He’s gone from the NCAA outdoor quarterfinals in the hurdles to attending an offseason camp in the NFL, which is a wild ride.
May, 2023: Mitch Van Vooren ran a 52.14 in the 400 meter hurdles for Marquette at the Big East Outdoor Championships. That was good enough for a third place finish as well as the 47th best time for the NCAA West Regionals…. out of 48 competitors. He made the most of his opportunity in Sacramento, breaking the school record with a time of 51.38, and that moved him on to the quarterfinal round at Regionals. Only 12 men could advance to Austin for the finals, and Van Vooren ended up 18th with a time of 51.75. After starting out 47th, that’s one hell of a way to wrap up your four years of competition for the Golden Eagles.
As for what happened next? I’ll let Van Vooren explain it, as taken from this Q&A with Andy Hunt for Marquette Today:
During my last track season as a senior, I entered the transfer portal and explored both track and football options while getting my graduate degree. I talked to track coaches at schools like Wisconsin and Miami—both said I could run for them, and I even got accepted into their grad programs. But I realized this was my one shot to actually play football. I reached out to a bunch of DIII schools in Wisconsin where I knew I’d get a chance to play. St. Norbert checked all the boxes: great campus, close to home and a program where I could really contribute. My parents and grandparents could easily come to games, which was a huge bonus.
In two seasons at St. Norbert, Van Vooren in total recorded 65 catches for over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns in 22 appearances as the Green Knights made a Division 3 bowl game in each of his two seasons and went 15-7 overall. The 6’4” 245 pound Van Vooren snared an invite to the College Gridiron Showcase, which at least threw him onto the radar for NFL teams as they approached the Draft this past weekend.
Van Vooren didn’t impress enough to earn a selection in the 257 pick draft, but he did do enough to earn himself an invite to Rookie Minicamp with the Cleveland Browns.
CHANCE EARNED
St. Norbert College wide receiver Mitch Van Vooren has been invited to the Cleveland Browns Rookie Minicamp next week!
Congrats Mitch, we’re excited for the next part of your journey!#GoGreenKnights pic.twitter.com/rUhnvAYLH9
— St. Norbert College Athletics (@sncathletics) April 28, 2025
I believe this makes Van Vooren the closest thing to a Marquette athlete playing in the NFL since George Andrie and Karl Kassulke suited up for the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings respectively in 1972. If I am somehow missing someone, please let me know in the comments.
Van Vooren will be rubbing shoulders with the likes of defensive tackle Mason Graham, running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson, quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and tight end Harold Fannin, all of whom were selected by the Browns in the draft. The worst case scenario for Van Vooren here is that he accrues a bunch of really great memories. The best case scenario is that he impresses enough to earn himself an invite to training camp, either with Cleveland or perhaps another squad that hears about what Van Vooren can do through the grapevine.
Congrats to Mitch Van Vooren on earning the first step towards a spot in the NFL!
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