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In an episode of NBC Sports’ “Race in America: A Candid Conversation”, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly appears to have hinted at who will take his place once his days with the Fighting Irish are over.
Here’s what Kelly had to say on the matter.
“My defensive coordinator is Black, and he’s going to be the next head coach,” said Brian Kelly. “This is not about color or race. This is about the things that he just talked about. Steph talked about the important things to be a CEO and understanding how to make people around you better.”
Whether or not Kelly is referencing that defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman will go on to coach somewhere else, or end up replacing him at Notre Dame, Freeman has had a pretty good coaching resume so far.
Freeman started as the linebackers coach at Kent State in 2011 before moving to his first Power 5 job at Purdue in 2013 as a linebackers coach.
His first job as an actual coordinator was at Cincinnati, where he was one of the first people hired as a part of Luke Fickell’s staff in 2018. After performing very well for the Bearcats, Freeman was hired by Notre Dame after the 2020 season.
Brian Kelly has been at Notre Dame since 2010 and he amassed a record of 81-39, only missing a bowl game once during his career with Irish so far.
Grant Bricker was a former freelancer for The News TN in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. He now freelances for Saturday Football. Follow on Twitter @GrantBricker.
