Vincent Salvatore Sunseri (born October 25, 1991) is an American

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and former player who is the safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. He played professionally as a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). Sunseri played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected 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 National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He 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 resp ...

for Alabama in

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Early life

Sunseri began his career at Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw, North Carolina.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

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

. 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. Considered a four-star recruit by ESPN.com, 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 selected by the

in the fifth round, 167th overall, in the 2014 NFL draft. 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

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

. 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

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

' 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 The year 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 even ...

Vinnie was hired by the

in a support staff role. 2021-23: New England Patriots (Running Backs)

Washington Huskies

On February 5, 2024, Vinnie was hired by the Washington Huskies as the safeties coach to join fellow former Patriots coach Steve Belichick on the defensive staff at Washington. Florida Gators On January 30, 2025, Vinnie was hired by the

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American football, American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the ...

as safeties coach and Co-Defensive Coordinator, joining Billy Napier’s staff as a former player at

Alabama Crimson Tide football The Alabama Crimson Tide football program represents the University of Alabama (variously Alabama, UA, or Bama) in the sport of American football. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Crimson Tide competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the Nat ...

Personal life

Sunseri's father is Sal Sunseri, former

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

s coach for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

, and his older brother is Tino Sunseri, who played

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

References

External links

Alabama Crimson Tide bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunseri, Vinnie 1991 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 San Francisco 49ers players Players of American football from Tuscaloosa, Alabama Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania Washington Huskies football coaches