The Short Answer: Married to Joanna Freeman
Yes — Marcus Freeman is married. He and Joanna Freeman (née Herncane) married in 2010 — 16 years ago as of October 2026. Freeman, born January 10, 1986, in Fairborn, Ohio, is Notre Dame's head coach — the former Ohio State linebacker who became, at 35, one of the youngest head coaches in the sport's history (December 2021).
Joanna — with Freeman since his Ohio State playing days — is the mother of six: the Freemans are college football's biggest first family. Their South Bend household — six kids, the Irish, the ambition — is the sport's most joyful chaos.
Sixteen years married, six kids: the Freemans are Notre Dame's family.
The Wedding: 2010
Freeman and Joanna married in 2010 — the Ohio State linebacker, fresh from his playing days, marrying his college sweetheart. The wedding — family, the Buckeye circle — came before the coaching ascent: Cincinnati, Purdue, Notre Dame DC, then the head job.
Sixteen years on, the 2010 wedding — six kids, the Notre Dame head coaching job (2021) — is the foundation: the marriage that predated the fame.
Marcus and Joanna Freeman: Relationship Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Ohio State days | Together. Freeman (Buckeyes linebacker, 2004–2008) and Joanna are a couple through his playing career. |
| 2010 | Wedding. Married as Freeman's coaching career begins. |
| 2010s | The climb + the babies: six children arrive through the assistant-coaching years (Cincinnati, Purdue, Notre Dame DC). |
| December 2021 | Notre Dame head coach. Freeman, 35, gets the Irish job — the family of eight moves to South Bend. |
| 2022–2026 | The Notre Dame era: as of October 2026, the Freemans are the program's first family — six kids and counting. |
Six kids through the coaching climb is the story: Joanna raised the family while Freeman climbed — the GA grind, the coordinator years, the head job. In coaching — where marriages strain under the hours — the Freeman 16 years are the gold standard.
Who Is Joanna Freeman?
Joanna Freeman (née Herncane) is Marcus's wife of 16 years and the mother of six — the woman who built the family while he built the career. Her 2010–2026 chapter — six kids, the moves (Cincinnati, West Lafayette, South Bend), the Notre Dame spotlight — is the coach's-wife epic: the household CEO.
As of October 2026, she remains the family's anchor: the wife, the mother of six, the South Bend matriarch.
The Family: Six Kids
The Freeman children — six — are college football's biggest brood: the South Bend household, the sideline kids, the program's unofficial mascots. Freeman — the 40-year-old head coach — is, by all accounts, the devoted dad: the six, the practices, the family dinners.
The household — the marriage (2010), the six — is the sport's joyful chaos: Notre Dame's first family, in full.
Freeman's 2026: Notre Dame's Man
Freeman's 2021–2026 Notre Dame chapter — the 35-year-old's hire, the program's revival, the Playoff contention — has been the young coach's ascent: the former linebacker, now the CEO of the sport's most storied program. His 2024–2026 run — the wins, the recruiting, the belief — is the Irish renaissance.
As of October 2026, 40, 16 years married, six kids, the Notre Dame job: Freeman is the sport's family man — and its rising star.
The Bigger Picture: Sixteen Years, Six Kids
Marcus and Joanna Freeman's story — Ohio State to 2010 wedding; six kids; Notre Dame, 2021 — is college football's family epic: the linebacker and his girl, 16 years, the sport's biggest brood. No drama, no spectacle — just the family, done right.
As of October 2026, the answer to "who is Marcus Freeman's wife" is Joanna Freeman — his college sweetheart, his 2010 bride, the mother of his six children.
Ohio State: The Linebacker
Ohio State — the 2004–2008 seasons, the Buckeyes linebacker, the 2009 fifth-round pick — is Freeman's origin: the Fairborn kid, the Columbus star, the NFL dream. The playing days — the tackles, the 2006–2008 teams — made him the Buckeye: the linebacker, the leader.
Joanna — the Ohio State sweetheart, the 2010 bride — was the playing days' partner: the campus, the draft (2009, Bears), the pivot to coaching. The 2004–2010 chapter — the player, the girl — is the marriage's start: the Buckeyes, the love.
