Michael Vincent
| No. 30 – Retired | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Runningback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | September 1, 2014 (aged 46) Gainesville, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Valor High School | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Appalachian State | ||||||||||||||
| ISFL Draft: | 2033 / Round: 4 / Pick: 8 | ||||||||||||||
| DSFL Draft: | 2032 / Round: Undrafted / Pick: Undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Retired | ||||||||||||||
| Career DSFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Player stats at ISFL.net | |||||||||||||||
Michael Vincent (born September 1, 2014) was an American football runningback for the Colorado Yeti of the National Simulation Football League (NSFL). He played college football for Appalachian State before being drafted by the Colorado Yeti in the 2033 ISFL Draft (S18). Prior to this, he had been drafted by the Kansas City Coyotes in the 2032 DSFL Draft (S17).
Contents
Early years
Born on September 1st, 2014 in Shands Hospital on the University of Florida campus, Michael Vincent was born to be an athlete. His father, Matthew Vincent, was a budding star entering his sophomore season as a Wide Receiver for the Gators. His mother, Kelsey, was a member of the women’s tennis team for the Gators. To say that expectations of Michael were high from birth would be an understatement. Growing up, Michael lived with his family as they traveled to Baltimore after Matthew and Kelsey’s graduations from UF as Matthew had been drafted by the Baltimore Hawks of the National Simulation Football League. By the time that Michael was ready to start school, the family was on its way to Colorado due to a job change for his father. Just like his parents, Michael picked up sports quite naturally. He was traveling around the state for basketball, soccer, and football by the time he was ten years old. Cheered on by his younger siblings, Lukas and Tiffany, Michael started to garner interest from private high schools around the state, including his eventual Alma Mater, Valor.
Freshman Year
During his freshman year of high school, Michael was named the starter for the Eagle’s freshman football team, and he tore up the field. Despite being younger than most of the other athletes in his class, no one could match his size and physicality on the field as he averaged 13.2 yards per carry and 12 carries per game. Michael was named to the conference’s all-freshman 1st team along with most of his offensive linemen. He broke many freshman rushing records that season, including touchdowns (21) and yards (1,584). When the varsity team made the playoffs, Coach Mac called Michael up to add depth to the backfield. During the playoffs, Michael averaged 5.1 yards on a total of 18 carries, thanks to a single 32-yard touchdown run in the state quarterfinals. The team would end up losing this game by a score of 27-32 to the eventual state champs, Denver Southeast. Michael struggled with basketball after his long football season. He averaged 7.1 points on 45% shooting, but an abysmal 20% from beyond the arc. He was a rebounding machine an averaged 10.2 rebounds per game, but the toll was just too much to carry on for the next three years. In the spring, Michael went out for Track and field and competed in the 400m relay, shot put, and the 400 individual. He did not stand out during his freshman year in any of the events.
Sophomore Year
Coming up on his sophomore season, Coach Mac had promoted Michael to the Varsity team after liking what he saw last season. The first game of the season saw a rematch of last season’s state quarterfinals game with Denver Southeast, which Michael showcased his gains from the previous year. First play of the game, Michael had a wide-open hole in the A gap and took off running. Not a hand touched him as he put it into fifth gear and outpaced the defensive backs to the end zone for an 82-yard touchdown. This set the tone for the game and helped Michael solidify a school record in his first varsity game, 273 rushing yards. The Eagles beat the Wildcats handily by a score of 39-21 behind Michael’s performance that included a 50 and a 3-yard touchdown run. The Eagles would go on to win their next six games, but in the seventh game of the season, Michael tore his ACL on a slippery field and would have to watch the remainder of the season from the bench. The Eagles lost that game in close fashion, 24-28, and would end the regular season at a record of 8-2. Valor would end up playing the Wildcats again in the State Semifinals but were blown out without a consistent rushing attack, falling 40-6. Michael ended up still receiving second-team all-conference despite his short season. He was on pace to set a new benchmark for his school's rushing attack as he was only 6 shy of the varsity touchdown mark and 350 yards short of the rushing record. Michael sat out both his basketball and track season as he was still rehabbing his ACL injury.
