Minutes after Notre Dame beat Georgia to clinch a berth in the College Football Playoff semifinals against Penn State earlier this month, Tremaine Jackson’s phone buzzed.

“Well, we’re guaranteed one,” the text message read.

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and Penn State coach James Franklin would be facing off in the Orange Bowl, assuring that a Black coach would advance to the national title game for the first time in history.

Jackson, 41, who was hired as Prairie View A&M head coach in December, has found himself trading texts and phone calls with fellow Black coaches at the start of every season, wondering who can be the one who coaches his team to the pinnacle.

“We look at the guys who have real opportunities and say who can it be?” Jackson said. “And as the season goes along, you’re all like, ‘Hey, I’m pulling for him.’”

Freeman, whose father is Black and mother is Korean, beat Franklin’s Penn State team for the right to make history. His Fighting Irish meet Ohio State on Monday night in Atlanta for the championship.

Standing on the stage after the Orange Bowl, ESPN reporter Molly McGrath used her third question of four to ask Freeman: “Coach, I know you’re all about team, but I want to give a moment for everyone here to be able to celebrate you, because you are the first Black head coach to go to a national championship game in college football.”

The crowd cheered.

“Just hearing that response alone, how much does this mean to you?”

“I don’t ever want to take attention away from the team. It is an honor and I hope all coaches, minorities, Black, Asian, White, great people continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this. But this ain’t about me. This is about us. We’re going to celebrate what we’ve done. Because it’s something special.”

“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.”

Marcus Freeman on becoming the first Black and Asian American head coach to make the FBS national championship 👏 pic.twitter.com/KHMksJUNdK

— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2025

Clips of the exchange almost immediately went viral. The video posted by ESPN alone has 2.6 million views on X.

Much of the response there and elsewhere the clip was posted praised Freeman and criticized McGrath and ESPN for the question. Some believed ESPN was injecting race into a moment where it shouldn’t be present.

Black coaches across the sport can tell you why it should be.

“We’re talking about it because it’s real. What are you pushing when you’re telling me I shouldn’t be talking about this?” said Van Malone, the assistant head coach, defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach at Kansas State, who has worked with a variety of minority coach associations and serves as the CFO of the Minority Coaches Advancement Association.

“It’s a really, really massive deal,” said Archie McDaniel, who coaches linebackers at Illinois and serves as president of the Minority Coaches Advancement Association. “For me personally, it’s monumental.”

Said Jackson: “When you realize we’ve been playing football since the 1860s, you just go, man, look how far we’ve come. I’m rooting for Marcus like hell. Because it gives us validation.”

Across all levels of college football since it began in 1869 — FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA — only seven Black coaches are believed to have coached a game that could have clinched a national title.

Rudy Hubbard won a Division I-AA title at Florida A&M in 1978.

Mike London, who won an FCS title in 2008 at the University of Richmond, is the only coach to hoist a national title trophy somewhere other than at an HBCU.

Jackson, hired in 2022 as the first Black coach in Valdosta State history, led his program to the Division II national title game last month and lost. He parlayed his work into the job at Prairie View A&M, a historically Black university that competes at the FCS level.

In his almost 20 years as a coach, McDaniel has lost count of how many times he’s heard it. He’ll sit down with a player and talk about life after football. Lots of them bring up coaching, but he’ll hear a familiar phrase from his Black players.

“I would love to be a head coach,” McDaniel said they tell him. “But I don’t know if that’s really possible.”

Currently, 18 of the 134 (13.4 percent) FBS programs have a Black head coach. In the SEC, that number is zero. The ACC has two. Deion Sanders is the only Black coach in the Big 12. Four Big Ten coaches are Black.

One answer as to why there are so few Black coaches in a sport played predominantly by African Americans is that the history of college football is the history of America. Schools and conferences didn’t integrate until the 1960s and ’70s amid the civil rights movement.

The Bowl Championship Series debuted in 1998. Five years later, Mississippi State made Sylvester Croom the first Black head coach in SEC history. Twenty-two years after that moment, the league has four additional programs at 16 and one fewer Black head coach.

Opportunities are rare. Opportunities at good schools that are capable of reaching the national championship game are even rarer. Since 2000, the 48 spots in the national championship game have been occupied by just 17 programs. Seven of those have had a Black full-time head coach not in an interim role at some time in their history.

Much of the reason Freeman’s moment means so much to Black coaches in the sport is because they understand the math. They also know of playing the political game, Jackson said. Many don’t want to speak out about diversity publicly, Malone said.

“The older crowd never thought they’d see it,” Jackson said. “The younger crowd expects to see it and thinks it’s easy to get there.”

