Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman’s name has heated up in the NFL rumor mill as the Giants look for a proven leader to fill their vacancy in 2026.
But the University’s athletic director Pete Bevacqua said Tuesday that Notre Dame is committed to updating Freeman’s contract as necessary to ensure he continues to feel valued as the coach of the Fighting Irish.
“I would never say we wouldn’t match anything when it comes to Marcus,” Bevacqua said during a press conference. “Everybody has eyes on Marcus. College has eyes on Marcus. The NFL has eyes on Marcus. I’ll bet Hollywood has eyes on Marcus, right? I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the next Leo DiCaprio movie with Martin Scorsese.
“It’s one of my main obligations and responsibilities to this University to make sure Marcus wakes up every day knowing that he is supported and valued by Notre Dame,” he added. “And I can say with 100 percent certainty he feels that way. Notre Dame is totally aligned around the importance of college football for Notre Dame. And we’re totally aligned on how he is the perfect coach for Notre Dame.”
Although Bevacqua seems resigned to Freeman’s star one day rising even higher than Notre Dame’s storied program in South Bend, Ind., the athletic director stressed an unwavering commitment to adjusting Freeman’s contract accordingly to retain him as long as possible.
Freeman, 39, just wrapped up his fourth full season coaching the Irish. He agreed to a long-term contract extension last December that made him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country and stretched his agreement with Notre Dame through the 2030 season.
He led Notre Dame to a berth in last year’s College Football Playoff National Championship and has a 43-12 record as their head coach since taking over at the end of the 2021 season, when Brian Kelly left abruptly for LSU.
“He’s an amazing individual and an amazing leader, and we feel blessed that he’s our coach,” Bevacqua said. “I make sure that he knows that he will be where he deserves to be, and that is at the top, top, top tier of college football coaches when it comes to compensation every year.
“I view his contract, although a multi-year contract, as a living, breathing document that we will revise every year as need be to make sure he’s where he deserves to be,” the AD added. “He knows he has that commitment from me and more importantly from the University.”
The question now is whether Freeman will test the NFL waters, leverage that interest for a better deal at Notre Dame or leave for the pros.
Precedent says that being a college football head coach in no way guarantees success in the pros, as Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier and other decorated college coaches have demonstrated.
This also would be an unusual time for Freeman to leave Notre Dame after the Irish (10-2) were just unexpectedly excluded from this year’s 12-team College Football Playoff.
The team decided together to opt out of playing in a bowl game altogether after not receiving the opportunity to play for the national title.
Bevacqua, Freeman and the team now are rallying toward a promising 2026 season for Notre Dame, which is already talking about its determination to use this snub as fuel.
Then again, the pool of proven NFL head coaches in this cycle is thin, with Jon Gruden, Mike McCarthy, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and an unlikely last-minute about face by North Carolina’s Bill Belichick as the headliners.
There are meaningful Notre Dame ties in the Giants’ building, so if they are going to go the college route, Freeman makes a ton of sense.
Tim McDonnell, the Giants’ director of player personnel and the nephew of co-owner John Mara, worked for eight years in the Notre Dame football program before joining the Giants organization in 2013.
McDonnell served his last six seasons as Notre Dame’s director of player personnel/director of football personnel, organizing and administering the Irish’s recruiting efforts. He served as a liaison between Notre Dame and NFL personnel, helped coordinate the walk-on program and assisted in managing the roster under coaches Charlie Weis and Brian Kelly.
And McDonnell is now influential in the Giants’ operations and searches.
Then again, if the Giants are truly going to consider a former college head coach, Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley also would qualify.
Hafley, 46, was Boston College’s head coach (2020-23) before he joined the Packers. Mara is a Boston College graduate. And the Giants won two Super Bowls with Tom Coughlin as their head coach.
Coughlin, who was once the Giants’ receivers coach, became Boston College’s head coach (1991-93) first. Then he took his first NFL head coaching job with the Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2002) before elevating the Giants (2004-15).
None of this is to say the Giants are definitely dipping into college for their next hire.
GM Joe Schoen’s fate hasn’t even been decided. That could sway this process in different directions, too.
Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula are some of the other names to watch, along with the experienced former NFL coaches and other risers in 2025.
The Giants need a leader above all, though. A program builder. Someone who represents respectability and strength and values, who has both pedigree and promise.
Notre Dame’s athletic director says the university knows that Freeman is their ideal coach and promised to do whatever it takes to keep him there.
Let’s see if the Giants and other NFL teams covet Freeman enough to test Bevacqua’s promise and Freeman’s current commitment to the college ranks.
