"That's why Brian Kelly left": CFB analyst points to the most impressive aspect of Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame 

Against the odds, Marcus Freeman has led Notre Dame to the national championship game. The Fighting Irish will face Ohio State on Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium following their impressive run in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.

In a recent episode of “The Matt Barrie Show,” ESPN analyst Matt Barrie praised Freeman’s accomplishments at Notre Dame.

Barrie believes Marcus Freeman has revitalized the program, addressing deficiencies that contributed to the unexpected departure of his predecessor.

“I was just doing a radio interview prior to this and the things that I used with Notre Dame – that I believe to be the most impressive part about this with Marcus Freeman in that school; it's not set up for Notre Dame to win the national championship,” Barrie said.

“Notre Dame hasn't set itself up to win the national championship because the standard of which Notre Dame carries itself on an academic level relative to an athletic level. We know that's why Brian Kelly left.”

After 12 seasons at the helm in South Bend, Brian Kelly resigned as Notre Dame’s coach in 2021 to take the LSU job. Kelly departed as the program’s all-time winningest coach, surpassing the legendary Knute Rockne.

Matt Barrie believes Marcus Freeman can transform Notre Dame into a perennial contender once again

Notre Dame is one of the most storied programs in college football, but it hasn’t won a national title in 36 years despite coming close under Brian Kelly.

Marcus Freeman has given the Fighting Irish another shot at the championship after a heroic season. Considering this accomplishment, Barrie believes Freeman can turn Notre Dame into a perennial contender for the national title.

“He (Kelly) would get close, he would bring this team out into a playoff or national championship game and get smoked,” Barrie said. “And everyone would see like, ‘Hey look, see how good Notre Dame is to win their schedule, they're not good enough to compete with the best in the country."

“Somehow, Marcus Freeman has figured that out. Now Notre Dame, with a $20 million paycheck, they're getting all to themselves. It's now structured and set up to maybe one of these programs that we talk about year in, year out as a legitimate threat to win the national championship.”

Notre Dame will enter Monday’s national championship game against Ohio State in Atlanta as an 8.5-point underdog. However, the Fighting Irish have demonstrated resilience throughout the season and will aim to rise to the challenge posed by the Buckeyes.