McDaniel said that a few years ago the Minority Coaches Advancement Association counted the number of minority head coaches by hand at the more than 500 programs at every level of the sport. They found 45.

“I’m a numbers guy. All I look at are numbers. And numbers and opportunity have a direct reflection on one another,” he said.

The National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches — founded by Maryland coach Mike Locksley in 2020 — works to expand schools’ applicant pools when openings arise and point them to candidates that might not be on their radar. One such effort from the group, which has over 2,000 members, paired up-and-coming coaches with athletic directors for an 18-month mentorship program, according to Raj Kudchadkar, executive director of the NCMFC. Freeman was paired with Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez.

Notre Dame promoted Freeman from defensive coordinator in December 2021 after Brian Kelly left for LSU.

In an open letter to Notre Dame shortly after he was hired, Freeman addressed it more openly than he has during this Playoff run.

“Being a part of this coalition has been an important reminder that: Hey, you are a representation of a lot of people. And that’s what I want to be. I want to be a representation, but also more than that I want to be a demonstration,” Freeman wrote. “I want to be a demonstration of what someone can do, and the level they can do it at, if they are given the OPPORTUNITY. Because that’s what is needed: opportunity. We need more minorities to get the opportunity to interview — and we need more minorities to get the opportunity to do a job that they can have success in.”

Multiple coaches pointed to Black head coaches Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith going head-to-head in the Super Bowl in 2007 — Dungy became the first Black head coach to be crowned the NFL’s champion when his Indianapolis Colts won — and noted that Monday night might be remembered similarly, especially if Freeman’s Irish pull the upset.

“What this moment provides is hope for a lot of people that have had a lot of moments of being discouraged,” McDaniel said. “It’s really hard at times to imagine yourself accomplishing something that has literally never been done.”

(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

President Biden’s recent declaration that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is now “the law of the land” has prompted mockery in his final days in office. Biden isn’t even safe from insults from Vice President-elect JD Vance. 

Vance responded to Biden’s declaration in a post on X, joking that Biden should put the late disgraced MLB icon Pete Rose in the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

“Hey Joe if we’re doing fake s— on the way out can you declare Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame?” Vance wrote. “See you in two days!”

Rose, who died back in September, was banned from MLB for life for illegally betting on games. 

Rose was banned in 1989 after an investigation concluded that he not only gambled on MLB games, but went so far as to wager on games involving the Cincinnati Reds when he was managing the team. 

Rose signed an agreement with Commissioner Bart Giamatti declaring him permanently ineligible for baseball but allowing him to petition for reinstatement and avoid a formal declaration that he bet on baseball. Multiple appeals by Rose for reinstatement over the last few decades have failed.

As a player, Rose won three World Series titles, two with the Reds and one with the Philllies, while making 17 All-Star games and winning NL MVP in 1973. He famously still holds the record for most hits in MLB history with 4,256. 

PETE ROSE ON MLB BAN FOR GAMBLING IN LAST INTERVIEW: ‘OTHER GUYS WILL KILL SOMEBODY AND BE BACK IN THE GAME

Philadelphia Phillies’ Pete Rose bats during a 1980 baseball game. Rose will make an appearance on the field in Philadelphia next month. Baseball’s career hits leader will be part of Phillies alumni weekend, and will be introduced on the field alongside many former teammates from the 1980 World Series championship team on Aug. 7.  (AP Photo, File)

Yet, his betting scandal has made him one of the most controversial holdouts of the baseball Hall of Fame since his retirement. His absence from the Hall of Fame is one of the sport’s most fiercely debated controversies. 

So Vance had no reservations about referencing Rose’s famed Hall of Fame controversy to mock the outgoing president. 

Citing the American Bar Association in the statement, Biden argued that the ERA has “cleared all necessary hurdles to formally be added to the Constitution.” Biden added that he agreed with “the ABA and with leading constitutional scholars that the Equal Rights Amendment has become part of our Constitution.” However, despite Biden’s argument, the National Archives disagreed.

President Biden has contracted COVID-19, the White House said.  (Biden speaks at a rally in Virginia)

In a post on X calling the ERA the “law of the land,” implying that it is already part of the Constitution, which is not the case. Social media users were quick to point this out, with some calling the president a “dictator.”

The ERA, a proposed amendment to the constitution that would guarantee “equal rights under the law” to all Americans regardless of sex. Its latest iteration was a rapid response by New York Democrats to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Matthew Stafford played in one Super Bowl with the Rams and won. Jalen Hurts played in one Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and fell short.

Both quarterbacks aim to return to the NFL’s biggest stage.

One will take a step toward that goal on Sunday when the Rams play the Eagles in an NFC divisional-round game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

“I’m enjoying the hell out of it,” Stafford, a 16th-year pro, said of the preparation. “I know the guys on our team are doing the same.

