Previous role: Defensive coordinator, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
There’s no effect related to Marcus Freeman being hired away from anywhere. However, any decision with respect to head coaches the Notre Dame Fighting Irish make will be one that affects any program with high ambitions, and that includes Tennessee football, regardless of how the last decade-plus has gone.
Marcus Freeman was promoted from his role as defensive coordinator by Notre Dame when Brian Kelly left, a move that’s up higher on this list. This past year was his first year in that position, but he had spent four years as defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bearcats before that.
Southern Ohio is an area the Vols would love to build some sort of pipeline, so Freeman being at Notre Dame combined with Cincinnati being elite certainly complicates things on Rocky Top. Also, with the recent commitment of Tayven Jackson, they obviously want to recruit Indiana as well.
Taking those things into account, it’s safe to say the Freeman hire will have some sort of impact on the Vols, even after his team lost the Fiesta Bowl 37-35 in his first game as head coach. However, it’s not even in the top half of hires by Power Five programs based on the way they will impact Rocky Top going forward.