Marcus Freeman: candidate profile

[MarkL]

Originally I wasn't planning to do a Marcus Freeman candidate profile. But as Cincinnati keeps winning and the defense keeps performing, I feel it is time. Additionally, one poster on the board consistently pushes the name Marcus Freeman, and that was the same poster who first suggested that Jinks could be let go midseason and turn it over to Pelini. Given that, is there something to Marcus Freeman?

Ten years ago, Freeman was finishing up his final year as a linebacker at Ohio State for Jim Tressel. He then had a brief, two year NFL career that ended due to a heart condition. So he entered coaching, starting as a LB coach at Kent State under Darrell Hazell, a former Jim Tressel assistant. He was on the staff for that magical 2012 Kent State team, then followed Hazell to Purdue. So far, so good. Assistant coach behind a massive turnaround, getting talented, underperforming players to the cusp of an Orange Bowl bid, all in the state of Ohio and in the MAC.

In four years at Purdue, Freeman coached the linebackers and also was a co-defensive coordinator in 2016. As a Purdue alum, I have to say that this stint at Purdue does not give me confidence. The four Hazell years represent the worst period of Purdue football. However bad the offense was, the defense was worse. After Hazell and staff were fired at the end of the 2016 season, Purdue instantly turned around in 2017. While most everyone credits the offense for the bowl run and turnaround in 2017, the truth of the matter is the turnaround was fueled by the new defensive staff at Purdue. 2016, the final Hazell year with Freeman as co-DC was the worst of the four Hazell defenses, yielding 38.3 ppg. 2017 with the new staff, 20.5 ppg yielded.

So at this point, things don't look good for Freeman. The four Purdue years were frankly an utter fiasco. But then Luke Fickell, another former Tressel assistant, hired Freeman to coach the linebackers at Cincinnati.

2017 was a disaster at Cincinnati, dealing with the mess left behind by Tommy Tuberville. Cincinnati allowed 31.8 ppg. Then in 2018, Freeman was promoted to defensive coordinator, and the 24th ranked Bearcats currently allow 14.9 ppg.

Opponents only run for 102 per game after allowing nearly 200 last year. Last week, Cincinnati shut out that potent Navy rushing attack, holding Navy to only 124 yards on the ground (they average almost 300 per game, and the only other bad outing was vs Air Force who sees that same offense every day in practice). What Cincinnati did to Navy is unheard of. It was textbook run defense, textbook tackling, and an utter clinic on how to defend one of the toughest offenses.

Cincinnati also allows only 177 pass yards per game (236 last year). Along with 24 sacks and 8 interceptions. Cincinnati is an excellent defense and is in every way dramatically improved from last year. Credit Marcus Freeman. Defense is the driving force for UC's rise this year.

I've heard he's a great recruiter. But I have no insight to add here, other than that he's from Ohio and has spent his entire career in Ohio and Indiana.

So what does this all mean for Marcus Freeman? An eight year coaching career with several years of utter disaster but currently wild success. Is he ready for the jump to MAC head coach?

He is absolutely a guy on the rise. And I believe at some point he is going to be a great FBS head coach. He's on the right trajectory, maybe even ahead of schedule for an FBS coaching job. However. I don't think that time is now. I think his next move should either be a big school defensive coordinator or an FCS head coach.

After the Jinks experiment, I'm not ready for another risky hire. Freeman, for all the good I just listed off at Cincinnati, is still just ten years removed from being a college player. If you look back at the forums when Jinks was hired, lots of people (me notably excluded) were heralding Jinks and the young staff as being young, energetic, and surely excellent recruiters. Youth was assuredly an asset, or at least so it seemed at the end of 2015. Obviously that whole young head coach thing didn't turn out well for us and I'm not sure I want to go that route again.

Also, I'm not sure if it is a positive or not that Freeman's entire collegiate playing and coaching career has been in the Jim Tressel coaching tree. Obviously Tressel is a great coach and has one of the most remarkable coaching trees anywhere. Is there something to say for diversity of experience?

Now if he were the hire, I trust that Moose has good reason to feel great about Freeman and has good reason to mitigate against the relative inexperience. And I'd be optimistic because he is a guy on the up and up. But overall, as an outside-looking-in guy, I think the jump to MAC head coach is just too big.

I'd love to hear further insights. I'm conflicted about this one. I really want to like Marcus Freeman because I want someone from the defensive side of the ball and from Ohio, but the lack of experience compared against other potential candidates is stark.

[mbenecke]

I've heard lots of Ohio State fans thinking Urban will be able to poach him to coach LBs next year.

I think he's a good candidate for the future, but I don't know if he's established enough at this point to be considered a real threat for the job.

[Flipper]

You don't hire a guy with little experience to replace a guy with little experience. The next hire needs to have some degree of experience in a CEO type position. Preferably HC or coordinator

[Falconwriter]

I've heard lots of Ohio State fans thinking Urban will be able to poach him to coach LBs next year.

I think he's a good candidate for the future, but I don't know if he's established enough at this point to be considered a real threat for the job.

I'd say this is more likely, unless he is a candidate to take over at Purdue...as in right now. It was just announced hat Brohm is resigning to go to Louisville, and I would doubt the Purdue AD will want him around to the end of the year, because he won't be recruiting FOR Purdue, anymore.

In any event, I think BG needs someone with a bit more experience to run things...or (more likely) someone who is already a head coach at a lower level.

[Globetrotter]

This is a situation where I thnk he will definitely be a star coach at some point but I don't disagree that he might not be ready. If hired he would be a very easy guy to get behind.

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