Believed to be the first student-athlete ever enrolled in a PhD program at Georgia Tech while still a member of the football team, Henry Freer was recently announced as Georgia Tech’s representative in the Go Bowling Military Bowl STEM Scholar-Athlete program.
Freer, a second-year PhD student in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE), had eligibility to continue playing for the Yellow Jackets as starting long snapper after graduating with his BS from ChBE in 2023.
Because he’s studying in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) field, Freer qualified for recognition in the Military Bowl’s STEM Scholar-Athlete program. The program honors one student-athlete at each Atlantic Coast Conference and American Athletic Conference institution – the two conferences that are represented in the annual bowl matchup in Annapolis, Maryland.
Trailblazing on the Field
Of his status as the first PhD student athlete, Freer said, “It’s definitely an honor. It’s exactly what we do here at Tech. We do things people haven’t done before.”
A native of College Park, Georgia, who played football for Woodward Academy’s region championship team, Freer had passed on recruitment efforts to join the teams of Carnegie Mellon and MIT in favor of hanging up his cleats and enrolling at Georgia Tech for his undergraduate studies.
But just before he graduated from high school, Georgia Tech’s coaches reached out to him about joining the team, and he decided he couldn’t pass up the opportunity, even though he knew it would be challenging while studying chemical engineering.
“I liked math, I liked chemistry, I liked science, but knew I wanted to be an engineer because I wanted to solve problems,” said Freer, who graduated with a 3.84 GPA.
Balancing Act
As a PhD student, Freer has found that the demands of balance football and chemical engineering are even greater than during his undergraduate years.
“I’m here a lot late at night in the lab, pushing ahead with my research,” he said. “But my advisor and the graduate program have been great about flexibility in enabling me to do all of the things I want to do. They key is communicating clearly ahead of time.”
A member of Professor Paul Kohl’s lab, Freer focuses his research on water electrolysis. Kohl had played on his high school football team, so he’s proved to be an understanding match as an advisor, Freer said.
In December 2023, after Georgia Tech emerged victorious in the Gaspiralla Bowl against the University of Central Florida, Freer immediately started preparing for his qualifying exams in the PhD program, passing them on his first attempt. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep,” he said, noting that disciplined time management has been key to his success academically.
“The hardest part is you can’t stay up all night studying if you have practice the next morning,” he said.
His coaches have been awed by his ability to pursue demanding degrees while achieving impressive academic performance. “His level of intelligence is off the charts,” said head coach Brent Key.
Finishing his last season of eligibility to play on the team, Freer said he’s proud that the team went undefeated on its home field for the first time in 25 years.
After finishing his PhD, Freer is interested in startup options and wouldn’t mind remaining in his hometown.
“Atlanta is pretty awesome, with a good balance of everything you’d want with good location, and weather, and an exploding technology scene,” he said. “Georgia Tech is amazing too. Why wouldn’t you want to go to one of the best schools in the whole world right in your backyard?”
