Marcus Freeman was officially introduced as the new head coach of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football. It’s a huge spotlight for the 35-year-old who decided to take the job rather than follow Brian Kelly to LSU and remain a defensive coordinator.
Freeman was a hot commodity before taking the Notre Dame job but the expectations will now be on him to not only maintain the level of success that Kelly has had but also take the Irish to the next level and win a national championship.
Someone else who understands the hype and expectations that come with being the head coach at Notre Dame is Charlie Weis. The former New England Patriots assistant took the job in 2005 and oversaw five seasons of varying success. After a strong start, his Notre Dame teams faltered to 3-9 in Year 3 and never quite got back to the heights expected of the program. He was fired in 2009 with a 35-27 record.
Weis tweeted a message of support to Freeman on Friday after he joined the exclusive fraternity of Notre Dame head coaches.
Let me congratulate Marcus Freeman on his appointment as HFC at Notre Dame. A rising star in the profession, he takes over the most storied program in the country. Although expectations are high, there is no better place to have the honor to direct. Best wishes! Good luck!
— Charlie Weis (@charlieweissr) December 3, 2021
“Let me congratulate Marcus Freeman on his appointment as HFC at Notre Dame,” Weis said. “A rising star in the profession, he takes over the most storied program in the country. Although expectations are high, there is no better place to have the honor to direct. Best wishes! Good luck!”
Freeman has certainly already won one battle, the locker room. While many players and other people inside Notre Dame wanted to see him elevated to head coach, it’s another thing to see just how excited the players got when he was officially introduced to them.
a player's coach@Marcus_Freeman1 | #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/pf9E1OygA8
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 3, 2021
We’ll see if Freeman can live up to the hype and maintain the elite level of success that Notre Dame expects. If he can, and if he can get them their first national title since 1988, then he’ll go down in Fighting Irish lore in a way that his predecessor never could.
