Scarlet Sunrise: Mike Vrabel to be inducted into New England Patriots Hall of Fame

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Mike Vrabel to be inducted into New England Patriots Hall of Fame

Tennessee Titans head coach and Ohio State alum Mike Vrabel will be the 34th player inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame. He’s also set to become the eighth Patriots player with three Super Bowl rings to enter the franchise’s Hall of Fame.

Vrabel was a home run free agent signing for the Patriots. After spending four years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who picked him in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft, he joined the Patriots ahead of the 2001 season. During the first leg of the Patriots’ 21st century dynasty, Vrabel was used all over the field: as an inside and outside linebacker, as a special teamer and even as an offensive weapon in short-yardage and goal line situations. Perhaps most notably, he caught 10 touchdowns, including a pair in the Super Bowl: one versus the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVII and then another against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Before launching his versatile NFL career, Vrabel was a prolific defensive end at Ohio State. He is first in program history in career sacks (36.0) and career tackles for loss (66.0). Vrabel is also fourth in single-season sacks (13.0) and first in single-season TFLs (26.0). He was a two-time All-American with the Buckeyes who was named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year as a junior and senior. The Akron, Ohio, native was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree.

He wound up starting his coaching career at his alma mater, where he was the linebackers coach (2011) and then the D-Line coach (2012-13). Now, he’s going on his sixth season as the Titans head coach. Vrabel has posted a career record of 48-34 with three trips to the playoffs, and one to the AFC Championship, in Tennessee.

Recapping Buckeyes transfer portal additions, losses in spring window

Ohio State added a pair of transfers in the spring window but lost four scholarship players to the portal as well. Here’s a rundown of who the Buckeyes brought aboard and said goodbye to:

ADDITIONS

• Notre Dame ATH Lorenzo Styles Jr. (expected to play cornerback at Ohio State)
• San Diego State OT Josh Simmons

DEPARTURES

• PK Jake Seibert
• WR Kaleb Brown
• WR Caleb Burton
• OL Ben Christman

The Lettermen Row crew of Spencer Holbrook, Andy Backstrom and Tim May discussed the Buckeyes’ happenings in the portal during the spring window. Each of them assessed the additions Ohio State made, plus the losses the program experienced. Check it out below or here.

Former Penn State wing Evan Mahaffey transfers to Ohio State

Ohio State men’s basketball added its third transfer of the offseason Wednesday: Penn State wing Evan Mahaffey, who has three years of eligibility remaining after spending his freshman year with the Nittany Lions. Mahaffey averaged just 9.3 minutes, 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game on a veteran-heavy Penn State squad that was the Big Ten Tournament runner-ups and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

Mahaffey earned praise from then-head coach Micah Shrewsberry for his defensive effort last year. He’s long and athletic at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds. And the former high school point guard from Archbishop Moeller in Cincinnati should give the Buckeyes some positional flexibility.

“First, I would like to thank God for this opportunity,” Mahaffey wrote on social media Wednesday. “Second, I want to thank Penn State and the amazing people that made my freshman year great! With that being said, I have decided to further my academic and athletic career at The Ohio State University!”

With Mahaffey’s transfer, the Buckeyes are now at the maximum 13 scholarships for the 2023-24 season. Here’s more on the newest Ohio State addition.

With the addition of Penn State transfer wing Evan Mahaffey, Ohio State has now hit its 13-scholarship limit.

Brice Sensabaugh could still withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return, but that appears unlikely.

Here's my updated scholarship chart for the #Buckeyes. pic.twitter.com/4onf03KuHf

— Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom) May 3, 2023

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 123 days

Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 207 days

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