Grey Zabel joins exclusive club with Seahawks’ Super Bowl win
Seattle Seahawks rookie Grey Zabel joined a small group of players to win a national title and Super Bowl in consecutive years. He's the first FCS product to do it.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 30: Grey Zabel #76 of the Seattle Seahawks in action against the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field on November 30, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Grey Zabel was nothing short of a home-run pick for the Seattle Seahawks when they took him in the first round of last year’s NFL Draft.
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Zabel, the 18th overall pick, started all 20 games and played every offensive snap in 18 for the Seahawks this season during their run to the Super Bowl title. And he was one of their best offensive linemen along the way.
The North Dakota State product led all interior offensive linemen with an 83% run-block win rate during the regular season, according to ESPN. On top of that, he committed just five penalties and allowed only two sacks all season while playing 1,243 offensive snaps, including the playoffs.
He’s even had an impact on the veteran players on the other side of the ball. After the Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round, 11th-year veteran and 2025 All-Pro defensive lineman Leonard Williams revealed it was advice from the rookie that helped lead to his fourth-down sack on the 49ers’ opening drive of the second half.
With the Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday, Zabel joined an exclusive club while also starting one that he is the only member of.
According to North Dakota State football play-by-play voice Dom Izzo, Zabel became just the 14th player in history to win a college national championship and the Super Bowl in consecutive seasons. He’s also the first player from an FCS school to ever do it.
Zabel is no stranger to winning. He won two FCS national titles with the powerhouse Bisons (2021, 2024) and three state championships at T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre, South Dakota.
Zabel won one of his national titles in college alongside Seahawks teammate Jalen Sundell, who is building an impressive championship resume of his own. Sundell, an undrafted free agent singing by Seattle in 2024 who is now the team’s starting center, added Super Bowl champion to a resume that includes three national titles with North Dakota State (2018, 2019, 2021).
More on the Seattle Seahawks
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• Stacy Rost: Super Bowl-winning Seahawks created their own identity
• How Seattle Seahawks’ dominant defense left its mark on Super Bowl 60
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Comments
2 Comments
Just pick winners baby!
love him! one of the best draft picks in the history of the organization at this early stage...monster..