Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman: 10 Things to Know About the Fighting Irish Coach and His Faith
The Catholic convert has his football team on the verge of its first national title in 37 years.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and his team line up to enter the field against USC at the LA Coliseum on November 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (photo: Gina Ferazzi / Getty )
Marcus Freeman is one of the biggest names in college football right now — not just because the Notre Dame head coach has led the Fighting Irish to the brink of its first national championship since 1988, but because of how he has done it.
Over his three years as head coach, Freeman, 39, has established a culture at Notre Dame grounded in humility, doing things right and developing the whole person — including the faith lives of his players.
Freeman, who was raised in different Christian communities but recently converted to Catholicism, also isn’t afraid to talk about his own faith —though he’s also quick to point out how he’s got room to grow.
“I’ve got a long way to go, just like we all do.”
In his relationship with Christ and the Church, yes, just like anyone else. But on the field, Freeman’s squad has one more game to win before claiming Notre Dame’s 12th national title.
With the popular coach set to lead the Fighting Irish against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Monday’s title tilt, here are 10 things to know about Marcus Freeman.
1. He’s a convert to Catholicism.
Freeman became Catholic in August 2022, just before the start of his first season as the leader of the Fighting Irish. He made his preparation with the team chaplain, Holy Cross Father Nate Wills, and was then received into the Church at a special Mass at the university’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
A few weeks later, his local parish shared the announcement in their bulletin.
“Marcus made a profession of faith, was confirmed, and received his First Holy Communion,” the announcement read. “Please pray for Marcus and his family as they celebrate and continue this journey in faith!”
2. His refers to his wife as an “Italian pistol.”
While Freeman is a newcomer to the faith, his wife, Joanna, isn’t. She’s a cradle Catholic, having grown up in an Italian-American family in the Cleveland area.
Freeman has previously described her as an “Italian pistol” and does not hesitate to praise her for making his coaching success a possibility.
The two met while he was a football player, ironically for the same Ohio State who his team will face off against on Monday, and she was studying at the nearby Otterbein University. The Freemans married in 2010.
3. He has a big team off the field, too.
The Freemans don’t quite have a family big enough to field an 11-player football team, but they’re close. The couple has six children, and their names reflect Joanna’s Italian heritage: Vinny, Siena, Gino, Nico, Capri and Rocco.
Freeman shared photos of his youngest’s baptism in 2021, and his family joined him on the field.
“I don’t pick and choose to be away from my family just because I want to,” he told the Register in a 2022 interview, underscoring that he believes in making sacrifices so others can succeed, including his own children.
4. He encourages his coaches to bring their families to practice.
Freeman loves to have his wife and kids stop by the practice facilities and encourages his coaches to invite their families too, for two reasons.
He knows how demanding the life of a college football coach is and wants to maximize his time with his kids amidst his all-consuming job.
“I want to be able to blend my family with the football family that I have here,” he said.
But the Fighting Irish head coach also wants to model for his players the importance of being a family man.
“I want them to see us as fathers and as husbands, because those lessons that they learn from watching us will last forever.”
5. Faith is an integral part of the team.
The Fighting Irish coach isn’t shy about his desire for his players to deepen their faith life.
“I want our guys to wonder about what it means to embrace Jesus Christ,” he previously told the Register.
And Fighting Irish players have a lot of opportunities to draw closer to Christ as a part of the team.
Quarterback Riley Leonard, a committed evangelical Christian, says one of the team’s “biggest bragging points” is a Bible study attended by 40 players. A saint is picked each game day by the team chaplain, who distributes a medal and a little catechetical talk. Players also pray the Lord’s Prayer in the locker room right before running out onto the field for kickoff.
6. He restored game-day Mass.
Of course, one of the biggest steps Freeman took to connect faith and football was restoring the game-day practice of players participating in Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart before walking over to Notre Dame Stadium.
Previous coach Brian Kelly (now at LSU) had players go to Mass on Friday night, but Freeman believed it was important for them to draw close to God right before the game, a time that he said young men can be particularly vulnerable to all kinds of outside noise.
“To me, what better time is there to go have Mass?” he told the Register in 2022. “What better time to be able to really be on the edge of your seat to get every word that comes out of the priest’s mouth and to be as close to God as you can?”
One former player criticized the move back to game-day Masses, saying it could make players too passive before kickoff. Coach Freeman sees things differently.
“If you’re any type of competitor, when the foot hits the ball, you’re going to be ready to roll,” he said. “Let’s be the calm today before the storm.”
7. He’s proud of his racial heritage, but doesn’t make it a distraction.
Coach Freeman is the son of an African American father and a Korean mother, making him the first Black and the first Asian coach to lead a team to the college football national championship. And he has previously expressed what a privilege it is to represent these two communities.
At the same time, he doesn’t dwell on questions of race, or to draw attention away from his team.
“I don’t ever want to take attention away from the team,” he said when asked about being the first Black coach in a national championship game last week.
“It is an honor, and I hope all coaches — minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn’t matter, great people — continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this.”
8. He’s got the backing of a Notre Dame legend.
Freeman has big support from the last Notre Dame coach to win a national championship — Lou Holtz, a practicing Catholic who led the Irish to victory in 1988.
“The players love him, they play hard for him, and those are the most important things you look for in a quality coach,” the legendary coach said in an August 2024 interview.
On Jan. 8, Holtz, 88, let Freeman know he had won the George Munger Coach of the Year Award, given by the NCAA to the top coach in Division I football.
“I’m happy for you, but not surprised,” Holtz told Freeman in a video call.
9. NFL teams want him, but he’s committed to Notre Dame.
Freeman’s coaching prowess has caught the attention of pro football teams, and the former NFL player has been linked to openings with organizations like the Chicago Bears.
However, in the midst of chatter about the Bears job, Freeman signed a long-term extension with Notre Dame, committing him to South Bend for the next six years, and also making him one of most well-paid coaches in the country.
Freeman-to-the-NFL rumors continue to swirl, but for now at least, it looks like Freeman’s place is at Notre Dame.
10. He wants to keep on growing in his faith.
Since becoming Catholic in 2022, Freeman says his faith “has grown tremendously,” citing the importance of his local parish community in Granger, Indiana.
But he also told his diocesan newspaper this past May that there’s still more to his journey.
“I’ve got a long way to go, just like we all do.”
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