An Unexpected Omission
Marcus Freeman, the head coach of the University of Notre Dame football program, did not cast a ballot in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll for the first time in his tenure. The decision broke a pattern of previous participation and was driven by a simple oversight rather than any strategic statement.
Freeman revealed that he was unaware of the poll’s voting requirement until the deadline passed. Consequently, he entrusted the responsibility to members of his staff, citing a packed schedule that leaves little room for personal review of national rankings.
Despite his absence, the Irish still received recognition, earning five first‑place votes and securing fifth overall in the poll. The top spot was dominated by Ohio State, which amassed 38 first‑place votes — approximately 75 percent of coaches who have previously held a national championship on their résumé.
The poll also highlighted a group of former Notre Dame assistants who did participate, including Clark Lea now at Vanderbilt and Lance Taylor at Western Michigan. In addition, coaches such as Barry Odom at Purdue, Tavita Pritchard at Stanford, Brian Newberry at Navy, Rhett Lashlee at SMU, and Fran Brown at Syracuse contributed ballots.
The broader context involves the upcoming 2025 College Football Playoff, which will be decided by a 12‑member selection committee rather than by poll results. This shift has prompted many elite programs to reconsider the time they allocate to traditional voting mechanisms, a trend that Freeman’s choice exemplifies.
Non‑voters among the top eight teams included Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Texas’s Steve Sarkisian, and Miami’s Mario Cristobal, underscoring a growing reluctance among high‑profile coaches to engage directly with the poll process. The decision to exclude Freeman was described internally, with no external messaging intended to signal a broader philosophical shift.