Report: Marcus Freeman Linked to Penn State Job | Why He’d Be a Perfect Fit in Happy Valley
Tuesday, ON3 reported that Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman is believed to be linked to the Penn State Football job opening.
This comes as a surprise to many, as Freeman had the Fighting Irish playing for the National Championship last season. Additionally,
Notre Dame is still fighting for a playoff spot this year, after a shaky start.
Why Marcus Freeman Fits at Penn State
Freeman, despite being an Ohio State alumni, would largely be considered a homerun hire for Penn State. Freeman has a strong history of winning.
In 2021, Marcus Freeman was hired to be Notre Dame’s Defensive Coordinator. Shortly thereafter, when Brian Kelly left to go to LSU, Freeman was promoted to head coach.
Freeman’s time got off to a slow start, losing to Ohio State and Marshall in back to back games, but he turned it around to go 9-4 in his first year at the helm. Since then, he has had back to back 10+ win seasons, including last year, where he led the Fighting Irish to a National Championship appearance. Freeman is a pretty proven winner.
Additionally, Marcus Freeman seems to be a classy guy.
Notre Dame and Penn State are extremely similar when it comes to history and culture. Freeman embraces Notre Dame’s history, while also pushing forward. He would likely be able to blend the vast history Penn State has, while also being a modern winner.
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But … He’s a Buckeye
There really aren’t many reasons why Marcus Freeman wouldn’t be a great hire for Penn State.
However, there could be a few fair criticisms.
The first potential would be that Freeman is still relatively unproven. Freeman is only 39 and has only been a head coach for three full seasons. While he does have a good resume, it’s still avery new resume. That could be a possible issue.
Another reason to be wary of Freeman is that he is a former Ohio State player.
In and of itself, that is fine. But, it is widely believed that Marcus Freeman would love nothing more than to coach Ohio State. As of now, if Ryan Day were to leave Ohio State, the search would likely begin and end with Freeman. This could be problematic for Penn State for obvious reasons.
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The Bottom Line: Marcus Freeman Would be a Great Hire
At the end of the day, there aren’t many coaches out there that have the resume Freeman has. He would be a phenomenal hire were Penn State to land him.
With that being said, Freeman’s agent is likely leaking info out to the public in order to leverage a raise from Notre Dame. It’s what agents do.
So, Marcus Freeman appears, on the surface, to be a long-shot candidate, would be an excellent hire.
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Purdy was born and raised in central Ohio and served for four years writing for his high school's newsletter. Currently studying Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, Ian has been a lifelong Nittany Lion fan.
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