4 Players From UM, MSU Playing In Super Bowl

MICHIGAN — You may see some familiar names on the team rosters when the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals square off in Super Bowl LVI, the biggest game of the NFL season, to be played at 5:30 p.m. Central on Sunday in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Two players on the Los Angeles Rams and two on the Cincinnati Bengals have ties to Michigan.

Chris Evans is a running back on the Cincinnati Bengals who attend college at the University of Michigan from 2016 to 2021. Although a backup to starter Joe Mixon, he has played in 14 games this season and rushed for 77 yerds on 17 carries.

Also on the Cincinnati Bengals is cornerback Trae Waynes, who played college football at Michigan State University from 2012 to 2014. Waynes was a first round pick in 2015 for the Minnesota Vikings before joining the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020. Although he has battled injuries the past few years, including this season, Waynes is expected to be ready for the Super Bowl.

Another former Spartan will take the field for the Los Angeles Rams in offensive lineman Brian Allen. He played for the Spartans from 2014 to 2017 before being selected in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Rams. He is expected to be the teams starting center in the Super Bowl.

A second former Wolverine will also take the field in the Super Bowl for the Rams, David Long Jr., who played for the Wolverines from 2016 to 2018. The cornerback was selected by the Rams in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft and has played in every game the past two seasons. He is expected to play in the Super Bowl.

Between them, the 2022 Super Bowl teams have 107 former college football players, according to the NCAA. Together, the SEC and Big Ten are sending the most players to the game, with 46 players. NCAA Division I FCS and Division II schools are also represented.

According to the NCAA, Florida and LSU have the greatest representation in the 56th annual Super Bowl, with five each.

Washington, Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma each have four players on the teams' Super Bowl rosters.

Alabama, Texas A&M and Purdue have three representatives each.

And two players each come from Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Maryland, Florida Atlantic, Delaware, Cincinnati, Florida State, Iowa, Penn State, TCU, Utah, Wisconsin, Stanford, Colorado and North Carolina State.