The University of Notre Dame football team will play in the national championship game on January 20th after defeating James Franklin’s Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night. If you had told the average college football fan this on September 8th, a day after Notre Dame suffered a horrific loss at home versus Northern Illinois, they would have never believed you. However, if you had told Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, he probably wouldn't have been surprised.

Since Notre Dame suffered that upset, one of the largest odds on upsets of the college football season, they have won 13 straight games, the longest active winning streak in college football. Marcus Freeman always knew his team could bounce back. "I know we'll get it right," he said the day after the loss. "We have the people in that building to make sure we get this thing where it needs to go."

Notre Dame has won 11 national titles, over 900 games, and boasts seven Heisman trophy winners. Despite these statistics, the Fighting Irish have struggled over the past few decades. They have not won a national title since 1988, nor had a Heisman winner since 1987.

Former head coach Brian Kelly left Notre Dame in 2021 for Louisiana State University, stating, "I want to be in an environment where I have the resources to win a national championship." Marcus Freeman took over and led his squad to a national championship game three years later.

Freeman is currently on a historic trajectory. He turned 39 years old just hours after watching his kicker knock in the game-winning field goal to break Penn State's hearts. If Freeman wins on Monday, he'll be the youngest head coach in the last 30 years to win a national title.

Freeman is not only an excellent coach but also a symbol of diversity for many. He was born to a black father and a South Korean mother, making him one of just 16 black coaches in the FBS this season. Freeman will also be the first Black head coach to play for a national title in sports history and the first head coach of Asian descent to coach in a national championship game.

"I've said this before: I don't ever want to take attention away from the team," Freeman said after the Orange Bowl. "It is an honor, and I hope all coaches -- minorities, Black, Asian, White, it doesn't matter, great people -- continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this. But this ain't about me. This is about us. We will celebrate what we've done because it's so special."

This "It's us, not me" mentality is nothing new for Freeman. One of his top priorities at Notre Dame was rebuilding a sense of calm and togetherness that his predecessor had broken down. Included in this was reinstating a long-standing tradition that Kelly had eliminated: gameday Mass for players and staff. Before home games at Notre Dame, a Catholic school, players and staff attend a pregame Mass on campus at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

In 2022, asked why he continued the tradition, Freeman said, "For me, the mindset (is) really being calm before the storm. You can get so riled up before the game and hours before the game. I didn't want that. As we move forward, I want to make sure those guys are calm, and part of that is making sure we spend some time reflecting in a Mass. And then coming over here (Notre Dame Stadium), we'll be ready to roll when the foot hits the ball at kickoff. But I want to be at peace and calm as we prepare to enter the stadium.  Embrace this place, and when it's kickoff time, we'll be ready to roll."

This calm mindset was evident in the coaches' press conference on the eve of the Orange Bowl. While Penn State head coach James Franklin joked about coach Freeman's hairline and complained that Notre Dame doesn't play in a conference, Marcus Freeman was focused on what he could control. Freeman stayed consistent in his comments, dialing in on his team instead of getting involved with the opponents' issues.

Marcus Freeman has demonstrated his ability to remain calm but confident under pressure, leading his team on a historic run. On January 20th, he will compete in the national championship game against Ohio State University, his alma mater, with a chance to restore Notre Dame to its former glory in college football.