SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has added another accolade to his growing list of honors, earning the Ted Ginn Sr. Coach of the Year Award from the National Alliance of African American Athletes.
Freeman’s latest recognition follows a banner season in which he also claimed the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award, the Dodd Trophy, the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award, and the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches College Coach of the Year. He was also named honorary head coach for the AFCA Allstate Good Works Team.
In his third season leading the Irish, Freeman guided Notre Dame to a National Championship appearance and a 14-2 record, finishing the year ranked No. 2 in the final Associated Press poll. His achievements in 2024 cemented him as the first Black or Asian American head coach to appear in a College Football Playoff National Championship game.
Under Freeman, Notre Dame set a program-best mark with 14 wins over ranked opponents in his first three seasons, tied for the most in FBS over that span (Georgia, 14). This year alone, the Irish notched seven wins over AP-ranked opponents: No. 20 Texas A&M, No. 15 Louisville, No. 24 Navy, No. 18 Army, No. 9 Indiana, No. 2 Georgia, and No. 5 Penn State.
Notre Dame’s seven wins over ranked teams in 2024 led all programs, and no team played more ranked opponents than the Irish. Among final AP Top 25 teams, Notre Dame finished with four victories, the program’s highest mark since 2002, and secured three Top 10 wins, a feat last achieved by the Irish in 1990.
Freeman’s squad was equally dominant statistically, finishing the season first in pass efficiency defense (104.4), turnovers gained (33), defensive touchdowns (6), and blocked kicks (6). The Irish also ranked among the top five nationally in fumbles recovered (14), passing yards allowed (169.4), scoring defense (15.5), and interceptions (19).
With a 33-10 career record and three CFP wins in 2024, Freeman has quickly established himself as one of the nation’s premier coaches.