Yes, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman has been linked to LSU job

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman addressed the fact that he’s aware of the rumors linking him to Penn State after James Franklin was fired.

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On Sunday, LSU fired former Irish head coach Brian Kelly. Most Notre Dame fans rejoiced when Kelly left for Baton Rouge.

While Kelly deserved major credit for turning the program around from the dark years of Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham, and Charlie Weis, he was never going to elevate the Irish from a College Football Playoff pretender to a national title contender.

However, losing Freeman to PSU, LSU, or another school would sting. The Irish feel like they’re close to actually winning a title for the first time since 1988 when Lou Holtz ran the program.

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman is connected to LSU job

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On Sunday night, ESPN already linked Freeman to the now-open LSU job.

Via ESPN:

“Would LSU successfully swipe Notre Dame’s coach twice in a row? It’s hard to say. Should LSU make inquiries about Freeman? Absolutely. He has established himself as one of the sport’s top young coaches at just 39. Freeman is the first Notre Dame coach to win a CFP game — three in fact — as he guided the Fighting Irish to the national championship game last fall.

“He’s 38-12 as Notre Dame’s coach and has the team positioned for a possible CFP return if it can win out. Coincidentally, Freeman turned down LSU’s defensive coordinator job with Orgeron to join Kelly at Notre Dame. He has spent his entire career in his native Ohio or neighboring Indiana, and a move to the SEC could be jarring.

“Freeman ultimately might target the NFL as his next step, but he would at least have to consider a top program like LSU.”

The Irish have more to play for

Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. But more importantly, let’s hope these rumors don’t cause a distraction for the No. 12 team in the country.

The Irish have a chance to return to the CFP this year, and the program needs to do whatever it can to keep Freeman committed to the cause.

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