"You love the competition" - When Marcus Freeman revealed how he bounced back from biggest setback of his life

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman fell just short of winning the national championship when the Fighting Irish fell 34-23 to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the national championship game. It has been a long journey for Freeman from an NFL career that did not take off to being the first black coach to lead a team to the national championship game.

During an appearance on "The Pivot" podcast from last year, Freeman discussed his time in the NFL and college:

"You know that I loved the game, just like we all did," Marcus Freeman said. "You love the competition, you love the unity of actually being a team. I loved that, I loved the locker room.

"Fifth-round pick, went to the NFL, and you know I got cut after training camp and being in Chicago was the first time that I was homesick. I grew up in Dayton, Ohio which is around 50 minutes from Columbus and I was never homesick and then all of a sudden you go to the NFL and I've got a fiancee and a son and this is the first time that I miss being home." (1:00)

His enlarged heart condition was discovered when he had a medical with the Indianapolis Colts after which he retired and joined coach Jim Tressel's staff at Ohio State as a graduate assistant in 2010. Freeman reflected on how he bounced back from the setback of having to retire from the NFL, becoming a coach instead:

"So, the Colts called me and I'm like, 'Imma go to Indianapolis and keep chasing this dream' and they found an enlarged heart valve and I called coach Tressel (Jim) that day and I said 'I can't play anymore,' and he said 'Be here the next day,' but I never grew up wanting to be a coach, I really thought that I wanted to be an athletic director."

The charismatic Marcus Freeman became the Kent State Golden Flashes linebackers coach for a year between 2011 and 2012 before moving on to the same position for the Purdue Boilermakers. There, he was promoted to the position of co-defensive coordinator in 2016.

Marcus Freeman rose rapidly from there serving as the Cincinnati Bearcats linebackers coach and defensive coordinator (2017-2020) before joining coach Brian Kelly's staff at Notre Dame in the same position and finally being named the Fighting Irish head coach in 2021 when Kelly departed for the LSU Tigers job.

"It is what it is" - Marcus Freeman reflected on his College Football career

Marcus Freeman played for the Ohio State Buckeyes for five years, appearing in two national championship games, both of which he lost to the Florida Gators (2006) and the LSU Tigers (2008). He led the Buckeyes to four Big Ten conference titles and four BCS bowl games.

In the same interview, Freeman reflected on his time in college football:

"I was able to play in two national championship games and then lost one to Florida and lost one to LSU, but it is what it is."

After a stellar final season during which he tallied 109 tackles with 10 for loss and five broken passes, Freeman was selected in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears before he was waived in September.

Marcus Freeman joined the Buffalo Bills practice squad but was waived a few weeks later before he signed with the Houston Texans. He then found out about his enlarged heart valve with Indianapolis and retired from the NFL.