Minnesota Vikings Sign Cincinnati Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. to Free Agent Contract

The talent is UC's first unanimous All-American.
Minnesota Vikings Sign Cincinnati Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. to Free Agent Contract
Minnesota Vikings Sign Cincinnati Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. to Free Agent Contract /

CINCINNATI — UC's only unanimous All-American just got signed to a free agent contract following the 2023 NFL Draft. Ivan Pace Jr. is headed to the Minnesota Vikings.

Greg Auman reported the news.

Pace is a bit undersized, but that didn't matter in the AAC last season.

 He notched 120 tackles, 19.5 TFLs, and 9.0 sacks this past season. The TFLs ranked third in the nation, while 120 stops were the seventh-most in the country and his nine sacks ranked 14th.

Pace should be a day-one contributor on special teams and could carve out a defensive role quickly if he makes the roster. He and Darrian Beavers are the only Bearcats' linebackers to get drafted since 2010.

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Russ Heltman
RUSS HELTMAN

Russ Heltman is a contributor for AllBearcats and AllBengals. He is the morning host and producer for 89.3 WMKV in Cincinnati, OH. Russ can be found on Twitter: @RussHeltman11 or you can reach him by email at Heltmandm@yahoo.com.