Marcus Freeman has confirmed that he will be returning to Notre Dame in 2026, despite rumours that he could be tempted elsewhere.

Freeman quickly became one of the hottest coaching names during his time with the Fighting Irish, and has recently been linked to at least two vacancies with NFL teams per Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde. The New York Giants, in particular, expressed real interest in him as a potential successor to Brian Daboll, but Freeman has now shunned the chance to jump to the pros, and confirmed via a recent post on X that he will be back in South Bend next season.

His decision may have been swayed by the enhanced contract that he has been offered by the school, which makes him one of the highest paid coaches in college football. Whilst specific details are not currently known, The Athletic reported that ‘Notre Dame will compensate Freeman at a level commensurate with another march through the postseason, although the Irish opted out of bowl season after missing the College Football Playoff’.

Notre Dame will clearly be happy to pay top dollar to lock up one of the nation’s most promising young coaches, especially after the circus that was the recent college coaching carousel, which saw several high-profile coaches leave their schools ahead of playoff runs, and athletic director Pete Bevacqua confirmed that the school was prepared to do whatever it took to keep Freeman in post.

“I would never say we wouldn’t match anything when it comes to Marcus,” Bevacqua said. “Everybody has eyes on Marcus. College has eyes on Marcus. NFL has eyes on Marcus. I bet Hollywood has eyes on Marcus. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the next Leo DiCaprio movies with Martin Scorsese.

“Marcus is Marcus. All the credit to him, he deserves it. He is the absolute best coach in the country for Notre Dame, full stop. One of the greatest college coaches in the country.”

This statement echoes comments made earlier in the month by Bevacqua, amid rumblings of NFL interest. Per ESPN, Bevacqua added that ‘one of my main obligations and responsibilities to this university is to make sure Marcus wakes up every day knowing that he is supported and valued by Notre Dame’.

“And I can say with 100 percent certainty he feels that way, and Notre Dame is totally aligned around the importance of college football for Notre Dame,” the AD elaborated. “We’re totally aligned on how he is the perfect coach for Notre Dame. We feel blessed that he’s our coach. I make sure that he knows that he will be where he deserves to be, and that is at the top, top, top tier of college football coaches when it comes to compensation every year.”

A former Ohio State linebacker, Freeman came to Notre Dame as defensive coordinator before being promoted to head coach following the departure of Brian Kelly to LSU. Since taking over in 2021, Freeman has built an impressive résumé, with a 43-12 record and an appearance in last season’s National Championship game. Despite missing out on the Playoff this season, Freeman will see many of his key starters return for what is expected to be a strong run at CFP title in 2026.