As of October 2026 — 16 years married, six kids — Ohio State is the root: the linebacker, the wife, the Notre Dame coach. The Buckeye — the Irishman.
Cincinnati: The Coordinator Rise
Cincinnati — the 2017–2020 DC years, the Luke Fickell staff, the 2020 peak — is Freeman's coordinator school: the Bearcats' defense, the rising star. The Cincinnati chapter — the schemes, the success — made him the hot name: the 30-something DC, the future head coach.
Joanna and the kids — the growing brood (six eventually) — were the Cincinnati years' family: the moves, the babies, the climb. The 2017–2020 span — the DC, the household — is the marriage's middle: the coordinator, the mother of (many).
As of October 2026, Cincinnati — the DC years — is the foundation: the 2021 Notre Dame DC gig, the December hire. The Bearcat — the Irishman.
Notre Dame DC: The 2021 Season
The 2021 season — the Notre Dame DC, the one year, the audition — is Freeman's launching pad: the Irish defense, the 11-2 record, the December promotion. The year — the coordinator, the head-coach-in-waiting — was the tryout: the 35-year-old, the future.
The family — Joanna, the six kids, the South Bend arrival — was the 2021 season's backdrop: the DC's household, the head coach's future. The December 2021 hire — the 35-year-old head coach — was the family's coronation: the coordinator, the CEO.
As of October 2026 — the fifth season, the contention — 2021 is the memory: the audition, the hire, the beginning. The DC — the head coach.
Hired at 35: The Youngest Gamble
December 2021 — the Notre Dame hire, the 35-year-old head coach — is the gamble: the youngest Irish coach in decades, the unproven, the chosen. The hire — the Brian Kelly exit, the continuity bet — was the program's leap: the DC, the CEO.
Joanna — the 2010 bride, the six-kid mother — was the hire's partner: the South Bend move, the spotlight, the faith. The 2021 winter — the press conference, the family — was the marriage's public peak: the wife, the head coach's wife.
As of October 2026 — 40, the fifth year — the gamble has paid: the contention, the recruiting, the belief. The 35-year-old hire — the 40-year-old star.
The Playoff Push: 2024's Breakthrough
The 2024 season — the 12-team Playoff, the Irish run, the breakthrough — is Freeman's arrival: the head coach, the contender, the believer. The run — the wins, the January football — made him the sport's rising star: the 38-year-old, the Playoff coach.
The family — the six kids, the South Bend household, the sideline crew — was the 2024 run's joy: the Playoff games, the children, the dream. The breakthrough — the program's, the family's — was shared: the coach, the kids.
As of October 2026, 2024 — the run — is the standard: the contention, the expectation. The Freemans — the 16-year marriage, the six — the Playoff family.
Game Day: The Freeman Sideline
Game day — the Notre Dame sideline, the six kids, the Joanna — is the Freeman spectacle: the 40-year-old head coach, the family crew. The sideline — the children, the chaos, the joy — is college football's family show: the Irish, the Freemans.
Joanna — the 16-year wife, the six-kid mother — runs the game-day operation: the kids, the logistics, the love. The 2022–2026 era — the South Bend Saturdays — is the family's stage: the head coach, the household.
As of October 2026, the sideline — the six, the Saturdays — is the program's heart: the Freemans, the Irish. The coach — the dad — the Notre Dame family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Marcus Freeman's wife?
Joanna Freeman (née Herncane) — his wife since 2010, together since his Ohio State playing days.
When did Marcus Freeman get married?
2010 — 16 years ago as of October 2026.
How many kids do Marcus and Joanna Freeman have?
Six — college football's biggest first family.
Who is Joanna Freeman?
Marcus's wife of 16 years and mother of six — with him since Ohio State, the household's anchor through the coaching climb.
What team does Marcus Freeman coach?
Notre Dame — head coach since December 2021, hired at 35.
Where did Marcus Freeman play?
Ohio State — the Buckeyes linebacker (2004–2008) before coaching.
How old is Marcus Freeman?
Born January 10, 1986 — 40 years old as of October 2026.