A Premier To All The Ohio State Connections In Super Bowl Lx

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 07: Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks runs the ball during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Tonight the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will square off in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara. This marks the second time the two franchises will meet in a Super Bowl, as New England won 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX to close out the 2014 season.

The Patriots will be looking for their seventh Super Bowl title, while the Seahawks are in search of their second Super Bowl victory in franchise history.

The battle between New England and Seattle will feature four former Buckeyes on the field and roaming the sidelines, marking the 13th Super Bowl will at least three or more Ohio State alums playing in the NFL’s biggest game.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, TreVeyon Henderson, and Thayer Munford Jr. will be looking to replicate what Santonio Holmes did in Super Bowl XLIII when he became the first former Buckeye to be named Super Bowl MVP. Holmes helped Pittsburgh beat Arizona 27-23, as Holmes caught nine passes for 131 yards, hauling in the game-winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds left.

At least if your favorite NFL team has seen their season come to an end, there are players from Ohio State on both sidelines, as well as a former player who is now a coach on one side. If you haven’t yet decided who you’ll be rooting for tonight, we’ll break down which Buckeyes are still left standing and how they got to this year’s Super Bowl.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

The standout wide receiver is the only former Buckeye playing for Seattle tonight. At least if the Seahawks were only going to have one former Ohio State player going for them, they have one of the best players in all of football.

On Thursday night, Smith-Njigba was named the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year after he caught 119 passes for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdown passes during the regular season. Smith-Njigba joined Michael Thomas, who won the award in 2019, as the only Buckeyes to win the award.

Smith-Njigba is now in his third season in the NFL after Seattle drafted him in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the 20th overall pick. Last season Smith-Njigba caught 100 passes in a breakout season. With Smith-Njigba’s growth in his second season in the league, the Seahawks traded top receiver D.K. Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the offseason.

Along with becoming the top dog at receiver for Seattle, Smith-Njigba also developed a relationship early with new Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, who was signed in the offseason. Seattle would go on to post a 14-3 record during the regular season.

Not only did Seattle beat out the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC West crown, they also earned the top seed in the NFC, giving them a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

In the NFC Championship Game, Smith-Njigba had a masterful performance in the 31-27 win over the Rams. His 14-yard touchdown reception just before halftime gave Seattle the lead for good.

On the final drive of the game for the Seahawks, Smith-Njigba also had a crucial first down catch with just over three minutes to go, and he drew a defensive holding penalty with 2:17 left to allow Seattle to bleed some more clock, only leaving the Rams 31 seconds when they finally had to punt the football.

With how important he is to the Seattle offense, if the Seahawks do end up winning tonight, Smith-Njigba will likely be in the mix to be named Super Bowl MVP.

Mike Vrabel

Leading the New England Patriots is head coach Mike Vrabel. The former Ohio State defensive lineman is trying to earn his first Super Bowl win as head coach after three Super Bowl wins as a player with the Patriots. If New England is able to defeat Seattle, Vrabel will become the second former Buckeye to win the Super Bowl as a head coach.

After playing offensive line for Ohio State in 1942, Don McCafferty led the Baltimore Colts to a 16-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V, becoming the first rookie head coach to win a Super Bowl.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba wasn’t the only Ohio State alum to earn an individual honor on Thursday night. Mike Vrabel was named AP NFL Coach of the Year after posting a 14-3 record in his first season in charge of the Patriots. Prior to hiring Vrabel in the offseason, New England was just 8-26 over their previous two seasons.

This marks the second time Vrabel was named AP NFL Coach of the Year after he was recognized for his 2021 season with Tennessee when he led the Titans to a 12-5 record in the regular season.

On a team with many players who are early in their NFL careers and haven’t played in a game of this magnitude before, Vrabel’s previous experience in the Super Bowl should provide a calming influence for the Patriots.

TreVeyon Henderson

One player who played in the college football equivalent of the Super Bowl is TreVeyon Henderson. Not only does Henderson have the chance to win a college football national title and Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons, he could become the 12th Buckeye to win both a national championship and a Super Bowl in their playing career.

Following an outstanding college career in Columbus, Henderson was drafted in the second round of April’s NFL Draft by the Patriots with the 38th overall pick. After a slow start in the first few games of his NFL career, Henderson scored his first touchdown in his fourth game in a 42-13 win over the Carolina Panthers.

The running back would go on to finish the regular season with 911 yards and 10 total touchdowns. Included in his accomplishments during the season were two games with at least 140 rushing yards.

Because of the impact he made during the regular season, Henderson was named a finalist for the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Even though the honor was won by Tetairoa McMillan of the Carolina Panthers, the future is still bright for Henderson in the backfield in New England.

So far in the playoffs, Rhamondre Stevenson has seen the majority of the carries for New England. In three playoff games, Henderson has carried the football 24 times for 57 yards. While the running back might be feeling the effects of a lengthy NFL season, having two weeks off could do wonders for Henderson. As Buckeye fans know, all Henderson needs is a hole and he could take it the distance and shift the momentum of a game.

Thayer Munford Jr.

Unlike Henderson and Smith-Njigba, who came into the NFL as top prospects, Thayer Munford Jr. has bounced around a bit in his first four seasons in the league. After he was selected in the 7th round with the 238th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders, Munford spent three seasons with the organization before he was released in August.

Munford was then signed to New England’s practice squad a couple days later before the Cleveland Browns added him to their active roster a month later.

Munford was waived by the Browns in the middle of October and a month later the Patriots brought him back, this time signing him to their active roster. Since then, Munford has been utilized as a sixth offensive lineman often by New England, which is a huge reason why their running game has been so successful down the stretch.

Along with clearing holes for Stevenson and Henderson, Munford has also helped to keep quarterback Drake Maye clean against some of the toughest defenses in the NFL.

As the Super Bowl approached, Munford was listed on the injury report because of knee issues and an illness, but he has since been removed from the report, which is good news for Patriots fans. Despite being one of the Patriots with the least seniority on the team, Munford could end up playing a massive role for New England on Sunday night.