Coach Freeman's history with former Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel

ATLANTA, Ga. -- In 2002, Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel led the Buckeyes to the national championship, while Marcus Freeman was a junior at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio at the time.

When the Buckeyes started recruiting Freeman it wasn't a hard sell, and he arrived at Ohio State in January 2004 as an early enrollee and quickly grabbed the attention of Coach Tressel.

Freeman became a two-time second team all-big ten linebacker for the Buckeyes and was taken by the Chicago Bears in the 5th round of the 2009 NFL draft.

But his professional career was cut short by injuries and an enlarged heart.

In 2010, Freeman began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater and his career skyrocketed from there.

In 2020, he won defensive coordinator of the year at Cincinnati, and as his stock continued to rise, he always checked in with Tressel.

While Tressel is only a phone call away, he has always let his actions speak louder than any actual words of advice.