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After making the decision to part ways with James Franklin as its head coach, Penn State and athletics director Pat Kraft are faced with a common question: who are you going to get that’s better? Would you consider Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman a better option?
If you can’t beat him, hire him?
Freeman is enjoying a good run as the head coach of Notre Dame and is fresh off a run to the national championship game a season ago, at the expense of Penn State in the semifinal. Notre Dame is a unique situation as an independent football program as it is one that carries weight in the national college football world, more so out of respect for its history than anything else, it would seem. Being a power conference program affiliated with the ACC for most sports (and Big Ten for hockey) helps, and Notre Dame’s revenue stream has never been a concern, even in the changing landscape of collegiate athletics. Notre Dame could make more by joining a conferenc,e but has continued to be satisfied with its current position for years and shows no sign of giving up its football independence.
And that all leads to Freeman continuing to be in a very good spot as head coach of the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame has just as much of a chance of playing in the College Football Playoff as any other school and recent changes to the seeding process has allowed the independent program to have a shot at a first-round bye (the top four seeds were reserved for conference champions last season, but that restriction has been lifted).
All things considered, Freeman should absolutely be considered an attractive candidate for Penn State athletics director Pat Kraft, and he is a coach that could be considered an upgrade from Franklin right off the bat. He is young, brings a winning mentality wherever he goes, and has proven more than capable of guiding a power football prorgam in the expanded playoff era. This season got off to a rough start with two tough losses, but Notre Dame has quickly gotten back on track and could be on its way to a return to the College Football Playoff this year. Freeman and Notre Dame host USC this weekend in a pivotal game that could determine if Notre Dame will have a shot at returning to the playoff this season.
I included Freeman on my initial coaching hot board just because the name had been thrown out there initially by a few. I tend to believe this would be a stretch to be able to lure Freeman away from South Bend to take over the Penn State job in what I would feel is a pretty lateral move. Ohio State would seemingly be the more likely move out of Notre Dame for Freeman I could see happening if Ryan Day ever saw his time come to an end in Columbus.
Any contract offer for Freeman would be expected to be on par with what Penn State was committed to Franklin, one would assume. And there is a good chance Notre Dame would make it difficult for Penn State to lure their coach away if it comes down to the contract. So this remains a candidate worth watching in the headlines, but it may not have much traction other than what we are seeing in the initial stages of this coaching search.
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