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Last week, at a news conference before the College Football Playoff semifinals, Penn State coach James Franklin turned to his counterpart, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, and asked a question.
“How old are you now, Marcus?”
“Thirty-eight,” Freeman curtly answered.
Franklin, 52, was trying to make a joke about how Freeman’s full head of hair compared to his own bald dome (“I mean, look at the hairline on this guy”).
He went on to praise Freeman’s leadership and coaching acumen and, considering Franklin was just 39 when he was hired as the head coach of Vanderbilt, is probably empathetic to being a young coach.
Still, the question hung in the air. It felt dismissive. It felt condescending. It felt like a mental game. Whatever it was, it caused the self-deprecating joke to fall flat. Freeman didn’t look happy.
“He was angry,” Xavier Watts, a Notre Dame safety, told the Athletic. “He was angry with the press conference thing, whatever was going on between that. He was mad about that. All the anger went toward us and that anger went onto the field.”
Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24.
Freeman, who has since turned 39, will lead the Fighting Irish into Monday’s national title game against Ohio State.
The Chicago Bears have reportedly made overtures to interview Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman for its head coaching vacancy. (CFP/Getty Images)
If he is still considered youthful by college coaching standards — he’s the fifth-youngest in the power leagues — respect in his abilities is all grown up. Notre Dame’s three playoff victories, complete with excellent gameplans, second-half comebacks and wrinkle plays at key moments, have played a large role in that.
It’s why the Chicago Bears, according to the NFL Network, are interested in speaking with him about becoming their head coach.
And it’s also why Freeman…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-notre-dames-marcus-freeman-should-turn-down-nfl–for-now-175840760.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2025-01-15 17:58:00
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