The obvious candidates to coach the Bears in 2025 are Ben Johnson, Kliff Kingsbury and perhaps interim coach Thomas Brown. But if their recent search for an offensive coordinator says anything, they’ll cast a wide net.
CBS’ Jonathan Jones floated a surprising option in Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, saying he is “a name worth keeping an eye on.”
Freeman’s Notre Dame team is 10-1 and ranked fourth in the Associated Press poll. The Fighting Irish are headed to the college football playoff.
The Bears drafted Freeman, now 38, as a linebacker in the fifth round out of Ohio State in 2009, but he didn’t make the team. He also was with the Bills and Texans, but never appeared in a game.
He got his coaching start as an assistant at Ohio State, and landed at Notre Dame as defensive coordinator in 2021. He shortly replaced former coach Brian Kelly, who left for LSU.