“Could not write a better script”: Desmond Howard praises Marcus Freeman for his huge achievement in CFB

Marcus Freeman is set to lead his Notre Dame Fighting Irish side to the National Championship Game. His side will face the Ohio State Buckeyes in what is set to be an entertaining affair.

However, a win in this game for Freeman and Notre Dame will make more than usual history. Freeman would become the first-ever Black coach to win the National Championship.

On Monday's edition of "First Take," Desmond Howard spoke about the historic importance of this game for Freeman.

"We have a Black coach coaching the National Championship Game tonight (on Martin Luther King Jr. Day). If he's able to pull that off tonight, against that team, in Atlanta, you could not write a better script."

The game is being held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This day honors the civil rights leader who helped end racial segregation in the United States.

On the influence of King, Freeman said the following:

'He made change through his actions and his words, and the courage he has as a leader is something that I still am impacted by, as I study his life."

While what Freeman has done and could do will not compare to the massive change that King played a role in, it would be another barrier broken. To Howard, Freeman winning the National Championship today would be almost poetic.

Marcus Freeman on playing in a National Championship Game

While this will be the first National Championship Game that Freeman has coached in, it will not be the first time that he has been on this stage.

Freeman played in two National Championship Games when he was a player with the Ohio State Buckeyes. He recently reflected on his experiences in these games:

"Those are the memories that I have in being a part of this game is losing both of them. I’m in a different position now than being a player, but that’s the memory I have in those national title games, and those aren’t great memories.

"(Monday night) is about the opportunity right in front of us, and we have to stay focused on putting ourselves in position to have success on Monday.”

Ohio State lost both of the Championship games Freeman played, in 2006 and 2007. The first loss was to Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators and the second to LSU. In the 2025 edition, Freeman will want Ohio State to lose, as this would make him and his Notre Dame national champions.