Marcus Freeman signs lucrative contract extension as Notre Dame hosts College Football Playoff Opener

Shortly after Brian Kelly left his job as Notre Dame’s football coach to take the same position at LSU, the Fighting Irish opted to promote defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman in December 2021. Never mind that Freeman had never been a head coach at any level and was a month shy of his 36th birthday. Notre Dame’s administrators had faith in Freeman, and after some trials, their move appears to have paid off.

With no. 7-seed Notre Dame (11-1) set to host No. 10-seed Indiana (11-1) on Friday in the College Football Playoff opener, Freeman on Sunday agreed to a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2030 season. FootballScoop and Irish illustrated author John Brice reported Freeman will make more than $9 million annually, up from $7 million in the deal he signed when he was hired three years ago. Freeman will also have access to more money to compensate his assistant coaches and other staff.

While securing Freeman long-term seems like a no-brainer for Notre Dame, it wasn’t always seen that way. After the Fighting Irish lost, 16-14, to lowly Northern Illinois on Sept. 7 to fall to 1-1, some questioned whether Freeman could live up to expectations and keep the team on track for a full season. During Freeman’s first two seasons, the Fighting Irish went 9-4 and 10-3 and won two bowl games, but had upset losses to Marshall and Stanford in 2022 and Louisville and Clemson last year.

Since the Northern Illinois game, however, Notre Dame has gone on a dominant run, winning 10 straight games by an average of 30.7 points per game. match. Still, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua claims he was sold on Freeman even before the Fighting Irish’s latest stretch. In recent weeks, Bevacqua has been in constant contact with Clint Dowdle, Freeman’s agent and the head of football coaches and executives at WME. Bevacqua also discussed contract specifics with Father Robert Dowd, Notre Dame’s president, and John Veihmeyer, a former KPMG chairman and current chairman of Notre Dame’s board of trustees. The men agreed it was an “easy” decision to extend Freeman’s contract, according to Bevacqua, who said he often tells people that the two most visible representatives of Notre Dame are its president and football coach.

“When you think of Coach Freeman, there is no better representative of Notre Dame,” Bevacqua said at a press conference on Tuesday. “He’s so authentic, so genuine. Everything that makes Notre Dame different and special, and some would say maybe harder, he embraces and uses it as an advantage and as a differentiator.”

The timing of the announcement was deliberate. Bevacqua said he wanted to get a deal done several days before the opening of the CFP so the talks weren’t a distraction for Freeman or anyone else at Notre Dame.

Bevacqua, who was president of NBC Sports before taking over as Notre Dame’s AD earlier this year, said Friday’s game is the most excited he’s been for a sporting event since November 1993, a few months after he graduated from Notre Dame. At that time, Bevacqua was present when the no. 2 ranked Fighting Irish defeated Florida State no. 1 in what was invoiced as the game of the century.

“That’s where my expectations are going for Friday, the type of atmosphere where it felt like the whole country was focused singularly on one sporting event,” Bevacqua said. “I think because we’re the first game (of this year’s CFP), because it’s in Notre Dame Stadium, because it’s going to be this great prime-time interstate game on a Friday, I think it really has the chance to become a spectacular moment in sports and a spectacular, hopefully, moment in Notre Dame sports history.

Bevacqua expects many more memorable games with Freeman at the helm. Although Freeman has a new contract in place, several coaches have left for other jobs, leading some to wonder if Freeman would leave for an offer from an NFL franchise or Ohio State, his alma mater. Bevacqua said there are no “carveouts” in Freeman’s contract regarding the NFL or Ohio State, meaning it would likely come with a significant buyout if Freeman ever wanted to leave Notre Dame.

Still, as things stand, Bevacqua seems convinced Freeman is in an enviable position. Bevacqua said Notre Dame would sign up to the House settlement, which a judge is expected to rule in favor of in April, opening the door for athletics departments for the first time to share revenue with athletes. If the settlement is approved, Bevacqua estimates athletic departments will share $20.5 million with athletes starting in the 2025-26 school year. He added that “a large portion” of that revenue will be dedicated to the Fighting Irish’s football team.

During talks with Freeman about his contract extension, Bevacqua said the coach was primarily focused on having money available to his staff, including defensive coordinator Al Golden and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, both of whom is reportedly among the highest paid assistants in college football. The idea is that it takes millions to retain and hire the best coaches and other staff. Notre Dame is also upgrading its facilities, including breaking ground in April on Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall, a 150,000-square-foot building for football players that is set opens in 2026.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that we’re keeping our foot on the gas,” Bevacqua said. “Football is a priority and winning national championships is a priority. I’ve said this to Marcus and we laughed. We’re both kind of maniacally obsessed with winning a national championship and more in football.”