Ryan Day and Ohio State will face Notre Dame Monday night for the national championship.
There are plenty of storylines for this one, including Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman coaching against his alma mater. Freeman was a linebacker for the Buckeyes from 2004-08, earning a pair of second-team All-Big Ten selections. The Fairborn, Ohio native also began his coaching career at Ohio State in 2010 as a grad assistant.
Of course, there have been questions throughout the last week about Freeman coaching against his old school. Day was asked about it on Sunday morning and heaped ample praise on the third-year Fighting Irish leader.
“Everybody at Ohio State respects Marcus and the fact that he went to Ohio State and had a great career there and certainly have a lot of respect for what he’s done in his coaching career and what he’s doing,” Day said, via 11W’s Chase Brown. “He’s a tremendous coach and does and unbelievable job.”
The feeling seems to be mutual. Freeman was also complimentary of Day during his media session this morning.
“I know Coach Day and a lot of coaches on their staff that do things the right way,” Freeman told reporters Sunday. ” … You can aspire to win national championships, but you also want to develop the young men that come through your program, and I think both of our programs do a great job of that.”
Freeman has tried to avoid emphasizing his time at Ohio State, even as he’s been asked about it recently. The 39-year-old has faced his alma mater twice before, losing on the road in the 2022 season opener and at home on the final play of the game in 2023.
Ohio State is looking for its first national championship in 10 years, while Notre Dame is aiming for its first title in more than three decades. The Fighting Irish last won it all during the 1988 season.
Ohio State-Notre Dame will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET tomorrow night on ESPN.
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