“Just trying to lead as best I can to help us give ourselves the best chance we can to get a win and keep it moving.”

Hurts, a fifth-year pro, is similarly wired.

“I don’t play the game for anything other than to win,” he told Philadelphia reporters this week.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley dominated strategy discussion in the lead-up to the game, specifically focused on whether he could come close to repeating his 255-yard rushing performance against the Rams in November.

But Stafford and Hurts could dictate which team moves on to play the winner of Saturday’s game between the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game.

Under coach Sean McVay, the Rams are 1-4 against the Eagles.

Twice, Hurts played a key role in defeating them.

In 2023, he passed for 303 yards and a touchdown, with an interception, and rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown in a 23-14 victory at SoFi Stadium.

Two months ago, also at SoFi Stadium, Hurts passed for 179 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 39 yards in a Barkley-dominated 37-20 win.

Hurts’ ability to pass and run on designed and off-schedule plays makes him “a nightmare,” to play against, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula said.

“He’s very calm back there in the pocket,” Shula said. “He has a great O-line that he trusts and he’ll stand back there forever if you let him.”

And if the pocket collapses?

“He’s able to find the little holes here and there, the little creases,” Rams edge rusher Jared Verse said. “He doesn’t always want to run. Sometimes, he can just make that big play, which is different from most quarterbacks.”

In last Sunday’s 22-10 wild-card victory over the Green Bay Packers, Hurts completed his first six passes. But his next seven fell incomplete. In the second half, he completed seven of eight, finishing the game with 131 yards passing and two touchdown passes.

“He wins,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told Philadelphia reporters this week. “He’s been playing efficient, and we do what we need to do to win every game.

“And Jalen does what he needs to do to win every game, and will continue to do that and not apologize for it.”

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts stiff arms a Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine during the Eagles’ wild-card playoff win on Jan. 12.

(Derik Hamilton / Associated Press)

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Hurts’ role, and the Eagles’ approach, is different every game, the quarterback told Philadelphia reporters.

“And you just want to go out there and do your job, take advantage of opportunities,” he said, adding, “Ultimately, it’s about winning the game. We’re talking about playoff football.”

In each of the last two games against the Eagles, Stafford passed for more than 222 yards and two touchdowns.

In last Monday’s wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings, he completed his first 10 passes and finished 19 of 27 for 209 yards and two touchdowns.

His most savvy play might have been his decision to flick the ball forward just as he was about to be sacked in the second quarter with the Rams holding a 10-3 lead. Officials initially ruled that Stafford had fumbled and that the Vikings had returned it for a touchdown. But upon review, it was ruled an incomplete pass.

“You don’t coach that,” McVay said. “That’s not something that we would be telling a young quarterback to go ahead and do if that same situation arises. Matthew has earned the right to be able to do some things differently.”

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throws a pass during an NFC wild-card playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 13.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Stafford’s “talent and his know-how” stand out, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told Philadelphia reporters.

“He’s still one of the top passers in the league,” Fangio said. “Very, very smart, can read coverages better than most, if not one of the top two or three.

“Still has tremendous arm talent. Can put the ball anywhere.”

Stafford and Eagles cornerback Darius Slay were Detroit Lions teammates for seven seasons.

Slay, a 2017 All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowl pick, went against Stafford in practice, watched him in games and has played against him twice since signing with the Eagles in 2020.

Stafford remains a top-five quarterback, Slay said.

“I don’t know why folks [are] leaving him out of that conversation,” Slay said, “because there’s not many quarterbacks that have the arm talent, the guy that’s seen every coverage that’s possible, and can make all the throws.”

The Eagles must pressure Stafford, sack him on occasion and disrupt the Rams’ pass routes, Slay said.

“Because if they’re not disrupted enough, it’s going to be a good day for him,” he said, “and we don’t need a good day for him.”

Stafford is 5-1 in postseason games with the Rams. Hurts is 3–3 in the playoffs.

Three seasons ago, Stafford achieved a career highlight when he passed for two touchdowns in the Rams’ victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.

A year later, in Super Bowl LVII, Hurts ran for three touchdowns and passed for another only to see the Eagles fall short in the final seconds against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Whichever quarterback emerges with a victory Sunday puts another Super Bowl appearance within reach.

“I think back to the first day of training camp, how you’re feeling, and all the things that are going through your mind,” said Stafford, who will turn 37 two days before the Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. “Looking at the end of the calendar and thinking about how long of a journey that is is sometimes overwhelming and a little bit daunting.

“But to be here now, to have worked through all the things that we’ve worked through as a team and as an individual, to get to this point and have the opportunities that we have in front of us is really fun.”