22 Years Later, Another Hopkins Set to Play in the…

LOS ANGELES – Twenty-two years ago, Brycen Hopkins was a toddler eating hot dogs while playing in the aisle at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta during Super Bowl XXXIV.

His father – Titans left tackle Brad Hopkins – was on the field blocking for running back Eddie George while protecting quarterback Steve McNair.

Not that Brycen noticed much.

“He was (2), so I know he wasn’t entrenched in the game,” Brad Hopkins said with a laugh. “Maybe he remembers the hot dog that he had that day, but that’s probably about it.”

Kellie Hopkins, Brycen’s mom, said the Parmesan goldfish were the “magic snack” for Brycen, but that’s a different story.

This story is about that two-year-old who is now all grown up and set to play in Super Bowl LVI here on Sunday as a tight end for the Los Angeles Rams.

“We’re just so blessed,” Kellie Hopkins, Brycen’s mom, said. “Just something you’d never think would happen in a million years.”

Brycen Hopkins, who prepped at Ensworth High School in Nashville before playing with at Purdue, is in his second season with the Rams.

He’s played in five games this season, and has caught one pass for nine yards. Hopkins has been inactive for a number of games this season for the Rams, but with tight end Tyler Higbee now ruled out for Sunday’s game with an injury, Hopkins is in line to suit up and play on Sunday against the Bengals at SoFi Stadium for Super Bowl LVI.

“He’s blessed to be in this situation,” Brad Hopkins said. “Back when I played, I didn’t really think about things like how big a game it was. But I’m a 51-year-old father now, and I understand the magnitude of this game.”

A first round draft pick of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers, Brad Hopkins played in 194 games over 13 seasons with the Oilers/Titans franchise. Hopkins was a two-time Pro Bowler and a key piece of the Titans’ success while blocking for McNair and George before retiring in 2005.

Brycen Hopkins, who played in 48 games in four seasons with the Boilermakers before being drafted by the Rams, grew up around the Titans.

In a previous interview with TennesseeTitans.com, he said he has great memories being around some of the team’s most famous players, who were just dads to him.

When he was a kid, McNair and George used to push him around in a laundry basket. He’d play catch with his dad on the practice field and run around the team’s facility.

“I have great memories from those days,” Brycen Hopkins said. I grew up around football, going to Titans games. And from the time I was little, I knew I wanted to be like my dad. I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”