What the numbers really say about Notre Dame’s investment
Notre Dame paid Marcus Freeman just over $7.4 million in total compensation for the 2023 calendar year, according to tax filings reviewed by USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz. The breakdown: $6.2 million in salary, $461,000 in bonuses, and $704,000 in other reportable income. That base pay reflects a $400,000 raise from 2022 — a clear sign the school was already moving to keep its second-year head coach in the top bracket before the next leap arrived.
Because Notre Dame is a private university, most contract details stay under wraps. The Form 990 disclosures offer a rare peek behind the curtain, and they tend to lag — they show what the school paid in a calendar year, not necessarily what a coach will earn going forward. “Other reportable income” often includes deferred compensation, retirement contributions, certain benefits, and perquisites like charter air travel or housing-related allowances. It’s not a true apples-to-apples salary number, but it captures the real cost to the employer.
On the field, that 2023 season — Freeman’s second as head coach — justified the pay trajectory. The Irish finished 10–3 and No. 14 in both major polls. The results weren’t quiet either. They opened with a 42–3 win over Navy in Ireland, throttled Caleb Williams and then-No. 10 USC 48–20, and capped the year by blasting No. 19 Oregon State 40–8 in the Sun Bowl. Yes, there were bumps — a last-second heartbreaker to Ohio State at home and road losses at Louisville and Clemson — but the arc of the year pointed up.
- Week Zero in Dublin: 42–3 over Navy set the tone.
- Signature win: 48–20 over then-No. 10 USC and the reigning Heisman winner.
- Close call: late home loss to Ohio State that stung for weeks.
- Strong finish: 40–8 Sun Bowl rout of Oregon State to reach 10 wins.
Freeman’s rapid rise wasn’t just about Saturdays. He stabilized recruiting in the Brian Kelly aftershock, embraced the transfer portal, and, notably, helped land former Duke star Riley Leonard — the same quarterback Notre Dame edged in a tense win over an undefeated, ranked Duke team that fall. The roster got older, faster, and more balanced at premium spots.
Why Notre Dame doubled down with a four-year extension
In December 2024, Notre Dame moved again — this time with a long-term four-year extension that, according to people familiar with the market, puts Freeman among the highest-paid coaches in college football. The deal came on the heels of a run to the National Championship game in the 2024 season. Specific buyout terms weren’t disclosed, which is common for a private school. But the message was plain: the Irish see their coach and their window, and they’re paying to keep both.
If you’re wondering why the numbers keep climbing, look at the broader market. The top tier of Power Four coaching salaries has surged into eight figures with rich guarantees, boosted by media rights money, conference realignment, and the cost of constant roster churn in the NIL and transfer portal era. Notre Dame isn’t in a league, but it’s still competing directly with the SEC and Big Ten on the trail and on national TV. To stay in that fight, stability is currency.
This extension buys stability. It signals a bigger staff salary pool to retain coordinators and analysts — a key edge when schemes and scouting cycles evolve weekly. It also reassures recruits and their parents that the man selling the vision will be there to coach it. And it gives Notre Dame a steady hand as the sport navigates more change, from roster rules to revenue sharing models that could reshape how programs allocate dollars between athletes and staff.
Freeman’s own words frame the bet: Notre Dame, he said, is “good enough every year to be in that game and to win that game, but we have to earn the right to do that.” After the 2024 title-game berth, that doesn’t read like bravado — it reads like an operating plan. The school aligned its checkbook with that plan.
There’s nuance in the fine print that we don’t see. Private schools often keep buyout language confidential, shielding both the school and the coach. Typically, buyouts scale over the life of a deal, starting high and declining each year. They deter poaching and give a program breathing room if a pro franchise or a rival throws a late curveball. Without numbers, we can’t map the exact risk profile, but the intent is obvious: make it expensive for anyone to break up the marriage.
Financially, Notre Dame can support it. The brand travels — literally, with the Ireland opener — and the national TV footprint remains one of the most valuable in the sport. Big home dates still move ratings and donations. When you pair that revenue base with a coach who wins marquee games, a top-of-market contract turns from a gamble into a hedge: pay more now to protect the pipeline of wins, exposure, and revenue later.
On-field, the blueprint is familiar but sharper. Play fast on defense with NFL-caliber edges, lean on a deep running back room, and give the quarterback clean answers. When that quarterback is an experienced transfer like Leonard, the system accelerates — fewer growing pains, more third-down conversions, and a red-zone plan that doesn’t shrink in big moments. The USC blowout in 2023 was the preview of that identity when it hums.
The challenges are clear too. Notre Dame’s schedule stacks historic brands with landmines, and independence leaves little margin for a midseason lull. Health, portal retention, and late-game management become season-defining. That’s where a seasoned head coach matters most — turning a one-score coin flip into a habit of closing.
So what do the numbers say, in the end? The 2023 filing confirms Notre Dame was already paying at a level that matches its ambition. The December 2024 extension tells us the school believes its coach just moved the program from aspiring to arriving — and that he can keep it there. The rest will come on autumn Saturdays, in how the Irish handle the next set of late drives, ranked opponents, and bowl-stage spotlights.
For now, the facts are straightforward: $7.4 million paid in 2023, a four-year extension after a title-game run, and a coach whose market value rose as quickly as his team’s ceiling. If Notre Dame keeps stacking double-digit wins and taking swings in January, the price will look like the cost of doing business at the very top of the sport — exactly where the Irish just planted their flag.