Super Bowl LVII: 3 Chiefs, Eagles Players Have Virginia Connections

VIRGINIA — When the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs face off Sunday for Super Bowl LVII in State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, fans in Virginia may see some familiar faces.

One player on the Kansas City Chiefs roster and two players on the Philadelphia Eagles roster have ties to Virginia.

Juan Thornhill, a safety on the Chiefs' defense, played for Altavista High School, which is located south of Lynchburg. He then went on to play at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, before being selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Two Eagles played college ball at Old Dominion University in Norfolk — long snapper Rick Lovato and wide receiver Zach Pascal.

A graduate of Middletown South High School in Middletown, New Jersey, Lovato played four years for the Monarchs before signing with the Green Bay Packers in December 2015.

After playing two games each for the Packers and the Washington Commanders, he joined the Eagles in 2016. He's played a total of 105 games in the NFL.

Pascal grew up in the Washington, D.C. suburbs and played football at Dr. Robert Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

At ODU, Pascal played in 49 games with 41 starts, finishing as the school's all-time leader in receptions. He also earned second-team All-Conference Honors, scoring nine touchdowns with 946 yards on 65 receptions as a senior.

In 2018, he signed with the Indianapolis Colts and player there before joining the Eagles in 2022. During the regular season, he racked up 2,038 yards on 165 catches, averaging 12.4 yards a carry. He also scored 16 touchdowns.

Between them, the 2023 Super Bowl teams have 104 former college football players on their rosters. They played ball for 63 colleges, with the Oklahoma Sooners sending the most — six — to the Super Bowl.

Florida, Michigan and Mississippi State are all sending four players each; Alabama, Cincinnati, Florida State, Louisiana Tech, Nebraska and Washington State are sending three players each; and Auburn, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, Old Dominion, Rutgers, SMU, Texas Tech, USC, and Wisconsin are each sending two players.