Jinger Duggar Is Courting with Jeremy Vuolo: 5 Things to Know About the Soccer Player

With the news that another Duggar is courting, fans of the TLC reality stars have plenty to look forward to when Counting On returns to TLC later this summer.

In the meantime, here are five things to know about Jeremy Vuolo, the 28-year-old soccer player who is officially courting 22-year-old Jinger Duggar.

1. He's from a small town outside of Philadelphia.
Vuolo grew up in Downington, Pennsylvania. His father, Chuck Vuolo, is a pastor.

2. He graduated from Syracuse University.
Vuolo attended Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York, before transferring to Syracuse University for his senior year.



3. He's a professional soccer player.
Vuolo played soccer all throughout high school and college. According to his roster on Syracuse's sports website, Cuse.com, Vuolo – who played goalkeeper – was named the team MVP his senior year.

Vuolo went on to play for the Finnish club AC Oulu of the Veikkausliiga, Finland's top soccer league, before signing with Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls in 2012.

Vuolo reportedly briefly stepped away from the game to pursue ministry before signing with the San Antonio Scorpions of the North American Soccer League in 2013. He later re-signed with the team in 2014 after completing a missionary trip for relief aid in the Philippines.

4. He is strong in his faith.
Like his new partner in courtship, Vuolo – who is an ordained pastor – has been open about his commitment to his religious beliefs.

"My identity needs to be in something that's never going to change, and that's Jesus Christ," he said during a video for Athletes in Action, the sports ministry of Cru Ministries, an evangelical Christian organization.

"It begins and ends with having that foundation in Christ, finding my identity not in my skills on the field, not in the person that I am, not in the relationships I have, not in the accomplishments or how people perceive me, but having my identity found in the person of Jesus Christ and who he is and what he did for me and his unconditional love for me," he continued.

5. He's friends with the family.
Jinger met Vuolo through her sister Jessa (Duggar) Seewald, 23, and her husband Ben Seewald, 21.

In addition to regularly appearing in videos shared by Jessa via her YouTube channel, Vuolo recently made an appearance in a Duggar family video celebrating Jason's 16th birthday in April alongside Duggar patriarch Jim Bob.

"Jason, happy birthday," Vuolo said in the clip before sharing a Bible verse with Jason. "My charge to you as a young man is keep your gaze fixed upon Christ. ... Keep your gaze upon Christ, keep your eyes there, fight every day for your affections to be towards Jesus first, and then the other things will fall into place."

For more on the Duggar family, check out their website and catch Vuolo on Counting On when it returns to TLC this summer.