Looking back at top four Super Bowl performances by former Buckeyes

COLUMBUS — Ohio State regularly develops players to become superstars in the NFL.

Some of those brightest NFL stars from the Buckeyes program even make it to the Super Bowl.

The Buckeyes have just one player, tailback Trey Sermon from the Philadelphia Eagles, in the Super Bowl this weekend. He isn’t expected to have a major impact on the game, but former Buckeyes have made impacts on the Super Bowl before.

Lettermen Row is breaking down some of the most memorable moments from former Buckeyes players in the Super Bowl. Let’s dive in.

Tom Matte and Matt Snell, Super Bowl III

The New York Jets beat the Baltimore Colts in one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets in history, and the Buckeyes program had a large hand in the game. Colts Pro Bowl tailback Tom Matte, who played for the Buckeyes from 1958 to 1960, had 116 yards rushing on 11 carries in the loss. He also caught two passes for 30 yards. But his performance was overshadowed by former Buckeyes running back Matt Snell, who chose to play in the AFL after being drafted in both the AFL and NFL Drafts following a career at Ohio State. Snell had 30 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown run to help Joe Namath and the Jets upset the Colts and win a Super Bowl title.

Eddie George, Super Bowl XXXIV

Eddie George won a Heisman Trophy at Ohio State and dominated the Big Ten from his running back spot for years. But he also came so close to winning a Super Bowl with the Tennessee Titans. George carried the ball 28 times for 95 yards and two touchdowns, both of the Titans touchdowns in the game. He nearly led them to victory, but they were stopped at the 1-yard line as time expired, handing them a loss to the St. Louis Rams. George never got closer to winning a Super Bowl again, but he delivered one of the best performances by a former Buckeyes player in the game despite the loss.

Mike Vrabel

The Ohio State legend and Tennessee Titans head coach is inarguably the top Ohio State representative in the Super Bowl. He won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, catching a touchdown pass in two separate Super Bowls. He also tallied three sacks in Super Bowl games, making him a two-way title-game legend for the Patriots. Vrabel has plenty of hardware to show for his NFL career, and he has accomplished more in Super Bowls than any other Buckeyes player has.

Santonio Holmes, Super Bowl XLIII

Nobody in Ohio State history — and possibly Super Bowl history — has a more iconic Super Bowl moment than Santonio Holmes. The former Buckeyes star receiver caught seven passes for 131 yards and a touchdown from Ben Roethlisberger in the Steelers 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Holmes delivered the iconic Super Bowl moment in the final minute of the game, when he caught four passes for 73 yards, including a toe-tapping 6-yard touchdown grab with 35 seconds left to give the Steelers their sixth Super Bowl win, tied for the most all time. For that performance, Holmes was named Super Bowl XLIII MVP, becoming just the sixth wide receiver to win that honor.

Recent Ohio State Super Bowl success

• Nick Bosa had five total tackles, one tackle for loss and a sack for the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl LIV loss to the Kansas City Chiefs
• Joe Burrow nearly led the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams last February, coming up just short. Burrow passed for 263 yards and a touchdown in the loss
• The Bengals featured three former Buckeyes defenders on their defense last year. Sam Hubbard had eight total tackles and two tackles for loss from his defensive end spot. Vonn Bell had seven tackles and a tackle for loss. Eli Apple had five tackles and a pass breakup