Marcus Freeman will return to Notre Dame after having his contract restructured, school confirms

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame has restructured coach Marcus Freeman’s contract and he will coach the Fighting Irish next season, the school confirmed on Monday.

SI.com first reported Freeman’s new contract and that he notified two NFL teams that had contacted him about jobs that he would stay at Notre Dame.

Freeman’s contract was extended one year, through 2031, according to SI.com. Financial terms were not available.

Freeman, 39, is 43-12 in four-plus seasons as head coach, including 34-7 the past three years. Notre Dame won 10 straight games following an 0-2 start and opted to not play in a bowl when it was passed over for a spot in the College Football Playoff. In 2024, the Irish set a school record for wins by going 14-2 and reaching the national championship game.

Brian Kelly hired Freeman as his defensive coordinator in 2021, and Freeman was named his successor when he left for LSU after that regular season. Freeman previously was defensive coordinator at Cincinnati and linebackers coach at Purdue and Kent State.

Notre Dame expects to return quarterback CJ Carr and many key members of a young defense that ranked among the national leaders in yards and points allowed.

Freeman, who had been widely mentioned as a potential candidate for the vacant New York Giants job, signaled his return to Notre Dame with a social media post. On his personal X account, he wrote, “2026… run it back”

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