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Newsstand: Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman named Dodd Trophy finalist

IMG_7504by: Jack Soble12/18/24jacksoble56

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has been named a finalist for the Dodd Trophy, which is awarded to the college football coach who best embodies scholarship, leadership and integrity on and off the field.

South Carolina’s Shane Beamer, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, Oregon’s Dan Lanning and Army’s Jeff Monken are other four finalists, alongside Freeman. First-year head coaches are not eligible for the honor.

Freeman’s season began with a signature win at Texas A&M and a disastrous home loss to Northern Illinois. It was his job to fix the issues that ailed the Irish on Sept. 7, and fix them he did. Since that day, Notre Dame has won each of its final 10 games and secured the No. 7 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff. With that comes the right to host Indiana in the first round.

Freeman’s performance earned him a contract extension, which the Irish announced Sunday evening. The Ohio native is reportedly under contract in South Bend through 2030.

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Quote of the day

“If you were in my position, just to see the way [Freeman] interacts with our student-athletes. It’s just amazing the bond that he has created with them. The way they can relate to him. The way he relates to them. … When we think about Coach Freeman, there’s no better representative of Notre Dame. He’s so authentic, so sincere. Everything that makes Notre Dame different and special, and some would say, maybe harder, he embraces and uses that as an advantage and as a differentiator.”

— Notre Dame athletics director Pete Bevacqua

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