Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman patiently answered questions about his game plan, opponent, and the job he loves at the College Football Playoff national championship game media day.
In the booth next to Freeman, Fighting Irish star running back Jeremiyah Love giddily fielded queries from eager reporters. Love said he was at full health, joked about his penchant for hurdling defenders and laughed when asked about potentially doing in-game backflips.
A grin on the sophomore’s face widened when asked about Freeman potentially being the first Black coach to win an FBS national championship.
“We win this game … (and) Coach Free’s going to be a legend here,” Love said, alluding to the timing of the game.
It’s true that Monday, Freeman will coach and Love will play in the biggest game of the season — and potentially their careers. For Freeman, the moment is historic. He is the first Black and Asian American head coach in an FBS national championship game, which is being played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 3 miles from the birth home of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., on the day that honors his name and legacy.
In interviews leading to the his team’s showdown with Ohio State, Freeman has insisted that focus should be directed on King’s accomplishments, not his own.
That doesn’t mean the gravity of the moment and what it means is lost on the 39-year-old coach.
“I do not take for granted that I am a representation for many guys on this team that look like me,” Freeman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
He has a diplomatic response to the excitement of players showing love for their coach’s accomplishments.
“I want our young people to be able to look at me and say, ‘Hey, if I want to be the head coach at Notre Dame — dang it — if I work hard enough and do the right things, I’ve got a chance to do it because look at my head coach,‘” he said.
Freeman grew up in Ohio. His parents met while his dad served in the U.S. Air Force. Freeman’s dad is Black. His mother is Korean.
In 2023, 14% of Division I football head coaches were Black, per the NCAA’s demographics database. That number drops to 11% if you exclude historically Black colleges and universities. The rarity also is part of why Freeman’s ascent since taking over as head coach in 2021 has drawn media and NFL attention. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s compiled a 33-9 record in that time.
The man dubbed by his team as “Coach Free” is an inspiration to players like Love, who rushed for over 1,000 yards this season.
“Coach Free sets an example for people that look like us and just lets them know that you can get to the big stage, you can make it far,” he said.
He added, “I love to see it — Black boys, Black men having success.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Love’s teammate, wide receiver Jayden Thomas, understands history. Thomas’ grandfather, Phillip Rodgers, was the first Black quarterback to start for Virginia Tech in 1975.
Thomas, a McDonough native, was a standout at Pace Academy. As a local kid, he grew up with a learned understanding of King’s impact and how it showed up in his life being able to attend predominantly white schools.
Thomas said Freeman is an example of being judged by the content of your character, not color. “That’s why we’re so successful because of the man that he is and what he’s taught us as young men,” he said.
The sentiment is shared by Freeman’s coaching staff, including former NFL player and current Notre Dame associate head coach Deland McCullough.
McCullough insists that ahead of the game, he’s fixated on his job, which includes running backs coach, but admits watching another Black man lead a blue-blood university on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is special.
“So just like Coach Free said, at the end of the day, you got to be measured by what you do, not how you look,” he said. “Fortunately for us, both of those things are in the spotlight in a positive way right now.”
In 2021, Freeman wrote a piece for the Players' Tribune when he took the Notre Dame job. In it, he spoke about being a member of the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches and the need for change in his industry.
“We need more minorities to get the opportunity to interview — and we need more minorities to get the opportunity to do a job that they can have success in,” Freeman wrote.
Though now Freeman might downplay responses when asked about his story colliding with King’s legacy, he’s all praise on how the civil rights icon influenced him.
“He made change through his actions and his words, and the courage he has as a leader is something that I still am impacted by, as I study his life,” he said, noting that King was only 39 when he was assassinated, the same age as Freeman.
“The impact that man made is just humbling to even think about.”
Freeman said his impact is minimal in comparison.
“That’s what I want to make sure. Anybody that talks about me on this day, on Dr. King’s Day, let’s point the attention at Dr. King, the person who really made change in our country,” he said.
Freeman and King’s connection resonates with Black Notre Dame and Ohio State fans.
Thomasville native Paul Dunbar Jr. graduated from Fort Valley State University but his love for Notre Dame started with “Game of the Century.” Dunbar watched the 1993 classic on television, which featured fellow Thomasville native and Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward leading No. 1 Florida State against No. 2 Notre Dame. Dunbar watched his hometown hero lose, but he fell in love with the gold and blue.
Walking around Playoff Fan Central at the Georgia World Congress Center, he was ecstatic talking about Freeman. In addition to making the Irish more team-oriented, Dunbar said Freeman feels like a man of destiny.
“If we win, and he becomes the first Black coach to win the championship in the history of college football on MLK Day here in Atlanta, it’d be something that was written, man,” he said.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
If Atlanta native and Ohio State fan Tom Baylark had his druthers, Freeman won’t be basking in a confetti shower when the final whistle blows.
Baylark was standing outside of the College Football Hall of Fame with his son, both decked out in Ohio State gear.
At 65, Baylark said he’s watched the game evolve over generations. The change that Freeman represents, Baylark said, means something to fans on both sides, even if he deflects the spotlight’s glare.
“The fact that we now have people who look like me in high-ranking positions, in high-ranking athletic programs is extremely significant and gives folks like my son here targets to shoot for as they grow up,” he said.
“They’ve got great examples of folks that have done it before them standing on the shoulders of giants, whether he wants to think he’s one or not.”
Even though he doesn’t want to see Freeman make any winning calls from the sideline against his beloved Buckeyes, his presence there on MLK Day matters.
“It puts an exclamation point on the game,” he said. “This guy’s accomplishing things that folks like us didn’t do, couldn’t do.”
If you were to ask Freeman, he’ll tell you King has done more for his country than the dude wearing a headset, mentoring college kids. He gets that his name written next to that of man a who changed the world means something.
“As far as me being the first Black or Asian head coach to be in this game, I am grateful. I am so grateful to help represent a lot of guys, especially our players and coaches that look like me,” he said.
Whatever history writes next about Freeman, he hopes credit is given to multiple authors.
“I’m going to make sure the attention is turned on the team,” he said. “I’m not in this position without the team and without the other coaches getting the job done.”
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