AJ Vinatieri, Son Of Ex-Patriot Adam Vinatieri, Decommits From UMass

One step forward, two steps back. Such is life for UMass Football.

The Minutemen suffered a blow to their 2022 recruiting class, as kicker/punter AJ Vinatieri announced he would be decommitting from UMass on Twitter.

“I have decommitted from the University of Massachusetts, and my recruitment is now 100% open,” Vinatieri tweeted Friday.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s because you may have heard of AJ’s father, Adam, who had a cup of coffee in the NFL. Adam Vinatieri played 24 seasons in the NFL, spending 10 with the New England Patriots. He is the league’s all-time leading scorer, and authored some of the most famous kicks in the history of the game.

AJ, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound kicker/punter out of Zionsville (Ind.) High School originally committed to UMass back in January. The opening of his recruitment will certainly attract some big-name schools, as the younger Vinatieri is said to have had offers from Florida, LSU and Michigan prior to his commitment. He finished his high school career hitting 54 of 57 point-after attempts and seven of 12 field goals, with a long of 42 yards in his senior season. He also logged 1,653 yards on 41 punts.