Saturday’s loss to BYU might have interrupted the momentum, but it did not change the broader view of Marcus Freeman or Notre Dame. In the middle of a 6-1 season and a No. 4 ranking in the poll, Freeman was named to the 2026 Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year Watch List, a reminder that the national perception of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish remains strong.
The recognition fits the larger shape of Notre Dame’s season. The Fighting Irish have been good enough to stay among the top teams in the country, and much of that case starts with the way the program has performed on defense. Notre Dame has allowed 235 yards per game, 11 yards fewer than the next closest mark in the available context, while giving up 67.3 rushing yards per game and 13.4 points per game. That scoring figure ranks third-fewest in the FBS, and the points allowed total is fifth-lowest in the country.
Why Freeman’s recognition matters
Coach-of-the-year watch list placement is not a trophy, but it does signal how Freeman’s work is being viewed nationally. Notre Dame has absorbed a loss and still kept its place near the top of the sport, which suggests the season is being judged on more than one result. The defensive profile is a major reason why. When a team is limiting opponents to that level of production, the head coach becomes part of the conversation whether the last game went the right way or not.
That is the tension in this announcement. The BYU loss was a setback, but it did not erase the resume Freeman and Notre Dame have built. At 6-1 and ranked No. 4, the Fighting Irish remain positioned as a major factor in the season, and Freeman’s place on the 2026 Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year Watch List reflects that reality. In other words, the season is still being defined by what Notre Dame has done over time, not only by what happened on Saturday.
