Earlier than his group begins play within the School Soccer Playoff, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman has agreed to a major contract extension with the college.
In line with Irish Illustrated, Freeman has landed a four-year extension that may make him one of many highest-paid coaches within the nation at greater than $9 million per 12 months. Freeman has a 30-9 document since taking on this system forward of the 2022 Fiesta Bowl following the departure of Brian Kelly to LSU.
“I’m grateful for the help of the Board of Trustees, led by John Veihmeyer, President Fr. Bob Dowd, C.S.C., and Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua,” Freeman mentioned in a press release. “The funding they proceed to pour into our program is invaluable to our student-athletes and employees. This dedication goes effectively past myself, as they’re devoted to making sure all elements of our program are aggressive throughout the higher echelon of school soccer.”
Freeman led the Irish to an 11-1 document, a No. 5 rating this season and the seventh seed with a first-round CFP matchup towards tenth-seeded Indiana on faucet for Friday night time in South Bend. The winner will face No. 2 Georgia within the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.
Notre Dame opened the season with an enormous street win over Texas A&M, solely to then undergo a surprising residence loss to Northern Illinois. From there, Notre Dame rattled off 10 consecutive victories to place itself in place for a house first-round sport within the School Soccer Playoff. It is the third CFP look in Notre Dame historical past.
Freeman, who arrived at Notre Dame as Kelly’s defensive coordinator in 2021, went 9-4 in his first season after which 10-3 final fall. Earlier than touchdown in South Bend, Freeman had a four-year stint because the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati. He additionally coached at Ohio State, Kent State and Purdue following a short NFL profession.
