Marcus Freeman has become a hot property after new openings at Penn State and Florida. While James Franklin was fired after the Nittany Lions’ loss to Northwestern on Oct. 12, Billy Napier was relieved of his duties a week later, despite a win against Mississippi State. As such, Notre Dame’s young head coach has emerged as one of the top candidates for either job. However, a former Fighting Irish star believes that a possible move could be a mistake on Freeman’s part.

Speaking on an episode of Stugotz and Company on Thursday, former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn touched on the buzz surrounding Marcus Freeman. Quinn expressed his disdain against Freeman making the move to Penn State or Florida, suggesting that it’s “not even close” or worth considering. After all, the SEC schedule weighs much heavily when compared to Notre Dame’s independence.

“It just doesn’t make any sense. If you have to ask yourself… is Notre Dame a better job than Penn State and Florida? I don’t think it’s even close. It’s not even close,” he said.

To further make his case, Quinn brought up former Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly, whose move to LSU has yet to yield a positive result. “This isn’t biased, but let’s just take a look at a coach who thought that he needed to leave to go win a national championship. How’s that working out in Baton Rouge?”

Brian Kelly had a good run at Notre Dame, but he couldn’t achieve the ultimate glory. Many believed that he left because he felt restrained by Notre Dame’s ‘private’ status and higher academic standards. However, the grass was not greener on the other side.

He made the shift over to LSU on a 10-year, $95 million deal in 2021. While he has accumulated a middling 34-13 record so far, the Tigers have yet to see a playoff appearance under Kelly. On the other hand, the Irish chose Marcus Freeman as his successor, and from the get-go, his promotion has produced better results. Last year, Notre Dame made it to the national championship game. On the way, they took down teams like Indiana, Georgia and Penn State.

Brian Quinn discusses possible moves for Marcus Freeman

For the most part, Marcus Freeman is not leaving Notre Dame this season. However, his comments on the latest episode of Bussin’ With The Boys have not filled the Fighting Irish faithful with confidence about his future. While Freeman expressed his gratitude to the program, he didn’t fully close the door on a potential move away.

Speaking on the podcast on Monday, Freeman said, “I think, probably, as I look at it this year compared to last year, maybe the impulsive thing would be to say, ‘Oh, no, I’m not interested.’ I got a great job.” What caught the attention of many was the fact that the head coach seemingly admitted to being more open to offers after last year, when they came up short against Ryan Day’s Ohio State in the Championship game. While he did talk about his love for Notre Dame, it’s clear his heart lies away from South Bend.

Keeping that in mind, Brady Quinn suggested two more destinations that would actually make sense for Freeman. “So I would sit there and say, Ohio State, if that job ever came open, obviously, it’s his alma mater. That’s a program I obviously have a ton of respect for. And then you know, an NFL team, which you know the Bears were sniffing around. Obviously, Kevin Warren loves Marcus; it makes sense.”

Previously, Marcus Freeman was a linebacker at Ohio State from 2004-08, recording 264 tackles for the Buckeyes. Ohio State shaped his coaching philosophy, and it would make sense as a move later down the road. In the meantime, Freeman has seemingly caught the eye of Chicago Bears President Kevin Warren.

All things considered, there isn’t any real appeal for Marcus Freeman away from Notre Dame right now. That said, his work and reputation mean that there will be no shortage of suitors when the time does come for him to leave the nest. For now, Penn State and Florida will need to search for a replacement elsewhere.