Marcus Freeman looks back to 2006 when describing mindset as underdog in National Championship

Marcus Freeman has played in a national championship game before. During his college football days, Freeman suited up for the Ohio State Buckeyes against the Florida Gators in the 2006 BCS National Championship game.

The Buckeyes, led by Heisman Trophy-winner Troy Smith, were defeated by Chris Leak and the Gators that season. Freeman was a sophomore on the Ohio State roster at the time and the Buckeyes came into the game as the underdog. Nearly two decades later, Freeman faces a similar situation vs. his alma mater on Monday.

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Asked to describe the mindset he had coming into that title game in 2006, Freeman answered the question plain and simple.

“There’s zero motivation that is necessary to prepare for a National Championship game,” Freeman said ahead of Monday’s game. “I was a kid. I was a young person. I can’t go back and remember what was going through my mind, but we were playing for the National Championship, and I was a part of a team, and I just wanted to do my job.”

A lot has happened since the national championship game. However, it wasn’t even two whole years before he found himself back in Columbus as a graduate assistant on his alma mater’s staff. It didn’t take long for Freeman to become a successful linebackers coach and defensive coordinator for Purdue and Cincinnati before being hired by ND in 2021 as the team’s defensive coordinator.

He was later promoted to head coach and has been a success in his role. He’s logged 33-9 record as the Irish’s head coach and now, he’s one win away from coaching his team to a national championship win — against his former team.

Looking back, Freeman reflected on the differences between the last time he was trying to win a national championship to now.

“When I think about college and I think about the relationships, I think about the great players I had the fortune to play with,” Freeman continued. “But at the end of the day, the maturity level of who I am today versus who I was back in college in 2005 or ’06, it’s completely different. You see things from a different perspective.

“That was then. This is now. There is nothing that I can use probably from that game that’s going to really resonate with this team. This team has to make sure we focus on preparation these last 48 hours, and when the game starts, we’ve got to do what we’ve done all year but probably do it better than we ever have.”

Looking to best his alma mater, kickoff between Freeman’s Notre Dame squad and the Ohio State Buckeyes is set for Monday night at 7:30 p.m. ET live on ESPN.