Maurice Virtanen
 |
 Virtanen destroying Wisconsin | |
| No. 23 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | February 22, 2008 (aged 53) Helsinki, Finland |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Mäkelänrinteen High School |
| College: | Michigan State |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Active |
Maurice Geronimo Virtanen (born January 22, 2008) is an American football linebacker who is currently unsigned by a professional team. He played college football for Michigan State and has declared his intent to enter the professional ranks next season.
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Early years
Maurice Virtanen was born in Helsinki, Finland to Darnell and Maija Virtanen. His father Darnell had originally moved to Finland after an unsuccessful stint in the NBA where he only played one game for the Detroit Pistons, scoring 4 points and met his future wife at an end of season party for his team, Torpan Pojat.
Maurice was never too interested in school, just as his two half brothers (Axel and Teemu) from his mother's previous marriage, but was keen on trying his hand on different sports. Initially interested in basketball due to his dad’s history he had his head turned in his last year of middle school by school mates who were raving about new NFL star Baker Mayfield.
Maurice decided to go to a sports focused high-school where he joined the school’s American Football team and initially played wide receiver. Noticing his talent and athleticism, his coach suggested he try out for the local professional football league and after his second tryouts started playing for the Helsinki Roosters where he converted to playing Linebacker and won a national championship. Upon graduating high school, Virtanen took a full scholarship offer from Michigan State University.
College career
Playing for the Spartans from 2027 to 2030, Virtanen started 34 of 42 games at linebacker, including two Redbox Bowl starts. As a true freshman he started 5 games after impressing as a backup in the first half of the season and ended up with 51 tackles and 1 sack. He took big steps in his sophomore year totaling 114 tackles (7 for loss) and 3 sacks while starting in the Spartans Redbox Bowl loss to rivals Wolverines.
Junior year, Virtanen started all games and was the standout player in the Spartan defense that emphatically won the Redbox Bowl and avenging their loss the previous year to the Michigan Wolverines and was named Redbox Bowl Defensive MVP. The other highlight of the season was against Wisconsin where Virtanen was able to tally 13 tackles, 2 sacks and return an interception for a touchdown while allowing Wisconsin to only score 6 points.
College career statistics
| Career statistics | Tackles | Sacks | Interceptions | Other | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Reg | TFL | Total | Sack | Int | IntTD | DefTD | FFum | FRec | PD | Safety |
| 2027 | MSU | 5 | 51 | 2 | 53 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2028 | MSU | 13 | 114 | 7 | 121 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 2029 | MSU | 13 | 133 | 6 | 139 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
Professional career
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
255 lb (116 kg) |
4.46 s | 56 s | 7.1 s | 39 in (0.99 m) |
11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) |
24 reps | 19 |
Professional career statistics
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Achievements and records
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