Notre Dame has reportedly found their replacement for Brian Kelly, who left for LSU earlier this week. Senior national college football reporter Matt Zenitz for On3Sports tweeted out the announcement.
Marcus Freeman is expected to be the next head coach at Notre Dame, sources tell @On3sports https://t.co/k5bN5NhJoE
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 2, 2021
Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman is being promoted to be the new head man at South Bend.
Freeman is in his first year with the Fighting Irish after four seasons at Cincinnati where he was also the defensive coordinator. Freeman, a former linebacker at Ohio State, still has not officially been announced as of yet.
Kelly reportedly was seeking to bring Freeman with him as part of his staff to LSU. Kelly's sudden departure sent shock waves through college football earlier in the week. That came on the heels of Lincoln Riley leaving Oklahoma for USC.
Notre Dame just finished their regular season, going 11-1. However, they were jumped in the college football rankings by Oklahoma State. That's a clear sign that their schedule is not respected by the committee. It also means that there is virtually no chance Notre Dame will make the College Football Playoff.
During Freeman's four seasons at Cincinnati, he worked under Luke Fickell. Fickell was also reported to be one of the prime candidates for the Notre Dame head coaching vacancy.
Freeman reportedly met with Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick on Wednesday. Swarbrick also met with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, confirming they would like to bring him back next season.
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