Ever since taking over the South Bend program, Marcus Freeman has shown that you don’t need prior head coaching experience to excel in a blueblood job. At just 40 years of age, he is a coaching prodigy, and many NFL teams have been rumored to be interested in plucking him from Notre Dame. Every time, though, Freeman has denied those speculations. And this time, he had a cheeky response to the prospect of moving to the NFL.

“What does an NFL job have to do that Notre Dame can’t, to get you to come to the NFL?” former Ohio State defensive tackle Cam Heyward asked Freeman on his podcast on July 1. It’s a question that Freeman has faced several times, and this time, too, he wasn’t going to answer it straightforwardly.

“Listen when you talk about money now, Notre Dame doesn’t lack [it],” Freeman said on the podcast. “There are some higher-ups here who won’t let it be about money. But I don’t know, I really don’t. I tell you what, I’m enjoying coaching all these guys, but it’s going to be hard. I don’t want to let CJ Carr go, man, he’s been awesome.”

In a way, the Irish head coach didn’t give a direct answer and instead steered the conversation off track. But this line of questioning isn’t going to end any time soon. When the Giants fired Daboll last year, Freeman emerged as the top candidate—until he announced his commitment to Notre Dame in late December. That happened after the program handed him an extended big-money contract.

Ever since then, the rumors have cooled down. But the Irish head coach has still left open the possibility of pursuing NFL opportunities. A few months back, on the Good Morning Football podcast, Freeman pointed to seeking the “right time” to move to the NFL. So, he is currently living with the thought of “never say never” in mind.

For now, though, Freeman is focusing fully on his 2026 task. And CJ Carr might just be the most lethal piece he has ever had at Notre Dame as a head coach. Just last week, Carr attended the Manning Passing Academy camp with fellow college QBs like Arch Manning and Julian Sayin. Naturally, considering last year’s performances, many expected Sayin to be the best of them, followed by Carr or Arch Manning. Instead, according to prominent NFL draft analyst Todd McShay, CJ Carr was miles better than both the QBs. 

Last year, Carr passed for 2,741 yards and threw just six interceptions. Since Notre Dame failed to make it to the playoffs, we didn’t see much of his buzz. But this year, he has become completely shredded, is throwing pinpoint throws, and his anticipation is top-notch. Because of his performances at the Manning Passing Academy, McShay even named him the Academy’s “MVP.”