A.J. Vinatieri, son of legendary Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, commits to UMass

Ever since Adam Vinatieri helped the New England Patriots win their first three Super Bowls, he is a household name in the region. Now, a Vinatieri will return to New England — albeit one a lot younger than the 49-year-old.

As was announced on social media on Monday, his son A.J. Vinatieri has committed to play college football at the University of Massachusetts:

Despite receiving multiple scholarship offers — including from his father’s alma mater, South Dakota State — the younger Vinatieri will play college football at UMass. According to his own Twitter biography, he will play the punter position even though he served as a place kicker as well during his high school careeer.

During his senior season at Zionsville High School in Indiana, Vinatieri went 7-for-12 as a field goal kicker as well as 54-for-57 on extra points. He also averaged 40.3 yards on 41 punting attempts.

Vinatieri’s father joined the Patriots as a rookie free agent in 1996 and went on to spent the first 10 years of his 24-year career in the NFL with the organization. A future Hall of Famer, he made some of the biggest field goals in league history, including the game-winner in two of New England’s three Super Bowl wins. Vinatieri joined the Indianapolis Colts in 2006 and added another championship in his first season.

Having appeared in a combined 397 regular season and playoff games, Vinatieri announced his retirement last year.