Freeman wants his players to learn from what happened while allowing it to motivate them for 2026 and beyond.<\/b>
\nSure, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was disappointed with being left out of this season\u2019s College Football Playoff.
He also believes the Fighting Irish must ensure they don\u2019t suffer the same fate in future years.
A little more than a month after Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua repeatedly criticized the selection process publicly, Freeman tried to set a different tone Wednesday by dialing back the emotions and acknowledging the Irish leave that decision in the selection committee\u2019s hands.
\u201cAs we look at the moment, it was obviously disappointing, right? But you have to move forward,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019ve done as a program, that\u2019s what I\u2019ve done as a leader and as I reminded the group at our team meeting on Sunday, it\u2019s our responsibility to make sure we leave no doubt, right? And moving forward we can\u2019t blame it on someone else.\u201d
The Irish thought they would make the 12-team field when the committee\u2019s second-to-last rankings had them sitting at No. 10. They had won 10 straight games and were ranked two spots ahead of Miami for the final at-large spot.
But even though neither Miami or Notre Dame played that weekend and ninth-seeded Alabama lost the SEC title game, the committee kept the three-loss Crimson Tide in the No. 9 slot and moved the Hurricanes up to No. 10 with Notre Dame sliding to No. 11 \u2014 the first team left out. Bevacqua\u2019s suggestions for a fix including expanding the field to 16 and a tweak to the selection process.
Miami responded by winning at No. 7 Texas A&M in the first round, stunning defending national champion and second-seeded Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl and beating Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl to return home for Monday night\u2019s national title game against No. 1 Indiana (15-0, No 1 CFP).
Alabama, meanwhile, avenged an earlier loss to No. 8 Oklahoma in the first round before suffering the worst postseason loss in school history \u2014 38-3 to the Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl.
After the pairings were released in early December, Notre Dame\u2019s players voted not to play in any bowl game, ending their season. Freeman said he had no regrets about that decision, noting he\u2019d asked his players multiple times to make sure that was their desire.
Still, Freeman wants his players to learn from what happened while allowing it to motivate them for 2026 and beyond.
\u201cAlthough we may be, I may be confused by some of the criteria and the committee\u2019s rankings and all those different things, it\u2019s our job as we move forward that we leave no doubt,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cYou often hear me say, keep the pain and those are for moments we need reminders and as humans we often need reminders. But again, our mindset has to be to attack moving forward and to leave no doubt.\u201d
Freeman also addressed speculation about his future.
Rumors started swirling toward the end of this past NFL season that some teams were interested in hiring Freeman, who eventually restructured his contract and opted to return to Notre Dame. Then, as more NFL head coaching jobs opened over the past 10 days, another round of speculation began.
Freeman tried to put an end to that discussion.
\u201cI am the head coach at Notre Dame,\u201d Freeman said, acknowledging if those debates continue it would be a reflection on the program\u2019s sustained success.
But when asked if he had any desire to coach in the NFL someday, Freeman first said Notre Dame provides him with every opportunity he personally hopes to achieve.
Later, though, he explained: \u201cIt may be sometime in the future if it\u2019s the right time and it\u2019s what I think is right for me. But I don\u2019t love wasting time thinking about things that aren\u2019t right in front of me, so I don\u2019t know what I\u2019ll want in however much length of time from right now. But I know I am as convicted and motivated to being the best head coach of the Notre Dame football program as I can be.\u201d
Notre Dame called the news conference to give Freeman a forum to address accusations about a confrontation with a high school wrestling coach during a recent match involving Freeman\u2019s son.
Local law enforcement authorities opted not to charge Freeman, who opened with a 2\u00bd-minute statement thanking school officials for their support and local police and the county prosecutor\u2019s office for investigating the evidence.
\u201cMy family and I have been dragged through the mud unnecessarily with clickbait headlines,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cThe reality is I behaved in a respectful and professional manner while protecting my family and that should have been the only headline.
\u201cI know I\u2019m a public figure, and I understand the scrutiny that comes with that,\u201d he continued. \u201cThat scrutiny should not extend to my children or any other child of a public figure. . I\u2019m glad this matter has been thoroughly reviewed and resolved out of respect for everyone involved. I won\u2019t comment further.\u201d<\/p>\n