When Notre Dame fired Charlie Weis as head coach following the 2009 season and replaced him with Brian Kelly, few could have imagined Kelly becoming the storied program’s all-time winningest coach. Kelly departed for LSU earlier this week and Notre Dame officially announced defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman Friday as his replacement.
Weis, the head coach at Notre Dame for five seasons, congratulated Freeman on the promotion.
“Let me congratulate Marcus Freeman on his appointment as HFC at Notre Dame,” Weis wrote. “A rising star in the profession, he takes over the most storied program in the country. Although expectations are high, there is no better place to have the honor to direct. Best wishes! Good luck!”
Weis was 35-27 as head coach at Notre Dame. The Irish reached the Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl in his first two seasons on the job, but Notre Dame compiled a 16-21 record over Weis’ last three years, which included a 3-9 finish in 2007.
Kelly restored Notre Dame to national prominence, ending his 12-year tenure with the Irish by leading his team to five consecutive double-digit win seasons and a pair of College Football Playoff appearances. In just his third season in South Bend, Kelly guided Notre Dame to the BCS National Championship Game.
In his first season as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator, Freeman guided the Irish to an 11th-place finish in scoring defense (18.3 points per game) with a unit highlighted by the highest sack total at the program (40) since 1996 (41), and a group that intercepted 15 passes after thieving just seven last season.
