Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman has had his wife, Joanna Freeman, by his side for every step of his gridiron journey.
Marcus, 39, and Joanna met during Marcus’ time at The Ohio State University, where he was a star linebacker from 2004 to 2008. According to Yahoo! Sports, the two were introduced by Marcus’ best friend, Calvin Pruitt, while Marcus and Joanna lived in the same Columbus apartment complex.
At the time, Joanna was studying at nearby Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. She would go on to become a news reporter at WBNS-Channel 10 in Columbus before she and Marcus started their family together.
Marcus was drafted in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears — and would later sign to the practice squads of the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans that same year — though he never saw any NFL game action.
Notre Dame Coach Marcus Freeman’s Family Guide: Wife Joanna and 6 Kids
His coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Ohio State before seeing stops at Kent State University, Purdue University and the University of Cincinnati. Marcus was named Notre Dame’s head coach in December 2021.
Along the way, Joanna has been there for all of it — including the Freemans becoming the parents of six children together: son Vinny, 17, daughter Siena, 12, son Gino, 11, son Nico, 9, daughter Capri, 7, and son Rocco, 6.
For a full timeline of Marcus and Joanna’s relationship, keep reading.
2007
Marcus and Freeman welcomed their first child, son Vinny. Now a senior at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana, Vinny plays safety for the school’s football team He is also an accomplished wrestler, announcing his commitment to Cornell University in April 2025.
2010
The couple got married just months before Freeman’s coaching journey began as an assistant at his alma mater, Ohio State.
2012
Marcus and Joanna welcomed their first daughter, Siena, while Marcus was the linebackers coach at Kent State University.
2013
The couple’s second son, Gino, was born while Marcus was the linebackers coach at Purdue University.
By July 2018, Marcus already had both Gino and Vinny following in his footsteps. “It’s officially football season for the Freeman’s,” Marcus posted via Instagram, showing the brothers wearing football helmets and posing with their father.
2015
Marcus and Joanna welcomed their son, Nico, while Marcus was still working at Purdue. He would become the defensive coordinator at the University of Cincinnati in 2017.
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“Happy 4th birthday to our Nico!” Marcus shared via Instagram in 2019, showing off a picture from a birthday celebration that included then-Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell.
2017
The Freemans welcomed their second daughter, Capri, into the world.
In a picture shared by Marcus via Instagram, all four of Capri’s siblings smiled and posed with their baby sister shortly after her birth.
“Welcome to this world and our family Capri!!” Marcus wrote.
2018
Marcus and Joanna’s sixth baby, son Nico, was born shortly before the holidays.
“Merry Christmas from the Freeman Crew,” Marcus shared via Instagram in December 2018, showing off his entire family smiling in front of a fireplace full of stockings.
2020
Marcus celebrated the couple’s 10th wedding anniversary with a slideshow of images from their life together.
“Celebrating 10 years of being married to the love of my life and the glue to the Freeman family,” Marcus wrote via Instagram. “Happy anniversary Jo!”
2021
The entire Freeman family was on hand when Marcus signed a contract to become the 30th head coach in Notre Dame history.
“My family and I want to thank everyone for their overwhelming support,” Marcus wrote via Instagram. “This is a special community and we’re blessed to remain a part of it. To my guys — let’s go get this win! Go Irish!”
2023
Marcus celebrated Mother’s Day with a picture of Joanna and his mother, Chong Freeman.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing Moms out there, today we celebrate you!” he shared via Instagram. “I’m especially grateful for these two special women — my wife, Joanna, and my Mom!”
2025
Joanna and all six kids celebrated on the field with Marcus after Notre Dame defeated Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, earning them a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
2025
Marcus and Joanna took their boys to check out the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble in Indianapolis.
The family had ringside seats for the show, which took place at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. During the event, the Freemans were shown on the massive video screens inside, which drew a hearty reaction from the more than 70,000 fans in attendance.
2025
During an interview with Ryan Clark on “The Pivot Podcast” in August, Marcus was asked about his good looks and how they have “become a big part of the Marcus Freeman production.”
“Man, I’ll tell you what,” Marcus said with a laugh. “I try to stay away from that as much as I can, you know what I mean? There ain’t gonna be a good answer for this question. I’ll tell you what, I just got to try and keep my wife happy. That’s it. I’m just trying to keep my wife happy.”
2026
Marcus and Joanna were involved in an alleged altercation at one of their son Vinny’s wrestling meets on January 3. A wrestling coach at another high school accused Marcus of battery over an alleged physical incident near the doors of the gymnasium at Mishawaka High School in Indiana.
According to a police report, Joanna was accused of screaming at the coach once things spilled out into the school’s hallway.
After an investigation, which involved looking at surveillance video, both Marcus and Joanna were cleared of any wrongdoing and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office declined to press charges.
