When [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] was named [autotag]Brian Kelly’s[/autotag] successor, not many of us were surprised. In fact, it was the logical choice to elevate the fast-rising coaching star.
Not only did Notre Dame hire one of the best coaches in the country, they did what many schools have not done, make a minority as the face of their program. It is obviously not the first time the Irish have done that, with [autotag]Ty Willingham[/autotag] paving the way, but it still was an important move.
As ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg put it, “Freeman became head coach of arguably the sport’s most famous team,” when looking at which rising minority coaches could follow in his footsteps. Current Maryland head coach [autotag]Mike Locksley[/autotag] knew the importance of Freeman’s hire, calling him a “unicorn” due to getting his first head coaching job with the Irish.
As the story continues from Rittenberg, Freeman understands “that you are the representation for a lot of people. I want to make sure that I do this in the right way so that future generations and coaches continue to get the opportunity that I was presented.”
So far, so good in Freeman’s tenure, even with losing his first game against Oklahoma State. He has big shoes to fill, not just in South Bend, but across the country.
[lawrence-related id=56287]
[listicle id=29791]
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen