Notre Dame football's Marcus Freeman is in the process of conducting a search for the Fighting Irish' next offensive coordinator after the departure of Tommy Rees to Alabama. It was reported on Friday that Freeman and Notre Dame football had themselves a leading candidate for the offensive coordinator role in the Utah Utes' Andy Ludwig. Well, Freeman and company are actively courting the Utah football coach and their latest sighting bodes well for the hire.

That's right, that is Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman attending a Fighting Irish hockey game against Ohio State. Who is that next to him, you ask?

None other than Utah football offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Andy Ludwig, or the new “leading candidate” for the team's play-calling job.

Sure, coaches do things like this all the time and it doesn't necessarily mean that the coach being courted will be the hire.

But given how public this courtship is- and how the Utah football coach reportedly “impressed” Freeman in a Zoom interview before flying out to South Bend, it would be a surprise if he wasn't the hire at this point.

Ludwig, 58, has extensive experience as a coach, likely an attractive selling point for the Notre Dame football offensive coordinator job, given that Freeman will be entering just his second year as a head coach.

The Utah football coach has spent the last four seasons with the Utes, helped them rank 11th in the nation in scoring and 17th in total offense.

Ludwig would be receiving the keys to a Notre Dame football offense that just received a major upgrade at the quarterback spot in Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman, the ACC's all-time leader in passing touchdowns.

Freeman's latest actions with Ludwig bode well for the offensive coordinator hire.