Roosevelt's Chase Vinatieri commits to SDSU
South Dakota State has landed another Roosevelt High star and another Vinatieri.
On Monday afternoon in Brookings, Rough Riders senior receiver and kicker Chase Vinatieri gave a verbal commitment to play football for the Jackrabbits. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder is the classmate of SDSU recruit quarterback Taryn Christion and the nephew of former Jacks punter and kicker Adam Vinatieri of the Indianapolis Colts.
Chase Vinatieri made an unofficial visit to Nebraska on Saturday, and also had a scholarship offer from three-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State.
"Being close to home, the way the coaches are – and just wanted to play with Taryn," he said. "That made a little bit of the decision, as well."
Vinatieri is in his third season as the varsity kicker at RHS. Kohl's Professional Camps ranks him No. 44 in the country at that position. ESPN.com rates him as a three-star recruit and Rivals.com has him as a two-star recruit. He said the SDSU staff will decide if he plays receiver or kicker in college.
This fall, Vinatieri has 21 catches for 349 yards and a touchdown. Also, he has 16 touchbacks on 20 kickoffs and is 1 of 2 on field goals. He was 6 of 7 on field goals as a junior along with making 39 catches for 520 yards and four touchdowns.
Vinatieri is the third Roosevelt senior to commit to an NCAA Division I school, following Ohio State recruit offensive lineman Grant Schmidt and Christion. Also, he's the 10th verbal so far for SDSU (3-1), which is ranked No. 9 in the FCS and coming off consecutive playoff appearances.
Adam Vinatieri is the only kicker in NFL history to win four Super Bowl titles. He kicked and punted for the Jacks from 1991-94.