No. 65 – Indianapolis Colts | |
---|---|
Position: | Long snapper |
Personal information | |
Born: | [1] Winnetka, Illinois, U.S. | August 27, 1999
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Weight: | 242 lb (110 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | New Trier (Winnetka, Illinois) |
College: | Notre Dame (2018–2023) |
Undrafted: | 2024 |
Career history | |
| |
Roster status: | Undrafted free agent |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Michael Vinson (born August 27, 1999) is an American football long snapper. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was a first-team All-American in 2022.
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]
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]
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand 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] |