Notre Dame paid just over $7.4 million in total compensation to head coach Marcus Freeman in the calendar year 2023, according to tax documents obtained by USA Today's Steve Berkowitz on Thursday.

The 2023 season was Freeman's third at Notre Dame, and his second as the Fighting Irish's head coach. The season opened with a 42-3 drubbing of Navy in Ireland, with a memorable last-second home loss to Ohio State and road defeats to Louisville and Clemson. Notre Dame defeated its future starting quarterback Riley Leonard and an undefeated, 17th-ranked Duke team, along with a 48-20 blowout of then-No. 10 USC and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. The Irish's 10-3 season ended with a 40-8 blowout of No. 19 Oregon State in the Sun Bowl. Notre Dame finished the year ranked 14th in both polls.

For that year, Freeman received $6.2 million in salary, $461,000 in bonuses and $704,000 in other reportable income. His $6.2 million salary was $400,000 from what he earned in 2022.

Freeman's salary is set to go up further still. In December, he signed a 4-year extension keeping him under contract through 2030. Freeman signed that deal days before Notre Dame went on a run to the national championship game, including a first-round win over Indiana, a Sugar Bowl win over No. 2 seed and SEC champion Georgia, and an Orange Bowl victory over No. 6 seed Penn State.

"I am grateful for the support of the Board of Trustees, led by John Veihmeyer, President Fr. Bob Dowd, C.S.C., and Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua," Freeman said at the time. "The investment they continue to pour into our program is invaluable to our student-athletes and staff. This commitment goes well beyond myself, as they are dedicated to ensuring all aspects of our program are competitive within the upper echelon of college football."

Due to Notre Dame's status as a private institution, we likely won't learn the full details of Freeman's extension until May 2027. And if Notre Dame keeps improving in its next two seasons as it has over its last two, Freeman could very well have a new new contract by then.

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