There are few things as jarring as seeing Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman standing with a man wearing a Michigan Wolverines sweatshirt and smiling broadly.
It’s a little more jarring that the man he was with happens to be a Wolverines coach. And that the coach is standing in Freeman’s house.
Honestly, it doesn’t make it any less odd that the reason for the photo is that the Notre Dame football head coach hosted Michigan wrestling head coach Sean Bormet for a recruiting visit for Marcus’ son, Vinny.
Great home visit with Coach @Sean_Bormet. Thanks for stopping by @umichwrestling pic.twitter.com/8GsQJPx0J2
— Vinny Freeman (@VinnyFreeman5) February 4, 2025
Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman’s son getting wooed by Michigan
The idea of the son of the Notre Dame head coach going to Michigan sounds as strange as say, a famous Ohio State alum’s son going to … well, Michigan. We live in interesting times.
It’s not that Vinny Freeman doesn’t deserve an offer from one of the best wrestling programs in the country. Through 23 matches in the 2024-25 season, the Mishawaka (Ind.) Penn 2026 wrestler has amassed an impressive 21-2 record, according to Indiana Mat. Through three years, Freeman holds an all-time 85-16 record.
There’s also the little problem that Notre Dame doesn’t have a wrestling program. At least not one that is officially recognized by the NCAA as a sport. Vinny couldn’t continue his career in South Bend even if he wanted to do so.
Having said that, there are bound to be some Notre Dame football fans who would like the young man go anywhere but Michigan (or USC or Stanford obviously.) Vinny is going to do what’s best for him and the rest of us should just wish him well.