Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish made headlines recently during the drama surrounding the football program not being selected for one of the 12 College Football Playoff spots. Following the team’s 10-2 season, they declined to participate in a college bowl game, which also riled people up.
As all that drama continues to stir up debates and controversy, some are wondering if Freeman should opt for a job with one of the NFL teams in need of a new coach. His good friend Urban Meyer recently spoke on what he believes Freeman should do regarding his coaching future.
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During “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Cowherd asked Meyer whether Freeman should take an NFL job. Meyer indicated that he hadn’t discussed the situation with Freeman before offering some solid advice for the Notre Dame coach.
“I would say, ‘You stay in college 100 percent.’ You have controllables in college as a head coach. In the NFL, there’s so many uncontrollables that you don’t have, whether it’s the GM, the owner…In college, it’s you,” Meyer said.
He said that Freeman would give up “so much” if he took an NFL job, which Meyer stated he found out himself from previous experience. He coached the league’s Jacksonville Jaguars for just 13 games, going a disappointing 2-11, before being fired in December 2021.
“Plus, you’re gonna lose in the NFL. It’s built- and I’m not sure the Marcus I know. He can’t take losing like I can’t take losing. You’re gonna win at Notre Dame,” Meyer contended.
While Meyer said he wasn’t sure Notre Dame would win the national championship, he said Freeman’s teams will be favored in at least 9 or 10 games each season, and that won’t happen with NFL teams.
Freeman has been in the NFL for a brief time as a player, initially drafted by the Chicago Bears. He also signed with the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans practice squads. He never played in any games, and his NFL career ended when he was diagnosed with an enlarged heart condition.
However, as Cowherd mentioned, once this NFL season ends, Freeman’s name is likely to be one tossed around in rumors about head coaching vacancies. It’s happened before and will once again due to his success as a college coach.
He’s held the significant head coaching job at Notre Dame since 2021. While his team missed the CFP this season, they are likely to be in the discussion in most seasons when they achieve a noteworthy record and rile people up based on the teams they schedule.
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