The University of Notre Dame’s head football coach Marcus Freeman has recently gained attention as he led his team to compete in the NCAA College Football Championship. Although the Irish lost in a tough game to The Ohio State Buckeyes, the team still led an incredible 14-2 season. The attention he gained was not exclusively about his wins and losses. A factor outside of football caused people to start talking about him. Freeman converted to Catholicism not long after taking the head coaching position at Notre Dame. He was confirmed and received his Holy Communion in September of 2022. He recognized how important religion would be for his team, especially considering that Notre Dame is a Catholic institution. He reinstated the tradition of the team attending pregame mass on campus at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart before walking over to the stadium. He has created an atmosphere of faith and determination among his players.
Quarterback Riley Leonard stated that one of the team’s biggest bragging points is that over 40 members of the team regularly attend bible study. The team prays together before games and strives to always incorporate their faith into their program. In interviews, he consistently carries himself with respect and manners. Family is incredibly important to Freeman as he has five children with his wife Joanna. His family was all Catholic prior to his conversion and he decided to join them, motivated by his own pure personal intentions. He is often portrayed as a family man and is known to encourage his fellow coaches to bring their own families to practice.
“I want them to see us as fathers and as husbands, because those lessons that they learn from watching us will last forever,” said Freeman. It is not common for a top college coach to draw so much attention towards their faith life, but Freeman clearly cares about his players as people, not just as statistics. He inspires and encourages growth on and off the field, a trait that likely contributed to the team’s success this past season. His faith journey represents the importance of faith and leadership along with developing the player as a whole, a process often overlooked among college coaches.