Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BY PATRICK ENGEL M arcus Freeman minced no words when talking about his career goals last summer. He wants to be a head coach somewhere. In college. In the NFL. At his high school alma mater. Doesn't matter. One day, he wanted to run his own program. He understood, though, getting that chance would require staying where his feet were and succeeding in his current job. "How about I go as hard as I freaking can as the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame and see where it lands me?" Freeman told Blue & Gold Il- lustrated in June. "I'm in a great position. If I'm the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame for the rest of my life, I'm great." It turns out, 11 months in the job landed him a promotion to head coach. Not back home at Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne High School. Not in the lower Power Five or Group of Five. No, at Notre Dame. He's the big whistle after one season as defensive coordinator. How did the 35-year-old Freeman get here 12 seasons after starting his coaching career? Here's an overview of his previous stops and playing career. COACHING CAREER Notre Dame (2021-present) • Dec. 3, 2021: Appointed as the 30th head coach in Notre Dame history. • Jan. 8, 2021: Hired as defensive coordinator, replacing Clark Lea. In his first year, Notre Dame is tied for ninth nationally in scoring defense (18.3 points per game), fourth in red-zone touchdown rate (36.84 percent), fifth in sacks per game (3.33), 14th in opponent passer rating (116.16), 19th in third-down defense (33.14 percent) and 35th in yards per play (5.14). Cincinnati (2016-20) • Dec. 13, 2016: Hired as defensive coordinator by Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell, who was his position coach in college and gave him his first job in coaching in 2010. From 2018-20, Freeman's defenses finished each season ranked in the top 25 in tackles for loss per game, top 15 in pass efficiency defense and held opponents to a 54 percent completion rate or lower. Cincinnati was top-15 in yards per play and scoring defense twice in that stretch. • Cincinnati went 31-6 from 2018-20, reached the Peach Bowl last season and ended 2020 ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25. Freeman's 2020 defense was fourth in yards per play and eighth in scoring. Purdue (2013-16) • Jan. 18, 2013: Hired as linebackers coach by Purdue head coach Darrell Hazell, who was his boss at Kent State and on staff at Ohio State during Freeman's playing career. In four years in the role, he coached two linebackers who later became NFL Draft picks (Markus Bailey and Ja'Whaun Bentley). • Jan. 25, 2016: Added co-defensive coordinator to his title, splitting those duties with Ross Els. That season, Purdue was 117th in scoring defense and 102nd in yards per play. • Purdue went 9-33 and 3-24 in the Big Ten in Hazell's four years, leading to his firing at the end of 2016. Kent State (2011-12) • 2011: Hired as linebackers coach by Hazell. Freeman coached two All-Mid-American Confer- ence linebackers in his two years. Kent State went 11-3 in 2012 and reached the MAC title game. Ohio State (2010) • 2010: Hired as a graduate assistant and worked under Fickell. Ohio State won the Big Ten and went 12-1. Freeman earned his master's degree in sports management at Ohio State in 2011. PLAYING CAREER NFL: Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans (2009) • April 26, 2009: Drafted in the fifth round by the Bears. Freeman did not make the team and was waived before the start of the season. He was signed to the Bills' practice squad, was released and then signed with the Texans' practice squad. He did not appear in a game. His career ended due to an enlarged heart condition discovered in a February 2010 physical. College: Ohio State (2004-08) • A three-year starter at linebacker, Freeman was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2007 and 2008 for the Buckeyes. He won four conference titles and started two BCS Championship Games, and finished his career with 37 starts and 268 career tackles. Fickell was his position coach in all five seasons. • At the 2009 NFL Combine, Freeman (6-0 5 ⁄8, 239 pounds) ran a 4.74 second 40-yard dash, had a vertical jump of 37 inches and did 30 reps (of 225 pounds) on the bench press. High School: Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne (2000-03) • Freeman was a Parade All-American as a senior and the No. 31 overall player in the 2004 class per Rivals. He chose Ohio State over Notre Dame on Oct. 20, 2003. He was teammates with Mike Mickens, who is now Notre Dame's cornerbacks coach and worked in the same role with Freeman at Cincinnati from 2018-19. Before Freeman came to Notre Dame in January 2021, he spent four seasons as defensive coordinator at the University of Cincinnati. PHOTO COURTESY CINCINNATI ATHLETICS The Marcus Freeman File 20 JANUARY 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED