SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Dick Corbett Head Football Coach Marcus Freeman, the winner of the 2024 George Munger Coach of the Year award, has been named a semifinalist for the 2025 version of the award. He is one of 24 semifinalists for the honor.
Notre Dame has had two winners of the George Munger Coach of the Year: Freeman in 2024 and Tyrone Willingham in 2002.
Notre Dame (8-2) is ranked No. 9 in the CFP Rankings, the Associate Press Poll and the US LBM Coaches Poll.
The Irish have impressed in all three phases, as they rank third nationally in kickoff returns (30.75), third in interceptions (17), third in passing efficiency (171.14), seventh in passing yards per completion (14.36), eighth in scoring offense (38.3), 10th in turnover margin (0.90), 12th in net punting (42.55), 13th in rushing defense (99.3), 15th in team sacks (2.80), 16th in sacks allowed (1.10), 17th in scoring defense (18.4), 18th in completion percentage (0.680), 18th in total offense (458.2) and 19th in team passing efficiency defense (112.76).
Freeman, now 41-12 as a head coach, has led the Irish to eight-consecutive wins, most recently a 37-15 win at No. 22 PItt, in which the Irish rolled for 387 total yards, including 175 rushing yards. Pitt entered the day with the third-ranked rushing defense in the nation, allowing just 80.9 rushing yards per game. Notre Dame more than doubled that mark with 175 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. The Irish defense stifled the Pitt offense, which entered the day with the sixth-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 39.7 points per game.
Notre Dame’s defense did not allow Pitt to convert on a single third down, and limited the Panthers to 219 total yards of offense.
Several Notre Dame student-athletes have earned national honors for their performances so far this season, including junior running back Jeremiyah Love, a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award; sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore, a midseason All-American by several outlets as well as a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award and a quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy; junior offensive lineman Aamil Wagner, a member of the AFCA Allstate Good Works team and a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy and the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year; freshman quarterback CJ Carr, semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award and teh Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year and the one of the nation’s top young quarterbacks; and several others.
Freeman entered the 2025 season after leading Notre Dame to a National Championship appearance and a 14-2 record in 2024, with a final Associated Press ranking of No. 2. He was honored with several coaching awards during the 2024 season, including: the Dodd Trophy; the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award; the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award; the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches College Coach of the Year honor; the Ted Ginn Sr. Coach of the Year Award from the National Alliance of African American Athletes; and the honorary head coach for the 2024 AFCA Allstate Good Works Team.