Jerome Bettis Says Marcus Freeman is a “Once-in-a-Lifetime Coach” After Notre Dame’s Playoff Run

It took all of three years for Marcus Freeman to lead Notre Dame to a national championship game appearance, and his work early in his head coaching career left a major impression on program legend Jerome Bettis. Freeman is off to a hot start to his tenure and amid the Fighting Irish’s College Football Playoff run secured a contract extension that makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport. His leadership has not gone unrecognized, and it is a major reason why Bettis supported his son, Jerome Bettis Jr., in his decision to join the program in 2025 as a recruit.

Freeman is 33-10 for his career and improved Notre Dame’s record in each of the last two seasons. The 14-win campaign last fall landed in the history books as the Fighting Irish’s winningest season of all time, and it also marked the program’s first trip to the CFP title game.

“What you see is what you get,” Bettis said on SiriusXM College Sports Radio. “I think that’s what resonates with the young men that decide to go to Notre Dame. It’s because it’s organic in his approach. What you see is what you get from the man. So I’m thoroughly impressed. And for me to send my son there, it means a lot because I believe in him as a teacher.”

Bettis, a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who shined as a Notre Dame running back in the early 1990s, returned to campus at the beginning of Freeman’s tenure to complete his college degree. The former first-round pick, who logged 1,912 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns across three years with the Fighting Irish, sat down with Freeman at the beginning of his head coaching career and offered advice about leading the Notre Dame program.

“We met every Wednesday the entire semester,” Bettis said. “He would bring a notepad and would take notes on our conversations. It impressed me so much because it told me that he was willing to learn. ‘I’m in this position, but I want to learn.’ … He was so conscious of learning and understanding that it’s not a mistake where they are now, because he’s been taking all this information in and processing it and then feeding it to these young men. And they’ve done a good job in responding to him.”

Freeman will coach Bettis’ son beginning this offseason after the Atlanta (Ga.) Woodward Academy wide receiver signed with Notre Dame as a three-star prospect in the 2025 class. He is the No. 112-ranked wideout in the cycle and followed in his father’s footsteps when he selected Notre Dame over offers from a number of Power Four schools.