Marcus Freeman

Biography

A four-year letter winner for the Buckeyes from 2004 to 2008, earned second team All-Big Ten honors in 2008, while helping lead Ohio State to four conference titles, three BCS bowls and two trips to the national title game during his career. Played in the 2009 Senior Bowl and was a fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, spending time with the Bears, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans before a medical condition ended his playing career. A 2007 Ohio State graduate, where he earned Academic All-Big Ten and academic all-district honors. In 2011, earned a master's degree in sports management from Ohio State. Graduated from Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio, and was a Parade All-American. On December 3, 2021, Freeman was announced as the 30th head coach in school history. Led the Irish to the most wins in a single season in program history as his 2024 Notre Dame squad finished with a 14-2 mark. Advanced Notre Dame to the 2025 CFP National Championship game. Prior to coming to South Bend, Freeman spent four seasons as the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati, earning 247Sports.com Defensive Coordinator of the Year in 2020 and Broyles Award nominations. Started his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Ohio State in 2010.