Minnesota Vikings Name Former Stanford Standout a Team Captain for the 2024 Season

Dylan Grausz | Sep 6, 2024

Sep 14, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (97) with teammates against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings were one of the many teams that named their team captains ahead of the 2024-25 season, and one of those players who will have the honor of donning the capital ‘C’ is none other than former Stanford defensive lineman Harrison Phillips. Phillips is one of eight captains for this year’s Vikings and joins offensive stars Justin Jefferson, Sam Darnold, C.J. Ham, Brian O’Neill and defensive stars Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus as the team’s captains for the season.

Entering his third season with the Vikings, his seventh NFL season overall, Phillips earned his first ever captain selection after putting together a career year in 2023, where the 6’3”, 307 pound defensive tackle started all 17 games, recording 92 tackles, three sacks and three tackles for loss, evolving into a major run stopper and anchor on the Vikings d-line. Joining the Vikings prior to the 2022 season after spending the first four seasons of his career as a rotational player in Buffalo, Phillips has really made a name for himself in Minnesota and all of that is being recognized with his selection as a captain.

Starting in only 11 total games during his tenure with the Bills after being drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Phillips has become a workhorse since arriving in Minnesota, having never missed a game in two seasons up this point and being a starter in every single regular season game since signing his three-year deal.

A star at Stanford from 2014-2017, Phillips initially dealt with injury issues early on, playing in only one game in his sophomore season in 2015 due to an ACL tear but quickly burst onto the scene after that, starting every game in 2016 where he recorded 45 tackles, nine for loss and six sacks. He followed that up with a superb 2017 campaign that saw him lead all FBS defensive lineman with 103 tackles, earning First-team All-Pac-12 honors for his efforts that year.

The Vikings will begin their season on Sunday, September 8 when they host the New York Giants at home with kickoff slated for 10 a.m. (PT)/ 1 p.m. (ET) on FOX.