Notre Dame is expected to promote defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to replace the late Brian Kelly as the Fighting Irish’s next head coach, according to sources Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports. Freeman, 35, will return to the program less than a season after joining Notre Dame from Cincinnati. The deal is not yet official.

Maintaining continuity during a period of huge success is a priority, especially as Notre Dame has a potential team for the college football playoffs, according to Dodd.

Freeman’s rise comes from the fact that the program also retains offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. A former Irish quarterback under Kelly from 2010 to 2013, Rees was reportedly courted to join Kelly at LSU. Retaining Rees to lead the offensive was seen as a key to Notre Dame if she decided to promote Freeman from within.

Rees announced his decision to stay with the Irish at a team meeting on Wednesday night.

Although Freeman will become one of the youngest head coaches in Notre Dame history, he has had a huge impact on the program since arriving before the start of the season. The Irish have kept their last four opponents at 23 points combined, and the program is also putting the finishing touches on its first class among the top-five since 2013 thanks in large part to Freeman’s leadership on the scouting track.

Prior to Notre Dame, Freeman was a defensive coordinator in Cincinnati, where he helped make the Bearcats the college football playoff contender they are today. He was a player at Ohio State and was selected in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Freeman has been the clear leader of the clubhouse for work among the players. After Kelly’s shocking departure for LSU, Notre Dame players and rookies launched a public campaign for Freeman to get the job using the hashtag #FreemanEra on Twitter.

Notre Dame is 11-1 and sits sixth in the latest college football playoff standings at the end of the regular season. With a few surprises, the Irish could be back in the playoffs for the second consecutive season and the third time in four years. Notre Dame is 44-6 over the past four seasons.

Notre-Dame becomes young

Few coaches at the national level have hired better than Kelly, especially on the defensive end of the ball. Clark Lea, the defensive coordinator before Freeman, is now Vanderbilt’s head coach. However, Freeman, 35, and Rees, 29, are the new faces of Notre Dame football.

Rees – a former Irish quarterback – was named quarterbacks coach in 2017, just after Notre Dame’s unlikely 4-8 campaign. The Fighting Irish have won 10 games each of the past five seasons and have finished in the top 12 every year (through 2021). Quarterbacks Ian Book and Jack Coan provided the Irish with the best quarterback game of the Kelly era. Keeping him in the fold when he could have left for LSU is quite a message on the recruiting trail.

Notre Dame is one of the most traditionally rich programs in America, if not the most. Freeman and Rees fit the mold of coaches who will bring both youthful energy and a deep respect and understanding of what Notre Dame stands for. It is rare to find this combination.

Freeman has the golden touch

Almost everywhere Freeman coached has improved dramatically. After a 4-8 season in 2016 at Cincinnati, the Bears have gone 31-6 in their last three seasons. After the Fighting Irish went 10-2 in 2020, they moved up to 11-1 with Freeman doing a great job on defense despite losing key production.

Now Freeman will try to reshape a Notre Dame program that has won near – but not at – the highest level in the past decade. Since Freeman took over the program, Notre Dame has been much more aggressive on the recruiting trail. Expect this to continue. If the public protests of support are any indication, players and rookies love it.

Counter the trend

Several key college football programs have gone for promotions to build on the success, including Lincoln Riley in Oklahoma, Ryan Day at Ohio State and Dabo Swinney in Clemson. However, Charlie Weis, Bob Davie and Gerry Faust are the last three first-time head coaches to lead Notre Dame, and all have struggled in their own way.

Freeman is ready to be a head coach after such success, but Notre Dame is one of the biggest jobs in America. How quickly he is able to adapt to the pressure and expectations of the Guglielmino Sports Complex Corner Office will define his coaching career. Don’t bet against him. Having the support of highly regarded athletic director Jack Swarbrick will help.

The Cover 3 podcast describes the hiring of Marcus Freeman and what it means for the Fighting Irish. Subscribe here for first-rate insight and analysis beyond the grill.