Notre Dame hires Marcus Freeman as coach: Ireland listens to players, also keeps Tommy Rees to lead attack

Notre Dame is promoting defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to replace departed Brian Kelly as Fighting Irish’s next head coach, sources told CBS Sports ‘Dennis Dodd’. Freeman, 35, will take over the show less than a season after joining Notre Dame from Cincinnati.

The Freeman enhancement that comes with the program also retains offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. Having served as an Irish full-back under Kelly from 2010-13, Rees is said to have been invited to join Kelly at LSU. Retaining Rees to lead the assault is said to be key for Notre Dame if it decides to promote Freeman from within.

Rees announced his decision to stay with the Irishman during a team meeting on Wednesday night.

While Freeman will go on to become one of the youngest head coaches in Notre Dame history, he’s had a significant impact on the show since arriving before the season even began. The Irish have held out their last four opponents with a combined score of 23, and the show is also finishing in its first 5th place since 2013 in large part thanks to Freeman’s lead on the recruiting road.

Prior to Notre Dame, Freeman served as defense coordinator at Cincinnati, where he helped grow the Bearcats into College football Their Playoff candidate today. He is a player at Ohio State and was selected in the fifth round of 2009 NFL Drafts.

Freeman is the club leader who is clear about the work between the players. Following Kelly’s shocking departure to LSU, Notre Dame players and rookies began a public campaign for Freeman to get the job using the hashtag #FreemanEra on Twitter.

Notre Dame won 11-1 and was in 6th place in the latest College Football League Rankings when the regular season ended. With a few shuffles, the Irishman could return to the playoffs for a second straight season and a third in four years. Notre Dame has a 44-6 record in the past four seasons.

CBS Sports will update this breaking news story as it develops.