Cash Freeman knew he wanted to play college football even as a middle schooler in Hendersonville, NC.

Freeman literally dominated opponents while playing offensive and defensive lines in football at Valley Springs Middle School where he was also a slugger for the baseball team. His performance on the football field initiated a desire to play the sport at another level.

“When I was 13 in middle school nobody could play with me,” Freeman said. “I was always way better than everybody I play against. So, it was about then I started thinking about playing college football.”

From Valley Springs to The Christ School in Asheville and now at national high school power Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN, Freeman has matured into a player well qualified to play at the highest level of college football. East Carolina will be the place the 6-foot-3, 300-pound center achieves his middle school goal after making a verbal commitment to the Pirates on June 13.

It was a whirlwind recruitment by ECU that only seriously began during the spring when an ECU assistant coach dropped by spring practice at Baylor, which finished 12-0 in 2025 and was ranked No. 11 nationally by High School Football America. A report back to offensive line coach Alex Huettel led to a review of Freeman’s highlight film from the ’25 season and a scholarship offer on May 12.

Although he had scholarship offers from Arkansas State, Austin Peay, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Marshall, Middle Tennessee State, Tennessee State, Toledo, Troy and Tulane, ECU immediately went to the top of Freeman’s list.

“Being from North Carolina I knew quite a bit about East Carolina,” Freeman said. “I have a couple of friends who go there. I always had an interest in them from the very start.”

The mutual interest led to an official visit June 11-13 that solidified Freeman’s choice of schools.

“Really, the one thing that sold me was the coaching staff,” Freeman said. “Everybody made it feel like home. Then all the football players like (redshirt junior offensive lineman) Karson (Jones). He was my host on my official visit there and they all made me feel at home. It just felt like a big family.

“I made my commitment right there. I went and told Coach Huettell and then I went and told (head) Coach (Blake) Harrell. They were super excited. That was another thing. Everybody wanted me to commit so bad there. They made me feel like I was their top guy. They showed it. It was a great impression.”

The commitment adds a player with a strong family background in athletics to the ECU recruiting Class of 2027.

Freeman’s mother, Sharon, was a college basketball player who started her career at Texas A&M. His father, Mike, lettered as a free safety for the 1989 Appalachian State Mountaineer team that went 9-3.

“Everybody on my mom’s side played basketball, football, everything,” Freeman said. “My grandfather on my dad’s side was a basketball player. I have a cousin who played quarterback for Chattanooga. So, it was a natural thing for me to play sports.

“But football was where I could see a difference between myself and everyone else. I started playing at five and have been playing ever since. When I was younger I was a running back. I was pretty fit when I was young. But over time I tore my knee up a little bit. After that surgery when I was nine years old I put on weight and moved to the lineman group.”

Freeman spent two seasons on the varsity at The Christ School in Asheville. As a freshman, he enjoyed a stellar season on defense where he made 42 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and six sacks in 11 games. He recorded 25 tackles and two tackles for loss in eight games as a sophomore at Christ School before making the move to the Baylor School.

“Baylor gave me that option to go to the next level,” Freeman said. As a senior at Baylor next fall, Freeman will be blocking for five-star running back prospect David Gabriel Georges and four-star quarterback Keegan Croucher, who has committed to Mississippi.

Freeman exhibits a varsity of skills as a center.

“My strengths as an offensive lineman are that I’m very tough and very explosive,” Freeman said. “I have a very high IQ for the game and I’m very, very good when it comes to pressure. When there’s a lot of pressure, I’m usually the one who will stride through that.”

As he enters his final prep season, Freeman is focused on being a strong leader for the Red Raiders before enrolling at ECU next January.

“I want to make sure in tough situations I can get everybody in line and make sure they are positive and ready to go,” he said.