It’s safe to say we all agreed that when Brian Kelly announced defensive coordinator Clark Lea’s replacement was Marcus Freeman, it was a home-run hire. Just because we all think it’s the case doesn’t mean it’s is, but today when ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg looked at college football coaches who improved their stock (insider) who improved their stock, it was nice seeing Freeman included in the group.
Rittenberg prefaced Freeman’s inclusion by noting that he didn’t coach at the Power-5 level this year but does that really matter what level he was on? What he did a Cincinnati this past season was impressive, top-8 nationally in points allowed, raw QBR and yards per play allowed.
What’s nice to know is that Freeman had options to join multiple programs, as Rittenberg noted that he was a candidate for the Illinois head coaching job along with defensive coordinator at LSU, but chose the Irish. “No recent Group of 5 coordinator has built a stronger profile than the 35-year-old former Ohio State linebacker,” he said when explaining why Freeman made his list.
The ties to Indiana and Ohio are significant, as Freeman “has spend his entire coaching career” in the two states. What’s important about this fact is he understands how important the Midwest region is in recruiting. There is already buzz about Notre Dame potentially flipping Ohio State instate commit Jyaire Brown and making a big impact in chatting with Indiana defensive tackle Caden Curry, a top-100 prospect.
It’s not just the fact that Freeman is a coaching star on the rise, it’s the fact that he will be able to use his pull locally to bring in high level prospects to South Bend. Although we have yet to see the fruits of his labor, it’s a great feeling to know that Kelly made the right choice for Lea’s replacement in Freeman.