posted it online.

“Dear Notre Dame,” the note started. “It’s funny how life works out. I visited this university for the first time when I was about 16 or 17 years old and was recruited to play here. I had a choice to make, and in the end what it came down to was Ohio State and Notre Dame. And I chose Ohio State.”

“I loved Tyrone Willingham. I thought he was a great coach, and to be honest, he reminded me a bit of my father,” Freeman wrote, personalizing the story of his recruitment that shows he meant what he said. But it was hte second paragraph that OSU fans are angry about.

“Fast forward to last year,” he wrote in 2021. “And you might have heard that I was being considered for a couple of coaching jobs. During that time, me and my wife, Joanna took a trip down to Louisiana and then up here to South Bend and when we got back home, it was another tough decision.”

I can’t tell you exactly what it was that told us to come to Notre Dame, but there something. We all know there’s something different about Notre Dame. We all know it’s something special. And I just thank God that I didn’t make the wrong decision twice.”

It’s that last line that has Buckeyes fans up in arms.

The Notre Dame football team’s head coach is essentially saying he knows picking Ohio State was the wrong decision. And needless to say, there are more than a few fans upset. It’s going to add another level to a game that is already for all the marbles. Here’s hoping he wins.