Notre Dame Fighting Irish might’ve breathed a little easier once the Michigan Wolverines locked in their new head coach. Even though it’s not Marcus Freeman, the Fighting Irish still can’t rest easy. A college football analyst stirred the pot, claiming Freeman’s run with Notre Dame is officially over.

“I think they may have had the final game they’ve ever had with Marcus Freeman as HC,” analyst Tyrone Johnson did not mince his words on the December 26th episode of The Craig Carton Show. “The NY Giants appear to be aligned and ready to hire Marcus Freeman as their HC.”

FOX Sports’ latest odds board has Freeman at +1200 to land the Giants’ head coaching job, a big jump from the +5000 he held just a month ago. Freeman now shares the same line with Mike Kafka.

The other names in the mix include Chris Shula at +500, Klint Kubiak and Jeff Hafley at +650, Kliff Kingsbury at +900, among others. Now, what makes the analyst root for the Giants to take in Freeman?

“Notre Dame has not been a winner since Lou Holtz,” said Johnson. “Let’s go, Giants. I’ll be so happy if the Giants could hire Marcus Freeman. Get Marcus Freeman out of there.”

Lou Holtz reached the mountaintop in his third season at Notre Dame, bouncing back from a rocky 5-6 debut in 1986 and an eight-win campaign that ended in a Cotton Bowl loss in 1987. The national championship breakthrough came in 1988, when Holtz guided the Irish to a perfect 12-0 season.

It then got sweeter by a 1989 Fiesta Bowl win over an undefeated, fellow independent West Virginia Mountaineers. It sealed Notre Dame’s 11th national championship, and its first in 11 years. Now, with Freeman taking over in December 2021, he carries the weight of a 37-year title drought on his shoulders.

At Notre Dame, “good” isn’t good enough. Even a 10-win season and a program-record 14-2 finish in 2024 may not be enough to keep Freeman locked in. The standard is championships, and anything short of that gets measured against Holtz, Ara Parseghian, and the ghosts of banners past. 

For a young head coach like Freeman, that pressure can feel relentless. That’s where the “bigger stage” temptation comes in. It opens the gates for a reset of expectations, eliminating the recruiting grind. And most importantly, no century-old title drought hanging over the head. 

Freeman’s own actions and recruiting efforts significantly impact Notre Dame’s fate.

The 1988 Notre Dame team was expected to be a year away, but the Class of 1987 fast-tracked the title run, featuring stars like Todd Lyght and Chris Zorich. 11 of those recruits started as sophomores on a national championship squad that won 23 straight games. 

That’s the blueprint Freeman followed year-to-year recruiting, stacking top-10 classes. Effort was never the issue. Freeman has pulled every lever, tested every formula, and still hasn’t cracked the national title ceiling. That reality could make the NFL an attractive next stage. But how would that move be received?

Marcus Freeman got side eyes from an NFL legend

After missing the CFP, Notre Dame pulled out of the bowl selection process. Freeman and Co.’s bold call was followed by a bold gut punch from 8x Pro Bowler Shannon Sharpe.

“Vanderbilt, Texas, would have been better in this (playoffs),” said the Nightcap podcast analyst. “You notice I ain’t mention Notre Dame, right? Until they get in the conversation. They did the right thing. Stay y’all — home crying. ‘We ain’t going to a bowl game.’ Ain’t nobody missing you!”

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Back in college, not everyone is sold on the fact that Freeman is ready to take the NFL job. But what does the head coach himself feel?

“I have a lot of respect for all NFL teams, but the history of the Giants is tremendous,” Freeman said. “It reminds me of the honor I have to be in the position I’m in.”

Freeman has company in the Giants race, and it’s not light competition. Ohio State Buckeyes’ former quarterback, J.T. Barrett, is starting to pick up serious buzz.

On the flip side, the Giants aren’t the only NFL team circling Marcus Freeman. After moving on from Brian Callahan following a 20-10 Week 6 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Tennessee Titans have entered the mix as well. With another suitor in play, did Notre Dame miss its window to say goodbye to its head coach?