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Philadelphia Eagles' Jack Driscoll in action during an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Matt Rourke/Associated Press
Two former Connecticut high school football players will be part of Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12
New Canaan's Lucas Niang of the Kansas City Chiefs and Hand's Jack Driscoll of the Philadelphia Eagles are the state's connection to the year's game.
The Chiefs and Eagles advanced to with victories in the conference championships Sunday. Kansas City beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in the AFC Championship while Philadelphia defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 for the NFC title.
Kansas City selected Niang in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft . The 6-foot-6, 315-pound offensive lineman opted out of the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic before competing in 12 games in the 2021 season, including nine starts.
The TCU alum incurred a serious hit to his knee that season and was placed on injury reserve during Week 17.
He stayed on the sidelines, rehabbing his knee while working on fitness until Nov. 23 of the 2022 season when he got his first snap on offense as an extra blocker against the Bengals. Niang was on the field for seven regular season games this year, but he has played in both postseason games.
At New Canaan High, Niang led the Rams to three straight state championships. He was a member of the GameTimeCT/New Haven Register All-State team in 2015.
Driscoll will be on the other side suiting up for the Eagles, who picked the offensive lineman in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Madison native played at UMass from 2015-2017 before transferring to Auburn for his final two collegiate seasons.
The 6-foot-5 312-pound offensive tackle played 11 games with four starts during his rookie year.
In the 2021 season, Driscoll appeared in a career-high 512 snaps over nine starts. He blocked for an O-line that helped the team lead the NFL in rushing offense (159.7 average), rushing TDs (25) and explosive plays (16.3).
Overall, Driscoll has played in 37 games with 16 starts and plays behind Eagles' All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson.
Connecticut's other Super Bowl connection? Driscoll's position coach with the Eagles is Jeff Stoutland, a Southern Connecticut graduate who began his coaching career with his alma mater in 1984. Stoutland, who played linebacker at Southern under head coach Kevin Gilbride, was the Owls' offensive coordinator from 1988-92 before moving on to a career that would take him to such spots as Syracuse, Michigan State, Miami, Alabama, and, finally, the Eagles in 2013.
He was inducted in the SCSU Hall of Fame in 2018 .
