WATCH: Notre Dame players learn Marcus Freeman is their new head coach

Has anyone the coaching industry had a better 2021 than Marcus Freeman?

For the record, it was Jan. 8 that Freeman was officially named Notre Dame's defensive coordinator. Less than 11 months later, he's the Fighting Irish's head coach.

At 35 years old, the first-time head coach is about to be one of the faces of the sport, leading arguably the game's most visible program.

And as you'll see below, no one was happier for Freeman than his players. 

There's a cottage industry of college football fans hating Notre Dame simply because they're Notre Dame. The Marcus Freeman-led Irish may make that quite difficult.