Notre Dame’s head coach was present at OSU during the scandal. Before leading the Fighting Irish, Marcus Freeman’s coaching journey saw many stops, but it started at his alma mater. After spending four seasons as a standout LB, helping the Buckeyes win four Big Ten titles, he returned to Columbus as a graduate assistant in 2010. But the Notre Dame head coach wasn’t involved in that season’s OSU scandal, which forced them to vacate all 12 wins, including their Sugar Bowl victory.

Marcus Freeman’s role is the key distinction here in this scandal, often called “Tattoogate.” He was on staff as a graduate assistant, but the scandal centered on players receiving improper benefits from the owner of a local Columbus tattoo parlor, not on him. That makes his presence in Columbus relevant to the story, but not evidence of involvement.

“I didn’t do any of that stuff,” said Freeman to Taylor Lewan during his Friday appearance when he was asked if he ever got a tattoo and paid for it.

At least eight players, including star QB Terrelle Pryor, traded memorabilia, such as championship rings, jerseys, and awards, for cash and discounted tattoos. In April 2010, head coach Jim Tressel was notified of these violations via email, but he failed to report them to the university’s compliance office.

Later, Tressel signed NCAA forms falsely stating that he did not know about any violations. As a result, penalties were delivered in two main waves: initial self-imposed suspensions in late 2010 and final, more severe NCAA-mandated sanctions in December 2011.

With that, OSU was banned from bowl games for the 2012 season. Then the program served three years of probation and lost nine scholarships over that period, and a five-year show-cause penalty for Jim Tressel. However, in May 2011, amid mounting pressure and a “show-cause” penalty from the NCAA, Tressel resigned.

Although Marcus Freeman wasn’t involved in that scandal, the Irish head coach revealed an interesting fact about his OSU days. Freeman stated that he never lost to Michigan as a Buckeye. As a player contributing to a 3-0 record against the Wolverines, he was part of the OSU team that dominated the rivalry in 2006, 2007, and 2008. But as a head coach, Freeman has not faced Michigan. Even this season, the Irish don’t face the Wolverines. So, is the 2026 schedule manageable for Notre Dame to reach the CFP?

Does Michigan’s absence help Marcus Freeman in 2026?

Despite a strong late-season surge after last season’s playoff snub, the conversation around the strength of schedule has only intensified for the Irish. In 2025, despite finishing with an 11–1 record and riding a 10-game winning streak, Irish was controversially excluded from the CFP because it lacked a conference championship game.

Even their 2026 schedule has the absence of traditional heavyweights like USC and Michigan. But Freeman isn’t buying into the narrative that they are facing an easier road.

“Listen, this is our schedule, and it’s hard before the season to say what’s weak or strong,” said Freeman during his appearance on Up and Adams with Kay Adams. “We’ve got to take care of the opportunities that are presented to us.”

Freeman made it clear that preseason labels don’t win games in November. “We get twelve guaranteed opportunities,” added the coach. “If you don’t have gratitude for every one of those 12 games, then it’s a lot of work for no reward.”

For an independent program, consistency matters, and Marcus Freeman knows that. Now, we will see if Notre Dame is able to make this season count or not.