Giants’ head coaching search hits its first real snag before it even starts

New York Giants fans can’t catch a break. When it rains for Giants fans, it doesn’t just pour. It torrentially downpours. One day removed from surrendering the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 Draft to the Las Vegas Raiders, one of the more interesting head coaching candidates took his name off Big Blue's preliminary list.

Notre Dame's head football coach, Marcus Freeman, started off as a relative dark horse for the open position after the Giants parted ways with head coach Brian Daboll, and he quickly became one of the more intriguing names in recent weeks.

Speculation only grew after the Fighting Irish were omitted from the College Football Playoff, subsequently deciding to sit out the postseason entirely rather than play in a Bowl game. Perhaps the ever-changing landscape of college football could push the up-and-coming coach toward the NFL... maybe even to East Rutherford.

Well, fans didn't have to wait long to find out if he was genuinely interested in a leap. Sure enough, the soon-to-be 40-year-old took to social media to announce his intention to stay in South Bend:

Giants’ coaching search takes early loss as Marcus Freeman shuts down NFL leap

Are you sure you don't want to consider, Marcus? Not even like hear the Giants out before you take your name out of the running? Please. We did ask him if he'd reconsider, but as of the writing of this article, he has yet to respond... shocker.

There's still time for a change of heart, though.

Freeman would’ve been a compelling option for the Giants’ head coaching vacancy... not because he’s flashy or has NFL pedigree, but because he’s exactly what this team has been missing from a leadership perspective.

First off, he’s a culture-builder. At Notre Dame, the fourth-year HC made his mark by setting a tone built on discipline, player buy-in, and accountability -- three things that haven’t existed in East Rutherford in too long to count. The G-Men haven’t just lacked talent, which... they have. They’ve lacked any semblance of an identity. Freeman could’ve brought one.

He’s also a defensive mind. A former Broyles Award finalist -- honoring the best assistant coach in college football -- his aggressive and adaptable schemes would’ve paired nicely with cornerstones like Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Abdul Carter. He’s proven he can develop talent, command the locker room, and get results while working under lofty expectations.

In layman's terms, he's a football guy, and he gets it.

Freeman might not have the NFL experience some fans might have wanted, but he has thrived in a high-stakes environment, exceeding practically all expectations since taking over for Brian Kelly back in 2022. With him now off the table, the Giants will have to look elsewhere to find the kind of presence that the Fighting Irish just locked up... something this team desperately needs.