Vincent Salvatore Sunseri (born October 25, 1991) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

who is currently a runnings backs coach for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was drafted by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

in the fifth round of the

2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

and in addition served as a

graduate assistant A graduate assistant serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The assistant typically helps professors with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants or with academic research respo ...

at the university in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

High school career

Sunseri began his career at

Marvin Ridge High School Marvin Ridge High School (commonly Marvin, Marvin Ridge, or MRHS) is a public high school in Marvin, North Carolina, USA serving students in grades 9–12. The school is part of the Union County Public School system. The school occupies a two- ...

Waxhaw, North Carolina Waxhaw is a town in Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 20,534 according to the 2020 Census. The population grew 108.28% from 2010. The name is derived from the indigenous people who lived in the area, who were known a ...

.Former Mav Sunseri shines in All-American football game
Union County Weekly. Retrieved October 31, 2013. As a junior, he made 107 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, two sacks, and five interceptions, while also rushing for 305 yards and three touchdowns. He moved to Northridge High School in January 2010; as a senior he recorded 144 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, three interceptions, four fumble recoveries, and two touchdowns. He was selected to play in the

Under Armour All-America Game The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the U.S. state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game was first played on Januar ...

. Considered a four-star recruit by

ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...

, Sunseri was listed as the No. 18 outside linebacker in the nation in 2011.

College career

As a freshman in 2011, Sunseri was second on the team with 11 special teams tackles, all coming on kickoff coverage. He has 31 total tackles to rank eighth on the team. He also plays on the punt return team and has recorded several attention-grabbing blocks. Against Kent State, he set a career-high with six tackles, including three solo stops. Along with fellow freshman Trey DePriest, he registered several big hits on kickoff coverage. He also saw time at safety in the 48-7 win. He was selected as the coaches' Special Teams Player of the Week. Against Penn State, he did not have a tackle but was named a Special Teams Player of the Week with excellent coverage on the kickoff team and blocking on punt return. Against North Texas, he recorded another big tackle night with six stops split between special teams and safety. Sunseri had three solo tackles against the Mean Green. Against Arkansas, he assisted on two tackles in the win against the Razorbacks. Against Florida, he was named a Special Teams Player of the Week by the Alabama coaching staff. He recorded two solo tackles and forced a fumble. Against Ole Miss, Sunseri was once again named a Special Teams Player of the Week by the Alabama coaching staff. He totaled six tackles, including four solo stops, against the Rebels. Against Tennessee, he totaled two tackles, including a solo stop. He recovered his first career fumble in the win against the Volunteers. Against Georgia Southern, he was named one of the Alabama coaching staff's Special Teams Players of the Week. He recorded one solo tackle on kickoff coverage. Against Auburn, Sunseri tied a career-high with six tackles, including four solo stops. He recorded a quarterback hurry against the Tigers. He played significant time at safety in the second half against the Tigers.

NFL playing career

New Orleans Saints

Sunseri was drafted by the

in the fifth round, 167th overall, in the

. On May 16, 2014, Sunseri signed a four-year contract with the Saints. On November 12, 2014, Sunseri was placed on injured reserve with an arm injury. On September 1, 2015, he was waived. On September 2, 2015, after clearing waivers, Sunseri was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. On April 25, 2016, he was released.

New England Patriots

On July 24, 2016, Sunseri was signed by the

. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Patriots as part of final roster cuts. On September 6, 2016, Sunseri signed to the Patriots' practice squad. He was released by the Patriots on October 24, 2016.

San Francisco 49ers

On November 1, 2016, Sunseri was signed to the 49ers' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 22, 2016. On September 1, 2017, Sunseri was waived by the 49ers.

Coaching career

Alabama

Sunseri spent the season as a

at Alabama, his alma mater. He was coaching alongside his brother, Tino, who also was a graduate assistant and his father, Sal, who was the linebackers coach.

New England

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Vinnie was hired by the

in a support staff role.

Personal life

Sunseri's father is

Sal Sunseri Sal Sunseri (born August 1, 1959) is an American college and professional football coach who currently serves as the defensive tackles coach for the University of Colorado of the Pac-12 Conference. Sunseri played college football for the Univ ...

, former

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

s coach for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

, and his older brother is

Tino Sunseri Tino Sunseri (born December 21, 1988) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is currently a quarterbacks coach at the James Madison University. He was originally signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2013. He played colleg ...

, who played

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

for the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

References

External links

Alabama Crimson Tide bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunseri, Vinnie 1993 births Living people American football safeties Alabama Crimson Tide football players Alabama Crimson Tide football coaches New England Patriots players New England Patriots coaches New Orleans Saints players Players of American football from Alabama San Francisco 49ers players Sportspeople from Tuscaloosa, Alabama