IP #0

Ivan Pace Jr.

Linebacker · Cincinnati

A unanimous All-American who nobody drafted, Ivan Pace Jr. has turned a rookie tackling title into a permanent starting job at linebacker for the Vikings.

Ivan Pace Jr. was one of the most productive linebackers in college football during his lone season at Cincinnati, yet he went undrafted because of his size. Since signing with Minnesota, he has become one of the league's most productive undrafted success stories at the position.

★ Unanimous All-American (2022, Cincinnati)

★ AAC Defensive Player of the Year (2022)

★ PFWA All-Rookie Team (2023)

★ Led all rookies with 97 tackles in 2023

Path to the league

Pace began his college career at Miami (Ohio) before transferring to Cincinnati for the 2022 season, where he became a unanimous All-American and the AAC Defensive Player of the Year. That year he was the only player in college football to record at least 20 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and three forced fumbles, finishing with 137 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and three forced fumbles. Despite that production, he went undrafted in 2023 due to concerns about his size and length, and signed with the Minnesota Vikings on April 29, 2023.

Career highlights

Pace made the Vikings' 53-man roster as a rookie and started 11 of 17 games, leading all rookies with 97 defensive tackles and earning PFWA All-Rookie Team honors. He has continued to produce as a starter, recording a fumble-return touchdown against Detroit in Week 7 of 2024 and an interception against the Lions in Week 18 that same season.

2025 season recap

Pace played all 17 games in 2025 with six starts, recording 62 tackles and 1.0 sacks. For his career he has totaled 236 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two interceptions and one defensive touchdown across 45 regular-season games with Minnesota.