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2021 – present
The appointment: Marcus Freeman — born January 10, 1986, an Ohio State linebacker who had served as Kelly's defensive coordinator in 2021 — was named head coach in December 2021, the program's 32nd head coach. His first game was the Fiesta Bowl of January 1, 2022, a loss to Oklahoma State.
The first seasons: 9–4 in 2022; 10–3 in 2023.
2024 — the championship run: The team went 14–2, the program's first fourteen-win season, its first thirteen-win season folded inside it. It opened with a 23–13 win at No. 20 Texas A&M, then lost at home to Northern Illinois, 16–14, as a 29.5-point favorite — the first AP top-five team ever to lose to a Mid-American Conference team. Notre Dame then won out. As the playoff's No. 7 seed it hosted the first on-campus playoff game in the format's history, beating Indiana 27–17 on December 20, 2024; beat the No. 2 seed, Georgia, 23–10 in a Sugar Bowl played on January 2, 2025, a day late after the New Orleans truck attack; and beat Penn State 27–24 in the Orange Bowl semifinal on January 9, 2025, on Mitch Jeter's 41-yard field goal with seven seconds left. Freeman became the first Black and the first Asian head coach to reach an FBS national championship game. On January 20, 2025, in Atlanta, Notre Dame lost the final to Ohio State, 34–23, after trailing by 24 points. Freeman was named the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year, the award announced January 23, 2025.
2025: The team went 10–2. The losses came in the opener at No. 10 Miami, 27–24, and at home to No. 16 Texas A&M; then came ten straight wins, among them No. 20 Southern California, 34–24, a 37–15 win at No. 23 Pittsburgh, and 70–7 over Syracuse. Notre Dame finished No. 10 in the AP poll, No. 11 in the Coaches' poll and No. 11 in the final playoff standings; the selection committee placed Miami ahead of Notre Dame for the last playoff place on the head-to-head result, after BYU's loss in the Big 12 championship game reshuffled the comparison the committee had been making. On December 7, 2025, Notre Dame withdrew from bowl consideration.
The present state: On December 29, 2025, Freeman agreed to a restructured contract running through 2031, turning down NFL interest. Through the 2025 season his Notre Dame record stood at 43–12. In the 2026 season, as this section is banked on November 9, 2026, Notre Dame stands 8–1 — No. 4 in the AP poll of November 2 and No. 11 in the playoff committee's first rankings of November 3, a seven-place gap that was widely reported, and No. 3 in the AP poll of November 9, the Miami win lifting the Irish one place and dropping Miami to No. 5 — its only loss a 28–24 defeat at BYU; it beat Navy 35–13 at Gillette Stadium on October 31 and No. 1 Miami 31–24 at Notre Dame Stadium on November 7, behind quarterback CJ Carr. Freeman's record through November 9, 2026, stands at 51–13.
Sources:
- Freeman biographical and coaching records — the birth date, the Ohio State playing career, the December 2021 appointment as 32nd head coach, the season marks, the 43–12 through 2025.
- The 2024 season and playoff record — the Texas A&M and Northern Illinois games; the Indiana, Georgia and Penn State playoff wins in their documented detail; the January 20, 2025 final; the Bryant award.
- The 2025 season record — the two losses, the ten straight wins, the final rankings and the committee's Miami decision, the December 7 bowl withdrawal; the December 29, 2025 contract.
- The 2026 season record, as of November 9, 2026 — the 8–1 standing, the rankings of November 3, the BYU loss, the Navy and Miami wins.