With two weeks left in the regular season, it won’t be long before NFL teams begin making head coaching changes. The Giants and Titans got started early when they dismissed their head coaches in the fall. At least a few other teams are sure to join them in the first half of January.
It’s likely the vast majority of HC candidates will bring some NFL coaching experience to the table. Although Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman doesn’t check that box, his name has come up in regards to NFL jobs on a couple of occasions in recent weeks. No team has made an official request to speak with Freeman yet, but he is expected to receive opportunities, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
Multiple clubs – including the Titans – have done research on the 39-year-old Freeman, per Fowler. Add Freeman to a growing list of possibilities for the Titans, who fired Brian Callahan on Oct. 13. Now 3-12, Tennessee will finish the season with interim head coach Mike McCoy before potentially turning to Freeman.
Briefly an NFL linebacker, Freeman began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Ohio State, in 2010. Later an assistant at Kent State, Purdue and Cincinnati, he took over Notre Dame’s sideline leader in late 2021. The Fighting Irish have gone 43-12 since then. Pro organizations seem likely to come calling as a result, though multiple coaches with ties to Freeman told Fowler they don’t expect him to make the jump. Freeman, one of college football’s highest-paid HCs, may be content to stay in South Bend, Ind.
If Freeman does entertain a leap to the next level, the Giants figure to have interest, according to Fowler. That jibes with previous reports, though Albert Breer of SI.com doesn’t regard Freeman as a “runaway front-runner” for the job. The Giants are in the market after cutting ties with Brian Daboll on Nov. 10. They’ve since fallen to 2-13 with five straight losses under interim choice Mike Kafka, making it likely their next HC will come from outside the organization.
While Freeman to New York looks like a possibility, Breer “wouldn’t bet” on him moving to the NFL yet. If that proves true, the Titans, Giants and any other franchises that may have interest in Freeman will have to look elsewhere during the upcoming hiring cycle.