Marcus Freeman, head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, is enjoying a historic season that has led him to the 2025 National Championship Final. However, his success on the field may not have been possible without a significant personal change: his conversion to Catholicism.

Having led the Fighting Irish to victory in the Orange Bowl, Freeman will be the first Black head coach in the national championship game for Division I FBS football — an achievement more than 150 years in the making.

Thirty-six years after Lou Holtz added a championship to the storied history of Notre Dame football, Marcus Freeman has an opportunity to do the same.