The New York Giants have already turned the page after dismissing Brian Daboll, and the process of identifying the franchise’s next head coach is underway.
While many expected the search to stay rooted firmly in the NFL, an unexpected but increasingly serious candidate has entered the conversation.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is being discussed internally as New York evaluates a wide range of options to guide its next rebuild.
Freeman‘s name is not simply circulating as idle speculation.
NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo confirmed that the Giants are giving real consideration to the Notre Dame coach as they begin shaping their candidate pool.
“We’ll focus on the Giants here, Marcus Freeman mentioned as a guy that should be in their coaching search, yes, that is the case,” Garafolo said.
“I expect him to be the foremost amongst the college candidates.”
Freeman has just completed his fourth full season leading Notre Dame, a stretch that has steadily elevated his reputation.
He took over the program after Brian Kelly departed for LSU following the 2021 season, moving up from defensive coordinator into one of the most demanding jobs in college football.
Since then, Freeman has compiled a 43-12 record, balancing recruiting expectations with national relevance.
His best season came in 2024, when Notre Dame went 14-2 and advanced to the College Football Playoff championship game.
The Irish ultimately fell to Ohio State, but the run reinforced Freeman‘s standing as a coach capable of navigating pressure, managing elite talent, and sustaining success over a long season.
This most recent year ended differently.
Notre Dame was controversially left out of the College Football Playoff and elected to conclude its season rather than accept a bowl invitation.
The decision drew debate, but it did not appear to damage Freeman‘s reputation among NFL decision makers.
Why the Giants are keeping their options wide open
According to Garafolo, Freeman is only one part of a broad and deliberate approach by the Giants.
New York is expected to evaluate current NFL offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators, and select college coaches as part of a search that does not yet have a clear favorite.
The lack of an obvious replacement has encouraged the organization to take a patient and expansive view.
That approach is rooted in how the Daboll era ended.
The Giants fired Brian Daboll on November 10 after a 2-8 start, closing the door on a four-season tenure that never regained its early promise.
Daboll finished with a 20-40-1 record, and while his first year generated optimism, the decline that followed was difficult to ignore.
In 2022, Daboll guided New York to a 9-7-1 record, a playoff appearance, and a road wild-card victory over Minnesota.
That season now stands as an outlier.
Over his final three years, the Giants won just 11 games, a stretch that made a change inevitable.
The current season has followed a familiar script.
New York sits at 2-12 and is firmly in the mix for the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Mike Kafka has taken over as interim head coach and is 0-3 in that role, presiding over what has become a season focused more on evaluation than contention.
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