A.J. Vinatieri, son of legendary Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri, commits to UMass

Related: Tyler Vrabel, son of Patriots legend Mike Vrabel, is trying to enter the NFL

Ever since Adam Vinatieri helped the New England Patriots win their first three Super Bowls, he is a household name in the region. Now, a Vinatieri will return to New England — albeit one a lot younger than the 49-year-old.

As was announced on social media on Monday, his son A.J. Vinatieri has committed to play college football at the University of Massachusetts:

Despite receiving multiple scholarship offers — including from his father’s alma mater, South Dakota State — the younger Vinatieri will play college football at UMass. According to his own Twitter biography, he will play the punter position even though he served as a place kicker as well during his high school careeer.

During his senior season at Zionsville High School in Indiana, Vinatieri went 7-for-12 as a field goal kicker as well as 54-for-57 on extra points. He also averaged 40.3 yards on 41 punting attempts.

Vinatieri’s father joined the Patriots as a rookie free agent in 1996 and went on to spent the first 10 years of his 24-year career in the NFL with the organization. A future Hall of Famer, he made some of the biggest field goals in league history, including the game-winner in two of New England’s three Super Bowl wins. Vinatieri joined the Indianapolis Colts in 2006 and added another championship in his first season.

Having appeared in a combined 397 regular season and playoff games, Vinatieri announced his retirement last year.