Urban Meyer offers advice to Marcus Freeman as the NFL continues pursuing the Notre Dame head coach for various HC openings
Former Ohio State HC Urban Meyer offers Marcus Freeman some advice with the Notre Dame head coach being courted by the NFL.
Now that the 2025 college football season is officially over for Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish fanbase is going to have to be ready to deal with the constant rumors surrounding head coach Marcus Freeman and other job openings. We have already seen Freeman mentioned for basically every big job, both in college and the NFL, this cycle. That isn’t going to change anytime soon.
The latest job to have interest in Freeman is the New York Giants. While there appears to be some real smoke there, nothing feels imminent, and many believe that a Freeman contract extension could be on the horizon, which would make all this hysteria a moot point. Still, the annual battle between staying with Notre Dame and making the jump to the NFL is always going to be a very real conversation.
Without knowing Freeman personally or understanding his long-term goals in coaching, it’s tough to effectively project where things could be heading in the future. Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer offered some advice to Freeman. Meyer once opted for the NFL and the Jacksonville Jaguars over staying in college, so he has a pretty good perspective on these types of decisions.
Urban Meyer’s take on Marcus Freeman and the NFL
“Marcus is my friend,” Meyer said. “He has not asked me, but I would tell him you should stay in college, 100 percent. You have controllables in college as a head coach. In the NFL, there are so many uncontrollables that you don’t have. Whether it’s the GM, the owner. You have all kinds of things. In college, it’s you. It’s Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame. Now he has great support from the AD and the president, etc., etc., but Marcus Freeman, as I found out, you give up so much to take that next step, and so much that is out of your control.
“Plus, you’re going to lose in the NFL,” Meyer continued. “The Marcus I know, he can’t take losing, like I can’t take losing. You’re going to win at Notre Dame. Now, are you going to win a national title? I don’t know, but if you look at their schedule, he’s going to play a season every year where he’s favored in at least nine or ten of those games, maybe more. That doesn’t happen at the next level.”
Should Marcus Freeman consider a jump to the NFL?
Meyer brings up a couple of solid points, but the latter sounds a lot like staying comfortable and afraid of a challenge – not quite the hatred for losing described. Freeman strikes me as a coach who is never going to back down from a challenge. Winning at Notre Dame isn’t easy, which is a part of the reason I don’t think he just bolts for the NFL. There is work left to be done.
Overall, however, I do agree with Meyer’s sentiment that Freeman should stay where he is, for now anyway. From a college perspective, he is perfect for the modern landscape. Freeman is an outstanding recruiter, and he has also shown that he does a great job both developing and retaining top talent. That’s key with the Transfer Portal such a consistent talking point right now.
While Freeman is a coach who has shown the ability to adapt, and he probably would do the same if he made the jump to the NFL, he does feel like someone better made for the college game. He has an electric personality and is relatable to both the players and parents. If Freeman sticks in college, he has a chance to be an elite head coach and leave a massive mark on the game. If he jumps to the NFL, I fear that he would lose some of that shine, which makes him so special.
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