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.

The Chicago Bears are clearly planning to be quite thorough in this head coaching cycle. The franchise has confirmed seven interviews with top candidates already and a few more still will come this week. On Sunday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero linked the Bears with another candidate— and this one is a genunine surprise.

"The Bears have done extensive research for months on Marcus Freeman," Pelissero said. "He's only 39 years old. Would not be a shock if at some point he at least considers going t