Former Mary Persons and UGA star Malik Herring has yet another chance to get a ring after he and the Kansas City Chiefs made the Super Bowl on Sunday.
The Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 on Sunday to advance to Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona. Herring plays defensive end for the Chiefs and has six tackles on the year.
Herring has played in big games his whole football career. At Mary Persons he played in a state semifinal contest his senior season, but the Bulldogs couldn’t overcome a quarterback from Cartersville named Trevor Lawrence.
Then as a Georgia Bulldog he played in the gut-wrenching 2018 National Championship game when Alabama beat the Dawgs 26-23 in overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
UGA has gone on to win two titles after Herring left for the NFL.
As a Chief last year, Herring lost to the Bengals for the right to go to the Super Bowl in the 2021-22 season.
And now the Forsyth native will have a chance to win a ring against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Herring joins three other former Georgia Bulldogs, Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean and Mecole Hardman in this year’s Super Bowl. Incredibly, at least one former UGA player has been represented in the last 22 Super Bowls.
MP coach Brian Nelson said he’s proud of Herring and another former player, Jatorian Hansford, who announced for the NFL draft (see story on page 3C).
“I’m proud of both those guys,” said Nelson. “It’s not everyday that happens.”
Asked about the possibility of having two MP Bulldogs in the NFL, Nelson said: “That would be pretty cool.”
While Herring is on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster, the NFL only allows teams to dress out 46 players. Herring hasn’t dressed out since mid November when some other defensive linemen returned from injury.
Before that, he had recorded 6 tackles on the year. And there’s still a chance he could make the active roster and dress out for the Super Bowl.
Whether he dresses out or not, if the Chiefs win, Herring will get a Super Bowl ring as a member of the 53-man roster. He would become the first Forsyth native to ever lay claim to winning the Super Bowl.