Marcus Freeman choosing Notre Dame over the NFL shows college sports might not be doomed after all

Marcus Freeman choosing Notre Dame over the NFL shows college sports might not be doomed after all originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

We can imagine Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was not entirely silent in the 29 days following the Irish’s victory at Stanford on the final weekend of November. He must have spoken aloud his lunch order, or talk-texted a few times, and he certainly had to be communicating with recruits.

He had nothing public to say, though, about his team being snubbed by the College Football Playoff committee.

He had nothing to say, either, about reported advances from multiple National Football League franchises to perhaps coach their teams next season.

When he spoke to us at last, it was only five words, a number and a symbol. Oh, and a three-dot ellipsis.

It was loud enough to pierce the cacophony of doom surrounding the world of college athletics.

2026…run it back

Go Irish ☘️

— Marcus Freeman (@Marcus_Freeman1) December 29, 2025

“2026...run it back Go Irish”. He included a shamrock just in case the message was elusive.

Freeman’s declaration he was returning to Notre Dame was subtle, but emphatic when coupled with a Sports Illustrated report he was agreeing to a restructured contract that added one year to his term with the Irish, which now goes to 2031.

If the whole of college athletics truly were unsustainable, why would someone with Freeman’s massively appealing options commit his future? It’s possible he could have become coach of the Titans if he preferred a mid-sized market such as Nashville, or he could have stepped onto the biggest media stage in America by taking over the New York Giants. And the possibilities might have multiplied after after the NFL’s Black Monday in seven days.

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Instead, he will continue coaching at Notre Dame. No one is saying he’s not coaching in the grandest style afforded by the college game, but if the entire enterprise were headed toward decline or collapse, someone this bright would be hopping on the first boat toward the the pros. Because that league is growing into the most powerful single-subject entertainment entity in America. Netflix is bigger, but it draws programming from a myriad of subjects and forms. The NFL puts a football game on a late Sunday afternoon between the Steelers and Lions, and 28.6 million people watch.

Freeman’s announcement followed a weekend in which there were still more complaints about the direction of college athletics. The first and loudest involved the decision of Baylor coach Scott Drew to sign a prospect who had been selected in the NBA Draft but never played in the league, and then the resharing of a Steve Alford comment about the challenges inherent in the transfer portal era helped re-ignite that directionless debate.

College Athletics are broken. The only winners in all of this current NCAA landscape mess are Lawyers, Agents and Ultra-Rich Donors. The big losers the Fans!

One thing is for certain the present Wild West on steroids model is totally unsustainable. https://t.co/b3mtYEE5NY

— Cʜᴜᴄᴋ ᴅᴏᴜɢʟᴀs ✪ (@ChuckDouglas_) December 27, 2025

Drew accepted a commitment from 7-0 center James Nnaji, who was drafted by the Bulls in 2023 but never signed a rookie deal nor played in an NBA game. He spent last season partly in Spain (where he averaged 5.3 points in 14 Liga ACB games) and then in Turkiye (where he improved to 7.5 points in 8 games in the Super League).

Michigan State’s Tom Izzo told Adam Zagoria of NJ Advance Media moves such as this will drive more gifted coaches from the game. National championship winners Jay Wright and Tony Bennett both walked away well before traditional retirement age, as well as Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Roy Williams an Jim Larranaga after they passed their 70^th birthdays.

“I’m bitching about it because I care,” Izzo said.

SN AWARDS: 2025 All-America team | Player of the Year | Coach of the Year

Freeman is just 39 years old, though, He could have an enduring future in the NFL, well removed from the immediate transfer eligibility aspect of the portal that makes college rosters relatively unstable. He chose Notre Dame, anyway.

Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame

* - includes Fiesta Bowl loss in 2021

When Freeman spoke last year with motivational speaker Molly Fletcher on her podcast “Game Changers”, he addressed the importance of being aware of the challenges and opportunities that might become available with hard work and success.

“I tell our team often: Great opportunities usually involve a struggle,” Freeman said. “It’s OK. It’s not going to be easy. A lot of times I say, ‘Choose hard.’ That is something that’s I have a firm belief in. That’s probably one of the reasons I chose Notre Dame.

“But you don’t know where the next step is. I didn’t know I was going to be named head coach at Notre Dame when I made the decision to come here and be a defensive coordinator. But what I did know was that I was going to put my head down and work as hard as I can and love our players and coach them and lead them. And the next opportunity presented itself.”

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Whichever avenue Freeman had chosen for his future was going to be difficult. In the NFL, you can avoid a losing record for 19 years and still have legions wanting you fired. In college, you might recruit and develop a promising quarterback and see that player choose to move elsewhere for his final couple years.

If the future of college sports appeared catastrophic, though – and the future of Notre Dame football – the choice for Freeman would have been easy. His tweet would have involved the letters N-F-L, for sure.