NOTRE DAME, Indiana – University of Notre Dame Dick Corbett Head soccer coach Brian Kelly announced the addition of Marcus Freeman to his coaching staff on Friday. Freeman will serve as Bob Hinton’s defense coordinator and will work directly with the Irish linebackers. Recruitment takes place at the end of the university’s regular employment process.
“When we were looking to find someone to lead our defense, it was important to find the right person for our program and Marcus and his family are just that,” Kelly said. “He has had a lot of success on the field, both in defense and in his direct work with his linebackers. In addition, he is considered one of the elite recruiters in the coaching ranks.
“The work Marcus has done to improve the programs he is part of speaks for itself, but equally important is the exceptional work he has done in building relationships with his staff and players. Marcus was our first choice to become our next defensive coordinator, and we are delighted that he and his family will be joining us at Notre Dame. ”
Freeman is coming to South Bend from his former position as defense coordinator and linebackers coach at the University of Cincinnati, a position he held as of January 2017.
The Bearcats (9-1) made national noise in 2020-21, entering bowling season as the No. 8-ranked team in the country and winning the American Athletic Conference Championship, the program’s first direct league title since 2009, when Kelly served as the Cincinnati head coach. Cincinnati made its appearance at the Chik-Fil-A Peach Bowl and dropped to No. 9 Georgia by a narrow margin after an unbeaten regular season.
The Cincinnati defense was in the Top 20 nationally in several categories for 2020-21, including 13th in total defense (324.6 yards per game) and eighth in defense (16.8 points per game) of all FBS teams. Additionally, the Bearcats were third in team-passing efficiency defense (101.25), 14th in fast defense (111.1 yards per game), 15th in red zone defense (0.735 speed), 17th in fourth downward defense (0.375 speed), 16th in team bags (3.0 per game) and 10th in turnover achieved (21).
Standout Bearcat cornerback Ahmad Gardner collected multiple All-America squads and was named to the FWAA and USA TODAY first teams, alongside Associated Press, AFCA and The Athletic second teams. He was also named a first team All-AAC.
Prior to his success in 2020, Freeman was part of a UC staff that coached the Bearcats to back-to-back 11-win seasons in 2018 and 2019, the 2019 American Athletic Conference East Division Championship, and consecutive bowl-game victories in 2018 Military Bowl and TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl 2019.
The Bearcats topped the 2019 AAC rankings in defense for the second consecutive season and were among the league’s top three in rush and total defense. In 2018, Cincinnati led the American in hasty defense, scoring defense and total defense, and was among the Top-15 in the NCAA FBS in all three categories.
Prior to Cincinnati, Freeman spent four years at Purdue, where he coached linebackers all four seasons and served as Co-Defensive Coordinator for the Boilermakers in 2015. He is credited with transforming the Purdue linebacking corps into a strength of multiple notable disciples, including: Markus Bailey, 2016 Highly Commended All-Big Ten squad and Boilermaker defense leader with 97 tackles; Jimmy Herman, winner of Purdue’s Guy “Red” Mackey Award and the Noble E. Kizer Award, for illustrating the overall success of the college’s peer athletics program and achieving the highest GPA among soccer players during the 2016 calendar year; and Ja’Whaun Bentley, a USA Today Freshman All-American in 2014 and selected captain by his teammates ahead of the 2015 season.
Freeman coached linebackers at Kent State from 2011-12, where he led inside linebacker Luke Batton to the second-team All-Mid-American Conference award in 2012 after finishing with 143 total tackles, including 80 solo stops. Outside of linebacker CJ Malauulu was a third team of all conference selection in 2012, with a total of 72 tackles.
Freeman began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Ohio State, in 2010, when the Buckeyes went 12-1 with a victory in the Sugar Bowl.
A four-year letter winner for the 2004-08 Buckeyes, Freeman earned the second All-Big Ten award in 2008, helping Ohio State to four conference titles, three BCS bowls and two trips to the national title game during his career. He played in the 2009 Senior Bowl and was a fifth-round NFL Draft pick of the Chicago Bears, where he spent time with the Bears, Buffalo Bills, and Houston Texans before a medical condition ended his playing career.
A graduate of Ohio State in 2007, Freeman earned the accolades Academic All-Big Ten and Academic All Districts. In 2011 he received a master’s degree in sports management from the state of Ohio. He graduated from Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio, and was a Parade All-American.
Freeman has a daughter, Bria, and he and his wife, Joanna, have six children: Vinny, Siena, Gino, Nico, Capri and Rocco.
PERSONAL DATA
Born: January 10, 1986
Hometown: Huber Hts., Ohio
Woman: Joanna
Children: Bria, Vinny, Siena, Gino, Nico, Capri, Rocco
Education: Ohio State (2007, BS; 2011, MS)
Year in coaching: 10th
PLAY CAREER
2004-08: Ohio State (Linebacker)
2009: Chicago Bears (Linebacker) Buffalo Bills (Linebacker); Houston Texans (Linebacker)
COACHING CAREER
YEAR: SCHOOL – FUNCTION
2010: Ohio State – Graduate Assistant
2011-12: Kent State – Linebackers
2013-15: Purdue – Linebackers
2016: Purdue – Co-Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
2017-: Cincinnati – Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
BOWLS LED
YEAR: SCHOOL – COME
2010: Ohio State – Sugar
2012: Kent State – GoDaddy.com
2018: Cincinnati – Military
2019: Cincinnati – Birmingham
2020: Cincinnati – Peach
IN PLAYED BOWLS
YEAR: SCHOOL – COME
2005: Ohio State – Fiesta
2006: Ohio State – BCS National Championship
2007: Ohio State – BCS National Championship
2008: Ohio State – Fiesta