Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell’s former top assistant coach Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinal on Thursday with a 23-10 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.
Freeman was Fickell’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Cincinnati from 2017-20. He left for the same position at Notre Dame in 2021 before being promoted to head coach in 2022.
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The fast-rising head coach is now 32-9 through almost three years at the helm at Notre Dame. His team is 13-1 in 2024 after its win over Georgia, with the only loss coming at home to Northern Illinois in Week 2.
Freeman first reached his stride as an assistant under Fickell. In only his second year on the job, he led the Bearcats’ defense to AAC-best marks, continuing that standing through the rest of his tenure with the team. He was also a finalist for the Broyles Award (the nation’s top assistant coach) in 2020 before leaving for Notre Dame.
Fickell, a former defensive coach, continued the success from the Freeman era into 2021, leading Cincinnati to a 13-1 record and College Football Playoff appearance. He then went 9-4 in 2022 before leaving for the Wisconsin job.
Fickell is 12-13 through two years with the Badgers. He’s still looking to recapture a stretch at Cincinnati from 2018-21 that included a 44-7 record, two AAC championships and appearances in the Peach and Cotton Bowls.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, continues its national quest on Thursday in the Capital One Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal) against Penn State.
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