The Midwest will be well represented in this evening’s Super Bowl with 22 players having played their high school football in the region. Ohio leads the way with seven players, followed by Michigan with four, Illinois with three, Iowa and Missouri with two and Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska and Wisconsin having one representative each.
Here is a closer look at the seven Ohio players set to take the field on the world’s biggest stage.
As a recruit: The Cleveland, Ohio St. Ignatius offensive lineman was a highly sought after recruit with double digit Power Five offers coming from the likes of Kentucky, UCLA, Penn State, West Virginia and others. He shut his recruitment down early by committing to Kentucky prior to his senior season.
At Kentucky: The massive offensive tackle bulked up to 345 pounds at Kentucky and finished his college career in dominant fashion. Kinnard started 39 consecutive games for the Wildcats and received numerous accolades during both his junior and senior seasons. Kinnard was a consensus First-Team All-American, First-Team All-SEC, won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy and was a semi-finalist for the Outland Trophy as a senior.
In the NFL: Kinnard had a strong performance at the Senior Bowl and was projected by some to go as high as the second-round prior to being drafted by the Chiefs in the fifth-round of the 2022 draft. He currently serves as a reserve offensive lineman having played a handful of snaps on the field goal unit.
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As a recruit: Clark starred at multiple positions for coach Tenn Ginn Sr. at Cleveland, Ohio Glenville prior to signing with Michigan in 2011. The 5.6 three-star was relatively under-recruited with only five Power Five offers and finished as the No. 52 ranked player in Ohio.
At Michigan: Clark made an early impact as a freshman at Michigan, but his college career was impacted by legal troubles which led to his dismissal from the team in 2014. Despite Clark’s off the field issues he was still recognized as a Second-Team All-Big Ten performer in 2013.
In the NFL: Clark added over 50 pounds to his frame in college and was drafted by the Seahawks as a defensive end in the second-round of the 2015 draft. The former Wolverine tallied 25 sacks during his four year stint with Seattle prior to being traded to the Chiefs in 2019 and winning the Super Bowl during his first season in Kansas City. Clark has gone on to become a three time Pro Bowler and his 13.5 postseason sacks ranks third in NFL history.
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As a recruit: Scott was ranked as the No. 68 overall cornerback in the 2017 class and chose Michigan State over Iowa, Pitt, West Virginia and others.
At Michigan State: Scott started 12 games during his freshman season as was named to ESPN’s Freshman All-American team. An injury forced the standout corner to miss multiple games during his sophomore season prior to starting all 13 games as a junior and earning Second-Team All-Big Ten honors. Scott opted to forgo his senior season by declaring for the NFL draft
In the NFL: Scott was selected by the Jaguars in the fourth-round of the 2020 draft and later traded to the Eagles prior to his second season. Scott has been a key contributor to the Eagles this season by registering 26 tackles and two interceptions. He is listed as inactive and has been ruled out of tonight’s Super Bowl.
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As a recruit: Thuney was an undersized offensive tackle prospect who chose North Carolina State over Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and West Virginia. He finished as a 5.5 three-star and did not make the state of Ohio or position rankings.
At North Carolina State: Thuney’s career started off slow prior to starting 12 games as a redshirt sophomore and earning offensive line MVP honors for the Wolfpack. The Ohio native went on to earn All-American honors and did not allow a single sack in 589 snaps during the 2015 season.
In the NFL: Thuney was chosen by the Patriots in the third round of the 2016 draft and went on to earn All-Rookie team honors after starting 19 games during his first season. He also became the first player in NFL history to start in the Super Bowl during each of his first three seasons.. He signed with Kansas City in 2021 and tonight will mark his fourth Super Bowl in seven NFL seasons. Thuney has won numerous awards since entering the NFL and has certainly gone on to outplay his ranking.
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As a recruit: Kelce will go down as one of the biggest rankings misses of all-time after signing with Cincinnati as a low two-star in 2008. Kelce was a hard player to project as he mostly played quarterback as a prep prior to starring at tight end for the Bearcats.
At Cincinnati: Kelce didn’t develop into the star we know him as today until his final season at Cincinnati where he went on to catch 45 balls for 722 yards and eight touchdowns while earning First-Team All-Big East accolades.
In the NFL: Kelce was drafted in the third-round by the Chiefs in 2013 and the rest is history. He has already cemented himself as one of the NFL’s all time great tight ends and tonight will mark his third Super Bowl appearance. Kelce is a seven time All-Pro, eight time Pro Bowler and holds five NFL records including most receiving yards by a tight end in a season.
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Jason Kelce
As a recruit: Like his younger brother, Jason Kelce was not highly recruited and didn’t even have a Rivals profile.
At Cincinnati: Kelce arrived to Cincinnati as a walk-on running back prior to working his way up to fullback and then offensive line. The former skill player went on to become a two time second-team All-Big East selection and also earned honorable mention All-American honors.
In the NFL: Kelce went on to become a sixth-round draft pick by the Eagles in 2011 and has spent his entire career in Philadelphia. The five time All-Pro and six time Pro Bowler’s NFL career has been nothing short of spectacular. Tonight will mark his second Super Bowl and also becomes the first time brothers have played against eachother in the big game.
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Bryan Cook
As a recruit: Like Jason Kelce, Cook didn’t even have a Rivals profile and went on to sign With Howard which was the only school to offer him a scholarship.
At Cincinnati: Following two standout seasons at Howard, Cook entered the transfer portal and chose Cincinnati as his destination. Cook made a slight impact in his first full season at Cincinnati after sitting out one year due to transfer rules. He flourished as a senior while earning first-team All-AAC honors.
In the NFL: Cook was selected by the Chiefs in the second-round of the 2022 draft and has played 700 snaps at various positions en-route to playing in the Super Bowl as a rookie.
