5 Things to Know About Vikings New OLB Andrew Van Ginkel

Here are five things to know about Van Ginkel:

Van Ginkel may be new to the Vikings locker room, but he’s plenty familiar with Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores.

Flores coached Van Ginkel as the Dolphins head coach from 2019-21. He was part of the coaching staff that drafted the pass rusher out of Wisconsin.

Van Ginkel’s aggressiveness and versatility are good fits for the Flores defense.

“He’s kind of really molded me into the player I am today, and we went through a lot of hard times,” Van Ginkel said. “But just the way he used me, it’s very versatile … being able to line up in different positions, makes it tough on opponents and game planning, so it was definitely what intrigued me.”

Minnesota fans might be familiar with Van Ginkel as a Golden Gophers rival for two seasons.

Van Ginkel began his college career as a defensive end at the University of South Dakota but transferred after one season to Iowa Western Community College. After two seasons there, he transferred to Wisconsin, where he played linebacker.

Over 37 games for the Badgers, Van Ginkel recorded 154 tackles, 21 sacks and 37.5 tackles for loss. He nabbed two interceptions as a junior, returning one of them for a touchdown.