From dazed and down double digits to the Nittany Lions, the Irish’s confidence rose with their coach to knock off another top opponent.

How has Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman fared vs. ranked opponents? Here's a look at his record vs. ranked teams ahead of Thursday's CFP semifinal game:

Freeman now becomes the first Black coach and the first coach of Asian descent to take his team to the national championship. Deion Sanders, the coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, was impressed with this latest feat and sent Freeman a message over social media. "Congratulations my Brother," Sanders wrote on X.

Freeman — a surprise hire in December 2021 since he had never been a head coach when Notre Dame promoted the then-defensive coordinator after Kelly bolted for LSU — hasn’t had the same problems.

Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman has had his wife, Joanna Freeman, by his side for every step of his gridiron journey. Marcus, 38, and Joanna met during Marcus’ time at The Ohio State University,

Before their teams square off in the Orange Bowl, Penn State head coach James Franklin admitted Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is living his follicle fantasy. During a Wednesday, January 8, press conference ahead of the game on Thursday night,

One head coach will make history by winning the Orange Bowl on Thursday. When Penn State-Notre Dame goes final in the College Football Playoff semifinal either James Franklin or Marcus Freeman will become the first Black head coach to lead a team into the FBS National Championship game.

Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry discuss the significance of a Black head coach -- either Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman or Penn State's James Franklin -- coaching in the national championship for the first time ever.

The spring and summer of 2020 was a fraught time for college football coaches. Their sport was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic, cutting them off from recruiting future players and on-field interaction with their current players.