Vinnie Palazeti

Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services

Photo by: Paul Ferrer

Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services

Photo by: Kyle Crawford

Position:
Offensive Line
Height:
6-4
Weight:
284
Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Owosso, Mich.
Prev School:
Powers Catholic HS
High School:
Powers Catholic

Awards and Honors:
2018 Mid-American Conference Medal of Excellence
2017 Team Captain
2017 All-Mid-American Conference Third Team
2017 Ball State Willie Snead True Cardinal Award
2017 Mid-American Conference Distinguished Scholar Athlete
2017 Semifinalist for the National Football Foundation (NFF) Campbell Trophy
2017 Wuerffel Trophy Award Watch List
2016 Ball State Ray Louthen Award (most improved player)
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 Academic All-Mid-American Conference

2017 (R-Sr.): Finished with 28 career starts … only senior on the offensive line … started at left guard (5 games), left tackle (3) and right tackle (2) … missed two games against WKU (Sept. 23) and Western Michigan (Sept. 30) due to a knee injury … helped the Cardinals rush for a season-high 293 yards in the season finale against Miami.

2016 (R-Jr.): Started all 12 games on the offensive line – 11 at center and one at left guard … shifted over to center for the season due to other injuries … helped the Cardinals average 220 rushing yards per game, their highest average since 1978 (238.6 ypg) … Ball State rushed for more than 300 yards in two games, including a season-high 356 yards at Buffalo on Oct. 15 … Ball State’s offensive line held the opposition to one sack or less in eight contests.

2015 (R-So.): Played in eight games with six starts at offensive guard … missed four straight games near the end of the season due to an injury … helped the offense pile up more than 400 yards of total offense in five games … part of offensive line that allowed the fifth fewest sacks per game in the nation (0.92).

2014 (R-Fr.): Played in eight games, including the final three, to earn first letter … part of an offensive line that blocked for Ball State all-time leading rusher, Jahwan Edwards … part of an offensive line that ranked in the nation's top-20 in fewest sacks allowed and fewest tackles for loss allowed.

2013 (Fr.): Took a redshirt season.

HIGH SCHOOL: Earned three letters in football for coach Bob Buckel at Powers Catholic … helped team to an 11-1 record as a senior and a 21-5 mark in career … helped the team to a 9-0 Saginaw Valley Conference record and league championship as a senior … helped the team to a state championship as a junior … helped Powers Catholic to a 19-game winning streak in junior and senior seasons … team captain as a senior … all-state as a senior … Academic All-Big Nine as a junior and senior … Detroit Free Press all-state second team as a senior … participated in the U.S. Army Combine in January of 2012 … also competed in track and field, and basketball … placed eighth at the regionals in the shot put as a junior … team captain in basketball.

PERSONAL: Son of Joe and Linda Palazeti … born July 6, 1995, in Lansing, Michigan … one brother and one sister … father and uncle, John, played football at Richmond … uncle John also played eight years in the Canadian Football League … uncle, Marty, played football at Marshall and two years in the CFL … earned his bachelor’s degree in professional selling in December 2017 … full name is Michael Vincenzo Palazeti.