Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman's son Vinny signs for D-I powerhouse in a sport that's not football

Billy Heyen

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Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman's son Vinny signs for D-I powerhouse in a sport that's not football image

Marcus Freeman's athletic genes got passed down to his son Vinny.

They'll just be used at the collegiate level in a sport that's not football.

Vinny Freeman will wrestle at Cornell, one of the powerhouses in that sport.

A proud father shared the news of his son's signing day on social media:

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In high school, Marcus was a track athlete in addition to football before going to star at Ohio State. 

Vinny competes as a wrestler at Penn High School in Indiana. He also plays football, and he's the leading tackler for his team.

"My greatest influences have always been my parents (Marcus and Joanna Freeman) because of how hard they work and how much they have sacrificed for our family," Vinny Freeman told the Indianapolis Colts' official website in September.

"What most people don't know is that my dad hasn't been in the 'spotlight' for long at all. He earned his current leadership role by hard work and being selfless, so that has what it's been like growing up. I get to watch and learn from a man who outworks everyone and wants to become better no matter what."

As a wrestler through three years of high school, Vinny has a 104-17 record. In the 2025 state tournament in Indiana, he placed third at 175 pounds.

"Vinny has many great strengths about him," Penn wrestling coach Brad Harper told Colts.com. "First of all, he is a culture setter. Teammates follow him and he always chooses hard and brings our team to a high excellent standard. His work ethic, drive, discipline, and character are more quality strengths he has.

"Weakness doesn't exist for Vinny Freeman. He always turns negatives into positives."

The Big Red certainly seem to have landed a good one.

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Contributing Writer