No. 4 Notre Dame and Wisconsin are set to open their seasons Sunday night at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with a matchup that features two head coaches, Marcus Freeman and Luke Fickell, whose personal and professional ties extend back more than 20 years.
The coaching relationship between Freeman and Fickell began when Freeman played linebacker at Ohio State from 2004 to 2008, with Fickell serving as his position coach. Nearly a decade later, Fickell hired Freeman as his linebackers coach and defensive coordinator at Cincinnati, a role Freeman held from 2017 through 2020. During his tenure with the Bearcats, Freeman was instrumental in building the program's defense into a nationally recognized unit, gaining significant experience leading a college defense before moving to Notre Dame in 2021.
Despite their shared past, both coaches have cultivated distinct cultures within their respective programs. Fickell acknowledged that Freeman's success as a head coach stems from his ability to forge his own path, rather than strictly adhering to the methods of his mentors. "The ones who have the most success, like Marcus has, are ones who create an identity for themselves, not just where they've been," Fickell said. Freeman, in turn, has credited Fickell as a foundational figure in his coaching development, emphasizing work habits and expectations that he has carried into his head coaching career. "I've got a lot of respect for him," Freeman stated. "I wouldn't be in this position without the investment he made in me."
This will not be the first time Freeman and Fickell have stood on opposite sidelines. In 2021, Fickell led Cincinnati to a 24-13 victory over Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium, a pivotal win for the Bearcats' eventual College Football Playoff appearance. Freeman was Notre Dame's defensive coordinator under head coach Brian Kelly at the time, and he took over the head coaching position after Kelly departed for LSU at the end of that regular season.
The connections between the two staffs extend beyond the head coaches. Notre Dame's offensive line coach, Joe Rudolph, previously spent six seasons as Wisconsin's offensive coordinator from 2015 to 2020 and remained on staff in 2021. Additionally, Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli, and wide receivers coach Mike Brown all served on Fickell's Cincinnati staff during the 2021 playoff season. "It's not just Marcus that we've got a long history with," Fickell commented. "There's a lot of guys over there that in particular we've got great relationships with."
While the personal ties are deep, the teams enter Sunday's game from different positions. Notre Dame, ranked No. 4, is a three-touchdown favorite, boasting a 24-4 record over the past two seasons, including a College Football Playoff championship game appearance in 2024. The Fighting Irish will be led by quarterback CJ Carr. Wisconsin, meanwhile, is seeking stability in Fickell's fourth year, coming off consecutive losing seasons in 2025 and 2024, which ended a 22-year streak of winning campaigns. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET.