Notre Dame focuses on continuity by hiring Marcus Freeman to replace Brian Kelly

Notre Dame football didn’t need to look far to find their next head coach. The Fighting Irish are replacing Brian Kelly with Marcus Freeman.

In one of the wildest coaching carousels in memory, Notre Dame is going with the familiar option for their head coach.

After Brian Kelly ditched the Irish for LSU, defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman will reportedly take over.

Marcus Freeman is Notre Dame’s new head coach

Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports reported the hiring on Twitter. It was later corroborated by Football Scoop.

The defensive coordinator who was in his first year at Notre Dame was the architect of a defense that is in range of the College Football Playoff. He was set to coach the team through the bowl game, whether the playoff or not. Instead, he can stand in front of his team and coach them this winter knowing he’ll be around next year as well.

While Notre Dame could have looked outside the program at the likes of Luke Fickell or Matt Campbell, targeting those coaches would have taken time and resources. There are inherent advantages to promoting someone like Freeman.

First and foremost, Freeman should be able to keep the coaching staff together, including retaining offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.

Instead of making massive changes to an already successful program, Freeman ensures continuity in South Bend.

Provided the Zenitz report holds true, Freeman will have his first major test when Notre Dame finds out their postseason fate. The Irish rank No. 6 in the College Football Playoff Top 25 and can make the playoff with a couple of losses in front of them during championship weekend.

If not the playoff, Freeman will have a New Year’s Six bowl to introduce himself to the college football world.

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