Giants should take a serious look at Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman for head-coaching vacancy
Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman looks on during the 94th annual Blue-Gold Spring Game at Notre Dame Stadium on April 12 in South Bend, Indiana. Credit: Getty Images/Justin Casterline
The Giants’ coaching job will surely be one of the hottest vacancies of the offseason. That’s the benefit of having young talent, including Jaxson Dart at quarterback.
Most potential candidates on the Giants’ radar are off limits until the season ends. But one who’s available to interview now is a high-risk but promising option: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman.
Freeman, 39, has gone 43-12 since being hired at the end of the 2021 season and has won at least 10 games in each of the last three seasons. He’s a bright mind known for his leadership and defensive acumen.
Still, it’s a gamble hiring a coach straight from college. Freeman doesn’t have any NFL coaching experience, but his star is rising and he has an ambassador on the Giants in receiver Beaux Collins, who played for him last season.
“He really feels like he’s one of the guys in the locker room,” Collins said Wednesday. “He doesn’t try to do too much and be younger than he is but he still has a lot of youth to him and that shows and goes on display every time he’s around the team.”
The Giants don’t necessarily need a player’s coach. Previous coach Brian Daboll was viewed as player-friendly but it didn’t stop the team from going 5-22 in his final 27 games. Mike Kafka’s experience as a former NFL quarterback helped endear him to players, but the Giants are 0-3 in his tenure entering Sunday’s game against the Commanders at MetLife Stadium.
What the Giants need is a leader of men more than a brilliant play-caller. They need somebody who can fix a defense that’s been awful the last two seasons, as well as foster accountability.
For Collins, Freeman fits the bill for that last need.
“He’s quick to own up to his mistakes and let us know how he’s gonna get better and things like that,” Collins said. “He just asked the same thing from his players, that was the main thing.”
Freeman led the Irish to the national championship game last season. Before that, he was Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator and helped develop future NFL defensive backs Sauce Gardner and Coby Bryant.
But the road from college to the NFL is littered with great coaches who couldn’t cut it. Urban Meyer, Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier are three all-time great college coaches who flamed out in the NFL.
Jimmy Johnson, Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh won in both college and the NFL, although Carroll was a pedestrian 27-21 with the Patriots before his storied run at USC.
Which road awaits Freeman? It’s a challenge he might consider with the right offer. He’s also got free time after Notre Dame was left out of the College Football Playoff and decided not to play in a bowl game.
Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua knows Freeman, who signed an extension last December, will be a hot commodity. He told ESPN this week that he’s prepared to adjust Freeman’s contract to ensure he’ll be one of college football’s highest-paid coaches.
“College has eyes on Marcus; NFL has eyes on Marcus. I bet Hollywood has eyes on Marcus,” Bevacqua said to ESPN. “He’s the absolute best coach in the country for Notre Dame, full stop, one of the greatest college coaches in the country.”
That doesn’t mean he can find NFL success. He’s a wild- card option for the Giants, who can’t miss on another hire. After eight losing seasons in the last nine years, they need to think smartly too.
They also can’t gamble with Dart’s future. Hiring the next coach is about developing Dart while also fixing a leaky defense. It’s a tough task for any coach, especially a candidate like Freeman who’s never been around the league.
At the same time, there’s good reason to knock on his door to gauge his interest. Collins thinks he’ll be a good fit based on what he saw last year.
“I’d say the program holistically . . . reminded me a lot of what I experienced here,” Collins said. “Just as far as like, you got to do your job, and if not, it’s on you, things like that.”
It’s worth a call, but is it worth the risk? The Giants would be best to find out about Freeman as they do their homework on every candidate.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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