Notre Dame fans need to get used to head coach Marcus Freeman being included in every top target list when a top job becomes available. It is a compliment really when you think about it. Over the last four years, Coach Freeman has developed into one of the rising stars in the profession. It is pretty easy to understand the fascination for a younger coach who has constantly gotten better, is a dynamic recruiter, and is considered to be a tremendous person and symbol for a program.

After some rumors about Freeman being a top candidate for both the Penn State and Florida jobs recently, LSU is now an opening that is being mentioned following the dismissal of Brian Kelly. Of the three jobs, the Tigers are the most appealing options if Freeman was truly considering. Has the program already reached out to Freeman? I am told that it is the case.

Again, it is easy to understand why there would be interest from the LSU side. The bigger question mark is going to be from the Freeman camp, and ultimately, I don’t think there is much interest. The big reason why is because it logistically doesn’t make sense for Freeman when you consider all of the moving parts. There are several reasons why considering LSU would be an unwise decision for the Fighting Irish head coach.

Marcus Freeman is a Midwest guy 

Do I believe that Freeman could succeed with the LSU program? I have no reason to believe he wouldn’t. You would drop him into an area with a ton of high school talent, and I believe he would recruit exceptionally well because of it. At the core, however, this move wouldn’t make much sense when you consider his background. Freeman grew up in Ohio, played football at Ohio State and briefly with the Chicago Bears before injury, then coached at Ohio State, Purdue, Cincinnati, and Notre Dame. This is a Midwest guy whose family is comfortable and happy where they are. Completely uprooting for a rebuilding program that is at best a lateral move seems unwise, and I don’t consider Freeman to be an unwise person.

National recruiting impact 

Coach Freeman would recruit well at LSU in such a deep and talent rich area, but he currently has the ability to showcase with recruiting impact on a national scale. He has completely disproven the myth that you can’t recruit at a high level at Notre Dame, and a big reason for that is the program can appeal to talented players from all over. It is a unique pull for Notre Dame, and I actually believe it raises the ceiling comparing the two as recruiting bases in favor of the Irish. They are able to pull more consistently from all over the map.

Supports in place 

You are never going to know the exact money that Notre Dame invests into recruiting and other supports due to them being a private institution, but make no mistake about it, the Irish can spend with just about anyone. They are a bit more judicious with how they spend, not often going over market, but we call that good business. Freeman has more than enough money behind him at Notre Dame, and overall, they can arguably provide just as much, if not more than LSU.

LSU isn’t a clean fit for Freeman

Just because a coach can survive somewhere doesn’t mean that they should. As a Midwest guy who carries himself with a more stoic figure, Freeman just feels like an easier fit in South Bend. As we saw from Coach Kelly’s tenure, fit absolutely matters. Freeman fits perfectly where he is right now, and there is also a reason that he has turned down to coach at LSU twice already.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish News

Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman confirms suspicion about Fighting Irish starter and his concerning lack of consistency 

Notre Dame fans finally received the news that everyone expected.

Ryan Roberts