Skip to main content
Join Now
Get a profile. Be recruited.

Josh Pate on LSU coaching search: 'I'm making Marcus Freeman tell me no'

On3 imageby: Dan Morrison3 hours agodan_morrison96
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Oct 4, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman sings the Alma Mater after beating the Boise State Broncos at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

It’s been a dramatic couple of days in Baton Rouge, and now Brian Kelly has been fired as the LSU Tigers head coach. In turn, that has left one of the biggest jobs in all of college football open.

Last time this job was open, LSU hired the Notre Dame head coach who had ties to the Midwest and had never coached in the South. Now, Josh Pate thinks they should do that again. As he explained during an appearance on Get Up on Monday morning, Pate thinks LSU needs to make Marcus Freeman tell them ‘No’ before moving on.

“I’m telling you, if I’m running the search at LSU,” Josh Pate said. “I’m making Marcus Freeman tell me ‘No.’ I don’t care that I just went to Notre Dame and it failed. That guy right there embodies the toughness, the characteristics. He’s got swagger that I can combine with championship resources. I can get transfers into LSU a lot easier than I can Notre Dame. He’s got to tell me ‘No’ before I ever move to option two on my list.”

Marcus Freeman was, of course, the defensive coordinator in Brian Kelly’s final season at Notre Dame, and he would be elevated following Kelly’s departure. Since then, he’s gone 38-12 there, compared to Kelly’s 34-14 at LSU. Notably, he also took Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff and played for a national championship, which Kelly was unable to do at LSU.

Among the things Freeman has been credited with at Notre Dame is improving the roster talent beyond what Kelly was able to do there. That includes recruiting at a higher level. Hypothetically, at LSU with fewer restrictions due to the nature of the school, couple with resources and location, he should be able to do even better in Baton Rouge.

At the same time, Marcus Freeman lacks geographic ties to the SEC. He’s a former Ohio State player who has never coached outside of the states of Ohio and Indiana. Of course, LSU isn’t the only job he’s since been linked to. On top of that, Notre Dame being the program it is, positioned where it is within the sport, may be where he wants to be long term, regardless of what jobs open up. Certainly, for now, his focus is on Notre Dame and getting them back to the College Football Playoff.

Regardless, LSU is going to have options. On3’s Pete Nakos recently shared a hot board of candidates for the LSU job. That did include Marcus Freeman. However, he’s far from the only successful sitting head coach who could be up for the job.