The East-West Shrine Bowl announced on Friday morning that Ohio State fifth-year senior defensive tackle Taron Vincent has accepted an invitation to play in the postseason all-star game.
Vincent, a former five-star prospect from Baltimore by way of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, had his best season as a Buckeye this fall, recording 23 tackles, two tackles for loss and one fumble recovery in 454 defensive snaps, the most of any defensive lineman on the roster.
“He’s been absolutely consistent since I’ve been here,” first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said last month. “We joke all the time, he and I, about the amount of double-teams he has has to take on. It’s not very sexy, but he does that work and he’s been incredibly consistent with it.
“(He’s) really a bonus for me to have inside because he can do that. I don’t care who you are, nobody likes that, but then when we move him, he’s athletic enough to make plays.”
While he could still return to school for another season after the NCAA granted all student-athletes an extra year of eligibility amid the pandemic, Vincent participated in Senior Day festivities last weekend. That likely means the East-West Shrine Bowl will be his last game in an Ohio State helmet.
If that’s the case, Vincent will become the first Buckeye to appear in the East-West Shrine Bowl in three years, as wide receiver Binjimen Victor and offensive tackle Branden Bowen played during the 2019 season. Tight end Luke Farrell was invited during the 2020 season, as well, but the game was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The East-West Shrine Bowl, which has otherwise been played annually since 1925 to benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children, will take place on Feb. 2, 2023, at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. It will kick off at 8:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
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