Freeman, 40, had been tied to the Giants’ head coaching vacancy after New York fired Brian Daboll during the 2025 season. NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported on Dec. 21 that Freeman was Big Blue’s top college prospect.
As of Sunday morning, there are eight NFL head coaching vacancies, of the expected (Raiders, Titans) and unexpected (Dolphins, Ravens) variety.
Freeman is entering his fifth full season at Notre Dame (one game as interim coach in 2021). He carries a 43-12 record, four bowl victories and an appearance in the College Football Playoff last year. His .782 hitting percentage ranks fifth among Irish coaches who lasted more than one season, just behind Notre Dame legend Ara Parseghian.
Freeman has a brief encounter with the NFL. A former Ohio State linebacker, he was a fifth-round pick of the Bears in 2009. He bounced around practice squads during his rookie season before retiring in 2010 with an enlarged heart.
After leaving the NFL, he went into coaching, climbing the recruiting ladder as he bounced from Ohio State to Kent State to Purdue to Cincinnati and then finally to Notre Dame, where he took over for Brian Kelly after the 2020 season.
Currently, no college coaches are being asked to interview for NFL head coaching jobs. That could change if Freeman is willing to make the leap.