Marcus Freeman announces return to Notre Dame for 2026 after receiving NFL interest

Marcus Freeman reportedly told NFL franchises that he is staying at Notre Dame, according to SI’s Pat Forde. Freeman and Notre Dame reportedly agreed to a restructured contract that puts him in the “top tier” among compensation for college head coaches.

Freeman later tweeted from his official Twitter/X account, seemingly confirming the news. “2026…run it back. Go Irish (clover emoji),” he wrote.

That’s pretty good news for Notre Dame fans, who last saw their team win their 10th straight game before opting out of bowl season. Freeman will now attempt to lead the Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff and a national championship next season. The work at the college level continues.

Prior to Christmas, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Freeman was expected to be a top candidate for the New York Giants’ vacancy. That is now no longer the case.

Marcus Freeman running it back at Notre Dame, says no to NFL

Freeman, this season, led Notre Dame to a 10-2 finish in 2025. That included 10-straight wins following an 0-2 start, narrowly (and controversially) missing out of the College Football Playoff as the first team out. The year prior, Freeman led the Fighting Irish all the way to the national championship game before coming up short against Ohio State.

Since becoming Notre Dame’s head coach in 2021 — his first stint as a head coach period — he’s compiled a 38-10 record along the way, including a 5-2 record in the postseason. Because the Irish missed out on the College Football Playoff this season, the program opted out of their bowl game.

“As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season,” the program said in a statement. “We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we’re hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026.”

As far as the Giants are concerned, they won only their third game of the season, a 34-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. They’re bound for a high draft pick and a rebuild under a new coach, but it won’t be Freeman. But man, the drama continues in New York as Jaxson Dart’s father recently called out Danny Kanell over the latter’s comments about the rookie QB.

All Freeman has to do now is worry about Notre Dame this coming fall. The Giants’ search continues.