User:Grace.k.e./Pat Freiermuth

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Patrick John Freiermuth (born October 25, 1998) is an American football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State and was drafted by the Steelers in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

High school career[edit]
A longtime resident of Merrimac, Massachusetts, Freiermuth attended Pentucket Regional High School in West Newbury, Massachusetts, before transferring to the Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts. At Brooks, he played tight end and outside linebacker on the football team, wearing jersey number eight. He also played basketball here as a power forward and a small forward. During his career, he had 1,531 total yards and 24 total touchdowns. He committed to Penn State University to play college football.

College career[edit]
As a freshman for the Nittany Lions in 2018, Freiermuth made nine starts and recorded 26 receptions for 368 yards and setting a major record already, he scored eight touchdowns, causing him to have the most receiving touchdowns scored by a freshman tight end. He remained the starter for the next two seasons, In 2019, he was voted Penn State's Most Valuable Offensive Player. It was after this same year that he received the opportunity to leave Penn State and head the the NFL combine a year early. Although rumor said he would jump at this, he declined this chance, and in a press conference with Coach James Franklin announced that he had planned to recommit to Penn State for yet another year. He played in a total of 30 games there, and starting in all but four of those games. He scored sixteen career touchdowns, making him tied at eight place overall at Penn State for career touchdowns, and first place for career touchdowns made by a tight end in Penn State history. In the end, he had a total of 92 career receptions, 1,185 career receiving yards, he was named the Big Ten Conference's Kwalick–Clark Tight End of the Year in 2020, making him the first ever Penn State tight end to win this award. He also earned his right to be voted first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches, and finished the season leading the conference for most receiving yards by a tight end. All this, even though he was only able to play in four total games this season due to a season-ending shoulder injury that required he undergo surgery.

Professional career[edit]
Patrick "Muth" Freiermuth was drafted in the second round (55th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He replaced tight end Vance McDonald, who retired after the 2020 season. He signed his four-year rookie contract with Pittsburgh on May 25, 2021. His first NFL start was the very first game the Steelers played in the 2021-2022 season. It was played against the Buffalo Bills, and he would join a list of five total rookie starters for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The group including: Pat Freiermuth, Najee Harris, Kendrick Green, Dan Moore Jr., and Tre Norwood. It was here that he racked up his very first professional career reception, for a total of 24 yards. He finished out the season with a total of 60 receptions, 497 yards, and seven touchdowns. He sustained two injuries this season as well, both deemed as first grade concussions. The first was suffered in week 12, a game ending in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals 41-10. The second concussion was sustained in a Steelers win above the Tennessee Titans 19-13. This was during week 15, when he was knocked out cold in the midst of the third quarter. After medical staff came onto the field, he was able to walk off on his own, but was taken to the locker room to be evaluated. He was ruled out for the rest of the game, and had to then follow proper concussion protocol.

Personal life[edit]
Pat Freiermuth has quite the large family history when it comes to their athletics. Freiermuth's uncle, Michael Foley, is a longtime offensive coordinator for the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and he is still there. Prior to this, he was head coach of the football team at Colgate University. His father, John Freiermuth, played basketball at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, United States and in 1988 he was named New Hampshire's "Mr. Basketball." His mom, a history teacher and longtime coach (fifteen seasons) for North Andover High School field hockey. She retired from this in 2007, leading her team to two North sectional titles and creating a 147-85-66 record in her time. She also was president of the Penn State Parents Football Parents Association. Tim Freiermuth, Freiermuth's brother, played for the Springfield College of Massachusetts, United States, also on the offensive side of the ball, he was a lineman.