As the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Marcus Freeman is in the hot seat of one of the most prestigious jobs in college football. But, when it comes to his family, even the heavy mantle of Notre Dame’s footballing excellence is no match. In an appearance on the See Ball Get Ball podcast, Freeman was asked what was tougher, coaching his football team or parenting his six kids. The answer was simple. “It’s definitely the six kids at home,” said Freeman with a wide smile and zero hesitation.

The rules of sport are simple, but the rules of raising half a dozen kids? It gets more complicated. But for Freeman, it’s all about raising kind, empathetic, and well-rounded individuals. Just as his own Korean-African-American background allowed him to embrace diversity and difference, he’s helping his kids do the same. “Yeah, I think it has to be very intentional, and we have to be very intentional about the opportunities to get together and to talk and discuss and have empathy for each other. That’s the thing that you see we need more of throughout our entire country and our world”

Still, this isn’t a solo task for Freeman. With him on his parenting journey is, of course, his wife, Joanna Freeman, who Marcus has frequently described as the “glue” or “rock” of the family in several Instagram posts. And through all of this is the thread of football. He’s equal parts coach and father, with these two important elements of his life frequently melding and merging. Sometimes it’s his players coming round to his house, and other times it’s his family showing up to his office at the Gug. So when he was asked by David Pollack on the podcast about his ongoing effort to be present for his family despite the 24/7 demands of the Fighting Irish job, he was candid and vulnerable—two traits rarely seen in the headset-wearing world of major college football.

Yet Freeman sounded assured as he once again brought up that important element of his personal philosophy: intentionality. “I fail often, right? I’m not the perfect father and perfect husband, but you try to be intentional,” he said. “You try to be intentional and present with your family when you are home. That’s probably more important than anything. If you go home and you’re physically there, but mentally you’re not there, then you failed your kids. You failed that opportunity that you have.”

“So I try to be intentional,” he continued. I try to put my phone down. I try to listen to what my kids want to talk about. And ultimately, you got to listen to whatever your wife—she’s got to feel like I’m listening to the things that she’s telling me. And so, as I said to start, I’m not the best all the time, but it’s something I intentionally want to work on and keep.” 

For Marcus Freeman, life doesn’t split neatly into boxes labeled “Coach” and “Dad.” It’s all one big, messy, beautiful blend—film study one minute, family dinner the next. But despite the blurring of these lines, it’s about performing each role with conviction and purpose. To borrow Freeman’s oft-repeated phrase, it’s about being intentional in all that you do.

Marcus Freeman talks QB1 battle and his spring hopes

With the Blue-Gold Game in the rearview mirror, Marcus Freeman isn’t jumping to any flashy conclusions just yet. The ND coach kept it honest when asked about his early impressions of the much-anticipated quarterback battle—and surprise, surprise, he’s focusing more on progress than box scores.

“A lot of good, lot of good. A lot of teaching opportunities, I’m sure. I’m not truly outcome-driven,” Freeman said. And that mindset was on full display when talking about sophomore CJ Carr, who had the game’s lone turnover. “We had one turnover. And I don’t know if it was the route (or) the throw, but it was a lot good. A lot of good from all three guys. And a lot of teaching opportunities. We’ll go back and watch.”

Freeman isn’t closing the book on spring just yet, either. With three practices still on the schedule, he’s got a plan. “The spring game fell where it fell… But the reason why it was earlier is just because of pushing the start of spring back with the length of the season.” He added, “I’m going to have some ideas of what I want to see… two-minute situations… make your guys think and execute.” Translation? The QB1 race is still wide open—and Freeman’s going to make them earn it. With family chatter done, it’s time to put on the Irish HC hat on.