Mark Vital

Mark Vital Jr. (born November 7, 1997) is an American football tight end and basketball guard who is a free agent. He played college basketball at Baylor University before transitioning shortly after winning a National Championship during his basketball career at Baylor University and playing in the NBA Summer League with the Portland Trail Blazers to pursue a career in the NFL.

Mark Vital
Mark Vital on the Baylor Bears in 2018.
Personal information
Born (1997-11-07) November 7, 1997
Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High schoolAdvanced Prep International
(Dallas, Texas)
CollegeBaylor
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
PositionGuard
Career history
2022Riesen Ludwigsburg
Career highlights and awards
Football career
Career information
Position:Tight end
Undrafted:2021
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life and high school career

Vital was labeled "middle school basketball's most impressive dunker" by Yahoo Sports in June 2012.[1] He gave up football to focus on basketball in eighth grade.[2] Vital began high school at Washington-Marion Magnet High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana. As a sophomore, he averaged 16.5 points per game and was a Class 4A All-State selection.[3] For his final two years, Vital transferred to Advanced Preparatory International in Dallas, Texas, where he played alongside Terrance Ferguson.[2] He competed for Southern Elite on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit.[4] Vital committed to play college basketball for Baylor after his sophomore year of high school.[5] At the end of his high school career, he was a four-star recruit and was considered the top player from Louisiana in the 2016 class by 247Sports.[6]

College basketball career

Vital redshirted his first season at Baylor. While sitting out, he was a member of the practice squad and developed his offense by playing against Johnathan Motley and Ish Wainright.[7] As a redshirt freshman, Vital averaged 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.[8] On March 23, 2019, he recorded a career-high 17 points and eight rebounds in an 83–71 loss to first-seeded Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament second round.[9] As a sophomore, Vital averaged 7.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and one steal per game, leading his team in rebounds and steals, and was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.[10] On February 8, 2020, Vital scored a junior season-high 19 points in a 78–70 win against Oklahoma State.[11] In his junior season, he helped Baylor become one of the best defensive teams in the nation.[8] He averaged 9.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, earning Third-team All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Defensive Team honors. He was one of four finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award.[12] As a senior, Vital averaged 12.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, helping Baylor capture the national championship.[13]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Baylor Redshirt Redshirt
2017–18 Baylor 331823.8.481.100.5055.62.2.8.66.7
2018–19 Baylor 343427.7.464.182.5297.22.01.0.97.2
2019–20 Baylor 292426.1.459.118.4186.21.81.7.66.1
2020–21 Baylor 303023.4.483.000.5006.71.41.1.95.6
Career 12610625.3.471.127.4966.41.81.1.86.4

Professional basketball career

After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Vital signed with the Portland Trail Blazers for NBA Summer League.[14] On Septembar 16, 2022, Vital returned to basketball and signed with Riesen Ludwigsburg of the Basketball Bundesliga. He was released on September 24.

Professional football career

Seattle Seahawks

After revealing he was planning on making the transition to football, on September 2, 2021, Vital signed with the Seattle Seahawks practice squad.[15] He was released on September 7.[16]

Kansas City Chiefs

Vital signed with the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad on September 13, 2021.[17] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Chiefs on February 2, 2022.[18] He was released on July 28, 2022.[19]

References
  1. Smith, Cameron (June 7, 2012). "Meet Mark Vital: Middle School basketball's most impressive dunker". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  2. Werner, John (January 21, 2018). "YouTube sensation Vital giving Bears energy boost". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  3. "Washington Marion's Mark Vital Named to Max Preps Sophomore All-American Team". KPLC. April 19, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  4. Lopez, Andrew (July 17, 2013). "Washington-Marion forward Mark Vital more than 'just a dunker'". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  5. "Baylor men's hoops receives pledge from Louisiana sophomore". Waco Tribune-Herald. September 4, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  6. Rose, Shanna (October 30, 2019). "Big 12 2019-20 Preview: Baylor Bears". Blue Gold Sports. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  7. Hill, Jerry (March 8, 2018). "Vital Not Defined By His Dunks". Baylor University Athletics. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  8. Werner, John (February 20, 2020). "High-flying Vital enjoys doing the dirty work for No. 1 Baylor men". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  9. Watkins, Tim (March 23, 2019). "Bears Fall to Gonzaga behind Clarke's 35". 247Sports. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  10. Davis, Seth (March 2, 2020). "He's tough, mean and sticky: Baylor's Vital leads the 21st annual All-Glue team". The Athletic. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  11. "No. 1 Baylor 78–70 over Oklahoma State for 20th win in row". ESPN. Associated Press. February 8, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  12. "MBB's Vital Named Naismith Defensive POY Finalist". Baylor University Athletics. March 23, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  13. Quillin, Kurtis (May 4, 2021). "Baylor's Mark Vital signs with agency founded by Lil' Wayne". KCEN. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  14. Dewald, Steve (July 30, 2021). "Baylor's Mark Vital to Join Blazers for Summer League". Blazer's Edge. SB Nation. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  15. Coleman, Madeline. "Seahawks Sign NCAA Men's Basketball Champ to Practice Squad". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  16. Boyle, John (September 7, 2021). "Seahawks Place Three On Injured Reserve; Add Blessuan Austin, Penny Hart & John Reid To 53-Man Roster". Seahawks.com.
  17. "Former Baylor Bears basketball player signs with the Kansas City Chiefs". Fox4KC.com. 13 September 2021.
  18. "Chiefs sign 13 players to reserve/future contracts". Chiefs Wire. USA Today. February 2, 2022.
  19. "Chiefs make 2 more roster moves on Thursday". Arrowhead Pride. SBNation.com. July 28, 2022.
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