5 emergency Marcus Freeman replacements Notre Dame should line up just in case

It all comes down to this. The No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday night. For Ohio State, a win would give the Buckeyes their second national championship of the playoff era. As for Notre Dame, a win would give them their first national title since before the dawn of the internet.

This national title bout features a pair of teams who have run the gauntlet of a new postseason tournament. No. 7 Notre Dame has the longest active winning streak in college football, having not lost since way back in Week 2 to Northern Illinois. The Irish have beaten Indiana, Georgia and Penn State to get to this point. All eyes are on their head coach Marcus Freeman and what comes next.

While Ohio State head coach Ryan Day could garner some interest from the NFL, Freeman seems to be the guy that so many bad teams want to hire, or at least speak to. Last season saw Jim Harbaugh leave his alma mater of Michigan to go coach one of the teams he played for in the Los Angeles Chargers. Could Freeman do something similar should Notre Dame beat his alma mater on Monday?

If Freeman were to leave for the NFL this offseason, here is who I would hire if I was Pete Bevacqua.

5. Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell

This would be a bit of a pipe dream, but hear me out. Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell has garnered interest from bigger jobs in college football before, as well as some of the less desirable jobs in the NFL. To me, he is only leaving Ames for a blue-blood in the midwestern footprint, college or pro. I have said he is the ideal candidate to replace Sherrone Moore at Michigan should he fail.

While it remains to be seen if Campbell would leave an athletic director he seems to have a great rapport with in Jamie Pollard for an up-and-comer in all this in former TV executive Pete Bevacqua, Notre Dame is the far better program historically over Iowa State. Right now, the entry point is not in Campbell's favor to potentially replace Notre Dame's best head coach since Brian Kelly or Lou Holtz.

Notre Dame is a job I could see Campbell eventually leaving Iowa State for, but not at this juncture.

4. Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea

This would very interesting if it happened. Clark Lea is coming off a fantastic season for Vanderbilt standards leading his alma mater. Having Diego Pavia and Jerry Kill come over from New Mexico State has been the big boost he and Barton Simmons needed to turn the Commodores around. However, Vanderbilt has a finite ceiling as a private school in the SEC with its academic standards.

That is why I think he may entertain the idea of going back to his former employer to replace his successor, but now as head coach. Lea was Brian Kelly's defensive coordiantor at Notre Dame before coming back home to Nashville. The blueprint seems to be working right now at Vandy. Right now, I think the vibes are too good there to move on right now, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The dollars and cents would have to make sense for Lea to leave Vanderbilt for Notre Dame this soon.

3. Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees

If Marcus Freeman does pursue NFL ventures, then I would not be the least bit shocked if the recently promoted Tommy Rees returned to his alma mater. The former Notre Dame quarterback is a fast riser in the coaching profession, now entering his third time being an offensive coordinator. Prior to getting promoted by the Cleveland Browns, Rees served in this role at Alabama and then with his alma mater.

To me, Rees is the closest approximation to what makes Freeman so special. He is a well-thought-of coach, but one who has the ability to make Notre Dame cool. Given that he played there, Rees would have that working for him as well. My only concern here is if Rees were to come aboard is if he would be put in an impossible spot. The best thing he has going for him is a chance to retain coordinators.

Al Golden might be leaving for the NFL anyway, but Rees has worked with Mike Denbrock previously.

2. Kansas State Wildcats head coach Chris Klieman

If we are looking at a true outside hire, it might be hard to top bringing Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman into the fold. He has won everywhere he has been before. Prior to arriving in Manhattan, he was sensational leading the North Dakota State Bison at the FCS level. To be quite frank, he owes it to himself to at least entertain the possibility of taking over at Notre Dame if Freeman goes to the NFL.

In a way, I do not think he would feel the pressure that Matt Campbell, Clark Lea or Tommy Rees would face coming over. After all, Klieman had to replace a college football legend in Bill Snyder at Kansas State. This is a bigger and better job than the one at K-State, but again, he owes it to himself to at least go for it if the job becomes available and he is a serious candidate for it. He will be turning 58...

Klieman is the one hire I think could build off Freeman's success, and not just sustain it for a while.

1. Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden

I have to be honest here. The Fighting Irish are doomed if they do, doomed if they do not when it comes to their star defensive coordinator Al Golden. With the Cincinnati Bengals having moved on from their former defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, Golden is the presumptive favorite to take over on that side of the ball for Zac Taylor. Thus, promoting Golden from within is a way to keep him.

While Golden was a success as the head coach of Temple back in the day, his tenure leading the Miami Hurricanes was mostly about sweating through his white dress shirt in the Florida humidity. A lot has changed between now and then, but we still have no idea if Golden is really a Power Four college football head coach. Promoting him from within feels like the safest option for the Irish.

If he works out in his elevated role, then great, but should he fail, the Notre Dame can also move on.