Michael Vinson

Last updated

Michael Vinson
Profile
Position Long snapper
Personal information
Born (1999-08-27) August 27, 1999 (age 26) [1]
Winnetka, Illinois, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school New Trier (Winnetka, Illinois)
College Notre Dame (2018–2023)
NFL draft 2024: undrafted
Awards and highlights

Michael Thomas Vinson (born August 27, 1999) is an American professional football long snapper. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was a first-team All-American in 2022.

Contents

Early life and high school

Vinson was born in Winnetka, Illinois. [2] He first began snapping footballs when in fifth grade and over time became more interested about being a long snapper. [3] When in eighth grade, he read an article about John Shannon, a long snapper for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and decided his goal was to be like him. [4] He attended New Trier High School in Winnetka and was put on the freshman "B" football team in his first year. [4] He attended Chris Rubio's long snapping camps afterwards and his career began to "blossom" as a sophomore and junior. [4] Prior to his senior year, he won a competition at Notre Dame and was given a preferred walk-on opportunity. [4] He committed to play college football for the Fighting Irish even though Army had offered an athletic scholarship and several other schools had shown interest. [5] [6]

College career

Vinson was backup to his inspiration, John Shannon, during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. [4] As a freshman in 2018, he saw no playing time. [3] He received the nickname "Milk" that year, by which he is often known. [6] The nickname originated from head coach Brian Kelly dubbing the starting special teams squad the "Cheese Unit." [4] As Vinson was a freshman and had not yet become a starter, he had not yet earned "his cheese status." [4] He recalled that he had been in coach Kelly's way in the locker room, and Kelly told him "Get out of my way, Milk!" and the name stuck. [4]

Vinson saw his first playing time for Notre Dame in the 2019 season, seeing limited action against the Bowling Green Falcons and New Mexico Lobos. [3] He also handled long snapping duties in practice while Shannon dealt with an injury in order to save Shannon for games. [6] Vinson was poised to be a starter in 2020 after Shannon graduated, but the team then brought in on scholarship Alex Peitsch, ranked the best high school player at the position. [6] Making things more difficult, the practice schedule was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, giving him little time to prove whether he was a better option than Peitsch. [6] Despite his situation, Vinson was able to win the job after impressing in the preseason practices. [6] He appeared in every game in the 2020 season and helped Notre Dame reach the Rose Bowl. [7] [8] He repeated playing every game in 2021 and was put on scholarship after the season. [9] [10]

Prior to the 2022 season, Vinson signed a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with the American Dairy Association of Indiana. [11] He again played every game in 2022 and at the end of the year was selected first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). [9] [12] He returned for a final season in 2023, citing hopes of a future National Football League (NFL) career. [3]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span
6 ft 1+3⁄8 in
(1.86 m)		230 lb
(104 kg)		30+7⁄8 in
(0.78 m)		8+3⁄4 in
(0.22 m)
All values from Pro Day [13]

References

  1. ↑ "Huge day for WOPU Nation! Happy Birthday to Michael Vinson and Chris Schilling🎂 🎊 🎈 #GoIrish ☘️". Facebook . August 27, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Michael Vinson". ESPN.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Stires, Sean (May 3, 2023). "Michael Vinson Working Toward His NFL Dream". Sports Illustrated .
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 James, Tyler (August 28, 2021). "Walk-on Vinson relishes chance with Irish". The Indianapolis Star . p. B3 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. ↑ Pope, LaMond (November 14, 2017). "New Trier long snapper Michael Vinson orally commits to Notre Dame". Chicago Tribune .
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sampson, Pete (August 29, 2021). "The legend of Milk: How Notre Dame long snapper Michael Vinson earned a nickname and found a niche". The Athletic .
  7. ↑ Prister, Tim (May 30, 2022). "Counting Down The Irish – LS-Michael Vinson". 247Sports .
  8. ↑ Berardino, Mike (May 15, 2021). "Life at Notre Dame has been a snap for Michael Vinson". Chicago Sun-Times .
  9. 1 2 Farmer, Douglas (June 16, 2023). "Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 65 Michael Vinson, sixth-year long snapper, four-year starter". NBC Sports.
  10. ↑ Engel, Patrick (December 16, 2021). "Notre Dame puts long snapper Michael Vinson on scholarship". Rivals.com .
  11. ↑ Berardino, Mike (May 25, 2022). "'Milk' adds Indy 500 home to menu". The Indianapolis Star . p. B4 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  12. ↑ Berardino, Mike (August 11, 2023). "Notre Dame football long snapper Michael Vinson 'has that presence' of a team captain". NDInsider.com.
  13. ↑ "Notre Dame Pro Day". Twitter.com. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
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