Even with the Fighting Irish vying for their first national championship since Ronald Regan was president, there is a growing sense of dread among Notre Dame fans heading into next week’s title game against Ohio State.
The NFL’s Chicago Bears are reportedly planning to interview Irish head coach Marcus Freeman for their vacancy, according to the NFL Network. And that news has resulted in both panic and denial among the Notre Dame faithful.
‘Nope,’ one Irish fan wrote on X. ‘Not allowed.’
‘Freeman is the best thing to happen to this team in a LONG time,’ another added. ‘I sure hope he doesn’t chase the $ to the NFL. I hope they don’t make him an offer he can’t refuse.’
One fan kept it simple: ‘Tell the Bears to kick rocks.’
Many others simply refused to believe Freeman would have interest in the position – particularly after signing an extension in October that should keep him in South Bend for six more seasons.
The NFL’s Chicago Bears are reportedly planning to interview Irish head coach Marcus Freeman (pictured) for their vacancy, according to the NFL Network
Notre Dame fans are seen reacting during Thursday’s Orange Bowl win over Penn State
‘Would assume he has a large buyout since it’s the first year of his new contract,’ one fan wrote on X.
Several other Notre Dame fans suggested the Bears hire LSU coach Brian Kelly, who famously defected from South Bend to Baton Rouge in November of 2021, allowing Freeman to be promoted to interim coach.
‘They should go after Brian Kelly,’ one wrote. ‘He has a history of leaving the team at a moment’s notice.’
Freeman, of course, has more pressing matters at the moment. The head coach is guiding the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish into a clash against eighth-seeded Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
He owns a 33-9 coaching record with Notre Dame and sits one victory shy of leading the program to its first national championship since the 1988 season.
The 39-year-old Freeman also is no stranger to the Bears. He was selected by Chicago in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.
Another former Bears player, Ron Rivera — who has served as the head coach for the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders — interviewed for the Chicago job Sunday.
Rivera, who recently celebrated his 63rd birthday, has a 102-103-2 record as an NFL head coach, coaching for nine years in Carolina and another four in Washington. His Carolina tenure was by far the more successful one, including four playoff seasons and an NFC championship in 2015.
Bears fans haven’t had much to celebrate in one of the NFL’s most competitive divisions
Several other Notre Dame fans suggested the Bears hire LSU coach Brian Kelly, who famously defected from South Bend to Baton Rouge in 2021, allowing Freeman to be promoted
A nine-year pro, Rivera was selected in the second round (44th overall) by the Bears in the 1984 NFL Draft and, as a reserve linebacker, was a member of the famed 1985 Super Bowl champions.
The Bears are searching for a head coach to replace Matt Eberflus, who was fired after Week 13 with the team at 4-8. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown finished the season with a 1-4 mark as Chicago wound up in last place in the tough NFC North.
The Bears are scheduled to interview Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, as well as offensive coordinators Kliff Kingsbury (Washington Commanders), Todd Monken (Baltimore Ravens) and Arthur Smith (Pittsburgh Steelers) this week.
They already have interviewed offensive coordinators Ben Johnson (Detroit Lions), Drew Petzing (Arizona Cardinals) and Mike Kafka (New York Giants), defensive coordinators Aaron Glenn (Lions) and Anthony Weaver (Miami Dolphins), and former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel also interviewed, but he is out of the running after being named the coach of the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams leaves the field following a loss on December 26
Two upset losses stood out among the rest in college football this season. Notre Dame suffered one of them. Ohio State the other.
In years past, those losses might have been enough to knock both teams out of the hunt for a national title. This year, with the debut of the 12-team playoff, those two teams will play for it.
The Buckeyes beat Texas 28-14 on Friday night to set up a Jan. 20 meeting against the Fighting Irish. Ohio State hasn’t lost since it fell 13-10 to Michigan in November. Notre Dame hasn’t lost since it fell 16-14 to Northern Illinois way back in September.
Ohio State is in search of its sixth AP national title, ninth overall, and its first since the College Football Playoff debuted in 2014 with a four-team playoff. Notre Dame is going for its 12th championship, but its first since 1988.
This Big Ten vs. independent matchup means this is the second straight year that the Southeastern Conference will be shut out of the final after winning the championship in six of the previous eight years.
Ohio State opens as a 9 1/2-point favorite according to BetMGM. Ohio State won meetings in 2022 and 2023 and leads the series 6-2.
The losses this season helped set the tone for both teams as they embarked on the sort of comeback that might not have been possible in years past.
‘The time you´re tested the most is when you´re at your lowest point,’ said Freeman, who will become the first Black coach to capture the national title with a win. ‘We lose to Northern Illinois and you´ve got a decision: ”Do I want to be selfless? Or am I going to put individual glory ahead of myself?”’
Mitch Jeter #98 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with Pat Coogan #78 after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24 in the Capital One Orange Bowl
Ohio State coach Ryan Day said the Michigan game is ‘what life’s all about.’
‘You have to go through adversity along the way, and how you handle adversity is how you define life, and these guys are going through life lessons right now,’ Day said.
The game will pit Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard against Ohio State’s Will Howard, each of whom are in their first year at their schools after entering the transfer portal after last season.
Though there was NIL money involved, both players said they moved to schools to try to win a title.
‘The truth is, I came here to win a national championship, and to go to the best team that would give me the best chance to do that,’ said Riley, who moved to Notre Dame from Duke.
‘I had a list of things I was looking for, in terms of needing to go somewhere where there was a lot of talent around me and somewhere I could compete for a national championship,’ Howard told ESPN last year, not long after he made the move from Kansas State.
