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Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was named the 10th best coach in 2025 by The Athletic's Stewart Mandel. And sixth in a companion piece from Bruce Feldman.
Freeman wasn't ranked by either writer in 2024.
Here's what Mandel has to say, in its entirety:
"Though he only has a three-year body of work as a head coach, he’s one of just eight active coaches who’s coached in a national championship game. To get there required winning 14 games, capped by beating SEC champion Georgia and top-five foe Penn State in the Playoff."
And Feldman:
"Freeman has put together a good staff, proven to be a terrific evaluator and grown immeasurably in his job. Last year, the 39-year-old outcoached a lot of excellent head coaches, including the No. 1 coach on this list in the Sugar Bowl.
Freeman has upgraded the talent at Notre Dame and seemed to change the vibe around the place. He’s 33-10, coming off a 14-2 season in which the Irish made it to the national title game and finished No. 2. They went 7-1 against Top 25 opponents, with five wins coming by double digits, and they are 14-5 against ranked teams in the past three seasons. The Irish were 14-15 against the Top 25 during the previous seven-year stretch."
Both Mandel and Feldman evaluated only coaches with three years of head coaching experience.
Both authors had Georgia's Kirby Smart as number one and Ohio State's Ryan Day as number two. The Buckeyes, of course, bested the Fighting Irish in the national championship game.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman gets key recognition.
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