"Nothing to do with the past": Marcus Freeman has perfect reaction Ohio State question before CFP national championship

Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the national championship game. For the head coach, this is a special moment because he will be going against his alma mater. Freeman played as a linebacker for the Buckeyes for five seasons before being drafted by the Bears in the 2009 NFL draft.

However, during an appearance on "ESPN College GameDay" on Friday, Marcus Freeman seemingly shrugged off a question about how the natty showdown against Ohio State was a "full-circle moment" for him.

He redirected his answer by talking about Notre Dame's only loss of the season to Northern Illinois to them competing for the national championship.

"In terms of this season? Yes, from where we started," Freeman said. "You know, the start (with Texas A&M) and you know, the loss to Northern Illinois to now... we are getting ready to play in the national championship, it's full circle."

"This has nothing to do with the past and where I went to school. This is about this opportunity that lies ahead of us."

Marcus Freeman was a 2x Second-Team All-Big Ten LB during his career with the Buckeyes. He had a brief stint in the NFL before retiring in May 2010 due to a heart condition. Freeman then turned to coaching football and began as a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 2010.

Marcus Freeman took over various coaching positions with Kent State, Purdue, and Cincinnati. In 2021, he was hired by Notre Dame as a defensive coordinator under then-HC Brian Kelly. But when Kelly left for LSU, Freeman was chosen to replace him as the program's 32nd head coach.

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Marcus Freeman once shared his mantra for winning a national championship

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have put in a lot of effort this season to be a national championship contender. After defeating Indiana in the first round of the playoffs, they won the Sugar Bowl against Georgia and the Orange Bowl against Penn State.

During an interview on "The Pivot" podcast released in June 2023, Marcus Freeman talked about the kind of mindset that is needed to win a national championship. He emphasized the importance of hard work and the importance of improving performance to achieve success.

"You don't see it on the front end," freeman said. "It isn't, you can't talk your way into winning a national championship. You can't talk your way into being a Hall of Famer in the NFL. You gotta work and you gotta constantly focus on improvement and at some point we'll look at the results and see where you're at. But that's kind of been my mindset."

The Notre Dame vs Ohio State national championship game will be played on Monday, January 20. It is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on television on the ESPN channel.