Vrede grew up playing association football in his hometown of Amsterdam, describing himself as a physical player, but got interested in American football after he was gifted a copy of the video game Madden 2000 for the PlayStation.[1][2] Since the Netherlands does not allow kids to play tackle football until they are 17, he played flag football for a few months before he could join a full-contact team.[1][2] However, with no exposure to international recruiters, Vrede did not receive any offers to play college football after graduating from high school.[1] Over the next two years, he carried luggage at an Amsterdam airport, coached flag football, and managed a gym to make enough money for a potential move to the United States.[1]
Vrede played with the Amsterdam Crusaders in his hometown, even serving as the team's placekicker.[3] He played in the EFL Bowl in 2016, which they lost to the Frankfurt Universe.[3] Vrede was also called up to the Dutch junior national teams on several occasions.[2] He was eventually selected to play in the International Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, representing Team World against Team USA under-19s.[1][2] "That's when I knew I could play at an American level," Vrede said of the experience.[1] He began sending his highlight film to American junior colleges and attended football camps in Germany to attract attention from coaches.[1][2]
Vrede played in all 11 games for the Fighting Hawks during his junior year in 2018, logging 23 tackles, six tackles for loss and two sacks as a reserve linebacker.[1] Because of differences between the Dutch and American education systems, he was originally labelled a senior throughout the season by the NCAA and was not cleared to play his actual senior year until spring break.[1][8] In 2019, Vrede played in all 12 games and recorded 33 tackles, four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.[9] He tallied five tackles in their season opening win against Drake.[10]
Vrede graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2020.[11]
Professional career
Vrede was selected by the Ottawa Redblacks with the tenth overall pick in the 2021 CFL Global Draft.[12] Before the draft, JC Abbott of 3DownNation.com had rated him as the second-best linebacker available after Les Maruo.[13] Vrede signed with the Redblacks in late April,[9] and officially made the roster after final cuts were announced a week before the start of the 2021 season.[14] He recorded four special teams tackles in his first four games,[15] and finished the year third on the team with ten special teams tackles.[16] He also broke into the defensive rotation towards the end of the season, where he recorded five additional tackles.[16]
