Deion Sanders has 3-word reaction to Marcus Freeman's historic Orange Bowl win over Penn State

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman led the Fighting Irish to the national championship game after a thrilling 27-24 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl on Thursday. The Fighting Irish will face the winner of the Cotton Bowl Classic, pitting the Texas Longhorns against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the natty game.

In the process, Freeman became the first black or Asian coach to lead a team to the FBS national championship game. This milestone was guaranteed, as the Penn State coach is also African-American. The Notre Dame coach's mother, Chong Freeman, is of South Korean descent while his father, Michael Freeman, is of African-American descent.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders was quick to congratulate Freeman on his historic achievement through a short message on X:

"Congratulations my Brother," Deion Sanders tweeted.

Marcus Freeman deflects praise from historic achievement

Despite making history by becoming the first black or Asian coach to lead an FBS team to the national championship game, Marcus Freeman deflected attention away from his historical feat, instead crediting his team for the achievement during his postgame news conference:

"I've said this before: I don't ever want to take attention away from the team," Marcus Freeman said. "It is an honor, and I hope all coaches -- minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn't matter, great people -- continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this. But this ain't about me. This is about us. We're going to celebrate what we've done because it's so special."

Even before the game, Freeman looked to divert attention from his racial background during his weekly postgame news conference. Meanwhile, Penn State Nittany Lions coach James Franklin openly expressed his ambition to become the first African-American coach to win the national championship.

"It's a reminder that you are a representation for many others and many of our players that look the same way I do," Marcus Freeman said. "Your color shouldn't matter. The evidence of your work should. But it takes everybody."

In his three-year tenure as coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, following Brian Kelly's departure, Freeman has led the team to an impressive 34-9 record. This includes a remarkable streak of nine consecutive wins against AP-ranked teams. Following their Orange Bowl victory, Freeman's Fighting Irish also made history as the first team in college football to win multiple bowl games in the same postseason.