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Notre Dame Fighting Irish head football coach Marcus Freeman closed the door on NFL opportunities Monday, announcing he would be back with the program for 2026.
Freeman made the announcement in an article on X.
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Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with his players after winning an NCAA football game 36-7 against NC State at Notre Dame Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in South Bend, Indiana. (MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
“2026… go back,” Freeman wrote. “Go Irish.”
Freeman’s name has been popping up in the rumor mill since last season, after the Chicago Bears began looking for a new head coach and before ultimately hiring Ben Johnson. Freeman’s name was linked to the New York Giants job, as they will embark on their own head coaching quest once the clock hits three zeros in their Week 18 matchup.
The smoke around the rumors grew once Notre Dame was left out of the College Football Playoff and withdrew from the bowl game. The NFL season has one more week in its regular season and teams will begin making head coaching decisions very soon.
He previously spoke to Complex News about the possibility of joining the NFL.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman leads the team from the locker room to face the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium on November 15, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
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“I do it a lot, not all the time, but when I feel like I can incorporate it into a message to the players, I go to them and say, ‘You don’t let someone else’s noise become yours.’ You don’t have to let someone else’s noise become my noise, do you? And someone might say something to me: “Hey, your name is being considered for this position, okay?” But it’s not necessarily my noise. That’s not necessarily what I’m thinking of. I have to think about the current value of the opportunity in front of us, but also use it as a sense of gratitude.
“First of all, I have the utmost respect for the Giants organization. You talk about the history of the NFL, what a special organization. But secondly, it’s also gratitude for the work that you do because you wouldn’t have said that if we sucked. So, I know we’re in this position because of the people. It’s not one person. It’s because of the people.”
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman speaks during media day before the College Football Playoff national championship game Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
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For now, Freeman will try to get back into contention for a national championship.