Junior Year
Starting his junior year, Michael was ready to pick up where he left off last season before his injury. He didn’t start the season off with a crazy game like his sophomore season, but had a very consistent year, helping his team to go undefeated through the regular season. The Eagles breezed through their early playoff opponents and faced Denver Southwest once again in the quarterfinals of the state championships.
The teams go back and forth trading field goals in the early part of the game until Vincent breaks into the end zone to give the Eagles a 10-6 lead halfway through the second quarter. The Wildcats answer back with another field goal and score a touchdown with 30 seconds left in the half. They ended up missing the extra point. The Eagles are able to move the ball downfield but are picked off in the end zone on a last-second Hail Mary to end the half with a score of 15-10. The teams trade touchdowns to bring the score to 22-17 before Michael breaks off a 23-yard run around on a sweep to the pylon to bring the Eagles ahead of the Wildcats, 24-22. The Wildcats march downfield, completing pass after pass, and end up scoring on a fade to the back of the end zone to take the lead to 29-24. Vincent and the Eagles get the ball back and score with about 3 minutes remaining. They go for two, hand the ball off to Vincent, going off the left tackle, and SLIPS! He falls short of the goal line and the 2-point conversion. The Eagles lead 30-29. The Wildcats get a phenomenal kick return bringing them across midfield to the 40-yard line. They do nothing for two downs and are sacked on third, pushing them back to midfield. They are forced to punt with about a minute and a half remaining in the game down one. The punter pins the ball at the one yard-line after the returner opts to avoid the catch and the Wildcats get a lucky roll. Vincent pounds it up the middle for 3 yards on both first and second down. On third down, the Eagles line up with two out to the left, and the backs in I-formation. The QB tries to draw the defense offsides but to no avail. A quick audible, and with 3 seconds left on the play clock, the ball is snapped. The backs split the QB, Vincent gets the ball going right, cuts back left, sheds the linebacker with a stiff arm as he fills the open gap, and is off to the races! No one can catch him! Looking up at the scoreboard, Michael understands the situation and slides down at the 5-yard line. The game is secured as the QB just needs to kneel out the clock. Michael gets praised for his smart play by his coaches and the local media after the game but realizes he fell 4 yards short of his school record for rushing yards which he set back in his sophomore season. The remainder of the playoffs could not compare to that quarterfinal matchup against the Wildcats as the eagles won the semifinals and the state finals by double digits, 24-10 and 42-13 respectively. Vincent ended up breaking many school and state records for his play during his junior season with his 2,300 rushing yards and 31 rushing touchdowns. Michael did not play basketball or compete in track in his junior year.
Senior Year
Starting his final year of high school, Michael started getting offers from colleges, but he was really hoping to hear from his parents Alma Mater, the University of Florida. It has been his dream school since he was a little kid. He started the season out strong with a 120 yard, 4-touchdown performance before being taken out at halftime due to blowing out the other team 54-0 in the first half. The Eagles eventually won 75-6. In game two, Michael starting feeling pain in his legs, and had to leave the game early after only racking up 80 yards, his first game under 100 yards in his high school career. He would continue to have lingering leg problems throughout the season. Despite missing two games and having these issues, Michael was able to squeak past 1,000 yards for the regular season, as well as scoring 14 times on the ground. The Eagles ended up undefeated through the regular season as well for the second consecutive year, and are riding a 25 game winning streak going into the playoffs. The Eagles ended up facing the Wildcats once again in the quarterfinals, which the Eagles won on the back of Vincent, 31-13. Vincent had 198 yards and three touchdowns and it seemed that his leg problems have gone away. In the semifinals, Vincent once again tore up the field, rushing for 220 yards and three touchdowns, but the Eagles failed to get the win, falling 21-38 in Vincent’s last game. Despite his troubles throughout the season, Michael still was able to garner 1st-team all-conference in his final season with the eagles. Many Division one college programs rescinded their offers after hearing of Michael’s leg troubles, but Appalachian State held out and Michael decided to become a Mountaineer. Michael Graduated High School with a 4.12 GPA and top 15 in his class.
