Leading Notre Dame to a remarkable 12-1 season and a College Football Playoff appearance, Dick Corbett Head Football Coach Marcus Freeman was named the winner of the Dodd Trophy. The Dodd Trophy was established in 1976 to honor the FBS football coach whose program represents three pillars of success: Scholarship, Leadership and Integrity.
Freeman is the second Notre Dame coach to win the Dodd Trophy (Brian Kelly, 2018).
Freeman, also a finalist for the George Munger Coach of the Year Award and the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, is in his third season at Notre Dame and has led the Irish to an 12-1 record in 2024, including a First-Round playoff win over Indiana, with a No. 3 ranking in the Associated Press (AP) and Coaches Polls, and the No. 7 seed in the 2024 College Football Playoff.
The Irish, currently on an 11-game win streak, move on in the College Football Playoff to face No. 2 Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2025.
Freeman has led Notre Dame to five victories over opponents ranked in the AP Poll at the time of the game this season: No. 20 Texas A&M, No. 15 Louisville, No. 24 Navy, No. 18 Army and No. 9 Indiana. The CFP victory over Indiana was the 12th ranked win of the Freeman era at Notre Dame, more than any other Irish head coach in the first three years of his tenure.
Through the regular season and the first round of the playoffs, Notre Dame ranks among the top teams in the nation in multiple statistical categories, including: first in team passing efficiency defense (96.94), first in turnovers gained (29), first in defensive touchdowns (6), third in scoring defense (13.8), third in turnover margin (1.23), fourth in scoring offense (38.8), fourth in passing yards allowed (162.3), fourth in interceptions (18), fifth in fourth-down success rate (0.760), seventh in third down defense (0.308), seventh in fourth down defense (0.361), eighth in total defense (295.3), ninth in fumbles recovered (11), ninth in red zone defense (0.727), 10th in passes had intercepted (6) and 11th in rushing offense (222.4).