4 things you need to know about Mike Vrabel Ohio State career
Mike Vrabel had a storied career with Ohio State football.
Before becoming an NFL defensive end, defensive coordinator and head coach, Vrabel was an All-American defensive end at Ohio State, later starting his coaching career with Luke Fickell and the Buckeyes in 2011.
Vrabel was fired from his head coaching post with the Tennessee Titans after six seasons. He led the Titans to four consecutive winning seasons in his first four years in the position, but finished below .500 in each of the last two campaigns.
Here's what you need to know about the former Ohio State defensive end and assistant coach.
Mike Vrabel was a two-time All-American at Ohio State
From 1993-96, Vrabel was one of the most successful defensive ends in college football.
Hailing from Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Vrabel was named as the Big Ten's Defensive Lineman of the Year as both a junior and senior while also earning All-American honors in each season.
In 1995, Vrabel set a school record with 13 sacks in one season, which has since been surpassed by Chase Young (16.5), Vernon Gholston (14) and Joey Bosa (13.5). Vrabel's 13 sacks beat his own rcord of 12, which he set in 1994.
Vrabel was also a three-team first-team All-Big Ten selection.
Mike Vrabel remains Ohio State's leader in career sacks
Vrabel's name is still at the top of Ohio State's record books.
Vrabel has the most career sacks of any Ohio State player in program history, finishing his four-season stint with 36 sacks. Young, who played from 2017-19, is the only other Ohio State player to reach 30, ending his college career with 30.5 sacks.
Vrabel also had 66 career tackles-for-loss.
Mike Vrabel was a third-round NFL draft pick out of Ohio State
After four seasons at Ohio State, Vrabel was a third-round NFL draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997.
With the pick, Vrabel was the first Ohio State defensive end selected in the draft since Alonzo Spellman went to the Chicago Bears with the No. 22 overall pick in 1992.
Vrabel played in 206 career NFL games across 14 seasons wit the Steelers, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, accumulating 57 sacks and 63 tackles-for-loss. He was named to a Pro Bowl and was named first-team All-Pro in 2007 for the Patriots after finishing with 12.5 sacks and nine tackles-for-loss.
Vrabel, now a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame, was a three-time Super Bowl champion in his NFL career.
Mike Vrabel's first coaching job was at Ohio State
After finishing his NFL career with the Chiefs in 2010, Vrabel immediately joined Luke Fickell's coaching staff at Ohio State.
Vrabel joined the Buckeyes as a linebackers coach in 2011 before spending two seasons as Ohio State's defensive line coach under Urban Meyer in 2012-13.
After Ohio State recorded 23 sacks in 2011 and 30 sacks in 2012 with Vrabel on staff, the Buckeyes led the Big Ten with 42 sacks in 2013, where four players — Noah Spence, Bosa, Ryan Shazier and Michael Bennett — each recorded at least seven sacks.
Vrabel jumped from Ohio State to the NFL in 2014, spending four seasons with the Houston Texans as their linebackers coach and defensive coordinator before being named as the Titans' head coach in 2018.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mike Vrabel Ohio State career: What you need to know