College career
In his freshman year, Michael was assigned to room with another freshman running back on the team, Micah Slade. Micah was much smaller than Michael but was also much quicker, and they wanted to be known as "Lightning and Thunder". The fans thought "M and M" was better. Both Vincent and Slade made the starting roster week 1 with Micah getting the nod to start game one against Tennessee. Both players got an equal amount of opportunities, and the coaches knew they had a formidable duo for years to come. Both players eclipsed 100 yards rushing, with Micah grabbing two touchdowns to Vincent’s one. Micah and Michael became more of rivals than great friends, always butting heads and wanting that starting role over the other, while the coaches consistently used each one equally. By the end of the season, the Mountaineers went 10-2 and got a chance to play in the ACC title game for the first time since joining the conference in 2022. They lost to Duke by a score of 31-20. Michael scored both of the mountaineers' touchdowns and dominated as much as he could while Micah could not gain traction, only going for 32 yards on 14 carries. The Mountaineers were selected to play in a New Year’s Six bowl against the Florida Gators, the school Vincent dreamed of going to since he was a kid. The Gators dominated the mountaineers in all facets of the game, holding Vincent to just 55 yards on 17 carries, and the Gators took the win 55-13. Both Micah and Michael eclipsed 1200 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season, with Micah leading in yards (1374 to 1296) and Michael in rushing touchdowns (13 to 10). Micah did add 300 yards and 4 touchdowns in the receiving game while Michael only added 120 yards and no touchdowns.
After his freshman year, Michael knew he couldn’t get to where he wants to be with Micah hogging the spotlight, so he looked to transfer. All of his top choices, including the University of Florida would not accept him to come aboard on an athletic scholarship, so Michael decided to take the hardest road and declare for the DSFL and forgo his remaining three years of collegiate football. He put in his application late and could not schedule any workouts with any of the teams before the draft.
College career statistics
| College | Position | Year | Rushing Attempts | Rushing Yards | Rushing Average | rushing touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State | Running Back | 2032 | 190 | 1,296 | 6.8 | 13 |
Professional career
DSFL career
Going undrafted in the DSFL draft, Michael Vincent quickly signed with the Kansas City Coyotes, the team that his father managed for less than half a season. The first two games that Vincent played, he barely got to touch the ball, only receiving a combined 14 carries for 79 yards. After a solid week of practice, the coach gained confidence with Vincent in at runningback, and his next two games he got the ball 15+ times and ran for over 100 yards in each game. He also helped the Coyotes gain their first win of the season. As the season went on, Vincent split carries with Orien Drake. Neither player was considered the starting back as their stats remained fairly the same as the season went on. Vincent finished the season with over 1,000 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on his way to leading the team to the playoffs. Once in the playoffs, the Coyotes were dismantled quickly by the Pythons where Vincent struggled to break away from short runs.
NSFL career
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
245 lb (111 kg) |
4.38 s | 4.15 s | 7.21 s | 33.4 in (0.85 m) |
10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) |
40 reps | 23 |
Going into the draft, Michael was rated as the number eight running back in his class, right behind his counterpart on the coyotes, Orien Drake. At the NSFL combine, Michael was by far the strongest running back, benching the 225 lbs a whopping 40 times. His other combine statistics were considered average for his draft, including his 4.38 40-yard dash. Few teams reached out to Vincent before the draft, including the Wraiths, Yeti, and Otters. Michael Vincent was drafted 38th overall in the 2033 ISFL Draft (S18) by the Colorado Yeti, the NSFL team that his father was a General Manager for over the course of five seasons.
