Bears HC candidate profile: Will Marcus Freeman leave Notre Dame?

The Chicago Bears are searching for their next head coach, where general manager Ryan Poles will lead the charge in a wide-ranging search that will include up-and-coming coordinators, former head coaches, and even a current head coach.

As the coaching carousel begins to take its spins around the league, there have been many names being connected to the Bears, including Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, who is in the midst of a historic season and on the verge of capturing a national championship. Freeman has the Fighting Irish playing inspired football, so much so that it has the Bears interested in his services despite being so young in his coaching career.

The Bears have requested to interview Freeman, though it's unclear as of now if he will entertain the opportunity. Here is an in-depth look at what he brings to the table.

Background

• Current Job: Head coach, Notre Dame (2021-present)

• Age: 39

• Hometown: Fairborn, Ohio

• College: The Ohio State University

Experience

• Head coach. Notre Dame (2021-present)

• Defensive coordinator & linebackers coach, Notre Dame (2021)

• Defensive coordinator & linebackers coach, University of Cincinnati (2017-2020)

• Co-defensive coordinator & linebackers coach, Purdue (2016)

• Linebackers coach, Purdue (2013-2015)

• Linebackers coach, Kent State (2011-2012)

• Graduate assistant, The Ohio State University (2010)

Fit with Bears

Seeing that the Bears had interest in Freeman a couple of months ago was a bit of a surprise a couple of days after Matt Eberflus was let go. It seemed like it was merely doing their due diligence while Freeman looked to earn more money from Notre Dame. It worked because he signed a lucrative contract extension, seeming to signal the end of any interest from the Bears. That didn't deter them.

Chicago came calling and put in a request to interview Freeman, to which he has yet to respond while he's getting his team ready for the national championship game against his alma mater. Freeman would be an interesting fit with the Bears, though, and not just because he would be going back to the team that drafted him back in 2009.

Freeman is very inexperienced but has Notre Dame completely bought in on what he's doing with the program. It's taken Freeman just three seasons to reach the mountaintop of college football, and now he has a chance to cement his legacy. The Bears need someone who can turn around a middling program and get buy-in from every single player. The team would play inspired football under him; there is no question about that. It's fair to wonder if he can handle a professional team this early in his career, though.

The other factor to consider is Caleb Williams, whose development is paramount for the next head coach. Freeman hasn't had the most prolific quarterbacks to work with at Notre Dame, like Drew Pyne, Sam Hartman, and Riley Leonard. He has won plenty of games with them, though, which counts for something. Still, he needs to provide a competent staff that would be able to get the most out of Williams heading into Year 2. It's a tall task.

They said it...

"At the end of the day, it’s guys who are putting their bodies on the line and doing everything they can for the man next to them. Nobody is thinking about draft stocks or next year or anything like that, any type of individual glory. We’re all thinking about the man beside us. I think we proved throughout the season that culture wins, and it’s a special place for a reason."

-- Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard on the culture built by Marcus Freeman (via NBC Sports)

Bottom line

Freeman has shown he can win big at the collegiate level. His record at Notre Dame is 33-9, and he has the most top-25 wins of any Irish coach during their first three seasons. But Freeman still has a ways to go before he proves he can do this at the professional level. He's so young in his coaching career, and it feels early for him to leave his position for an NFL job.

On the other hand, he was a relatively unknown option back in 2021 when Notre Dame promoted him to head coach. It's not a move the program would have made years ago, and it turned out to be the best thing for them. Maybe Freeman is capable of more already, and a move to the NFL wouldn't be as risky as it would seem otherwise. And if he winds up defeating Ohio State to win the College Football Playoff National Championship, what else does he have left to prove?

At this juncture, however, it seems Freeman is happy in South Bend, and it's hard to see a move to the NFL happening. Check back in with him in a couple of years, and it might very well be a different story.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC candidate profile: Will Marcus Freeman leave Notre Dame?