The New York Giants have a big chair to fill after firing Brian Daboll mid-season. As they begin the search for their next head coach, one candidate from the college ranks stands out as an attractive option.
Big news broke this week in college football as the committee selected the 12 teams that will make up the bracket. The biggest snub was Notre Dame, which was confusingly omitted from the selection despite a stellar 10-2 season.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has since found his name swirling in NFL head coaching rumors, with the Giants being among the teams reportedly interested in his services.
The Giants are reportedly among several NFL teams interested in Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman
According to reports, NFL teams are circling South Bend with interest in hiring Freeman.
“Everybody has eyes on Marcus,” Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said this week, via Adam Rittenberg of ESPN. “College has eyes on Marcus, NFL has eyes on Marcus. I bet Hollywood has eyes on Marcus.”
Bevacqua said one of his primary obligations is to ensure Freeman feels valued at Notre Dame. He also said Freeman’s contract will be revised annually to ensure his position among the sport’s highest-paid coaches. Notre Dame is scrambling to keep Freeman away and shield him from any prying eyes.
With Notre Dame’s season officially over, the Giants could technically interview Freeman for their vacant head coaching job right now if they wanted to. Additionally, there’s no requirement for teams with vacant head coaching gigs (the Giants and the Titans) to announce or even to disclose that they have interviewed Freeman. That’s the rule as it relates to any coach who currently isn’t working for another NFL team, per NBC’s Mike Florio.
The Giants will likely have an interest in bringing Freeman in for an interview. Paul Schwartz of The New York Post previously reported that “there is some high regard in the Giants’ building for Marcus Freeman.”
Freeman is now the betting favorite to become the Giants’ next head coach with -200 odds.
Dan Duggan of The Athletic also reported that Freeman is someone he thinks the Giants will “absolutely have interest in.” However, whether or not that interest would be mutual is the question.
Furthermore, the Giants would need to be willing to pay up if they want to hire Freeman. While the exact amount has not been disclosed, Freeman does have a buyout clause in his contract. And, based on other buyouts around college football, Freeman’s price to hire could be tens of millions of dollars.
Why Freeman is becoming a top head coaching candidate
Freeman is a 39-year-old rising star in college football. He took over as the Notre Dame head coach in December of 2021 and has led the team to a 43-12 (.782 Win Pct.) overall record across his four seasons.
In 2024, Notre Dame went 14-2 as Freeman led the team to the CFP National Championship Game. He followed that up with a 10-2 record this season and a controversial CFP snub.
The Giants want a head coach with some experience in the role. Freeman doesn’t have experience being a head coach, or any coach for that matter, at the NFL level. However, as head coach of the Fighting Irish, Freeman has earned his reputation as an exceptional leader and culture setter.
Freeman is a defensive-minded coach by background, but his reputation is built more on overarching leadership than on a specific scheme. He is well-suited to manage a large staff and oversee an entire program, making him the “CEO-type” of head coaching candidate the Giants are seeking.
Hiring Freeman would provide the Giants with a complete culture change centered on discipline, accountability, and strong leadership. His ability to recruit and develop top talent in the college ranks is undeniable. If those traits translate to the NFL level, then the Giants would be positioned to rebuild their program by attracting free agents, developing draft picks, and hiring strong offensive and defensive coordinators.
Would Freeman be too big a swing for the Giants?
However, despite his undeniably impressive resume as a collegiate coach, Freeman’s lack of NFL coaching experience might prevent him from being the Giants’ top choice. The college-to-pro leap is historically volatile.
Successful college coaches don’t always find success at the next level, as the roster-building process is vastly different. NFL personnel are acquired through the draft, trades, and free agency — not recruiting visits.
And, if there is any lesson the Giants learned during Daboll’s tenure, it’s that hiring the right coordinators is absolutely crucial. As a coach with no NFL experience, Freeman’s connections within the league might be limited, and that could prevent him from hiring the best coordinators for the jobs. The quality of his coordinator hires is paramount, and Freeman needs to prove he can attract and successfully delegate play-calling to elite NFL minds. His potential coordinator hires are a complete unknown at this point.
But the bottom line remains the bottom line: the Giants need a cultural reset and a head coach with the leadership skills to rebuild their program. Freeman fits that mold to a T. He will be among their top choices this offseason — if they can pry him away from Notre Dame.
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