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For years, one of the more entertaining differences between watching the NFL and college football has been special teams, particularly when it comes to kicking field goals. There are only 32 teams in the NFL, and each carries only one kicker, so the competition for the few gigs available typically ensure only the best of the best got the chance.
There are far more teams in college, and kicking jobs have long been occupied by walk-ons with a future in accounting. All you had to do was occasionally manage to kick the ball between the uprights from 40 yards away, and you’d be rewarded with all the team-issued gear you could dream of. Maybe your teammates would invite you to some cool parties.
Like a lot of things about college athletics, things have changed.
Perhaps you noticed a prevalence of kickers drilling field goals from 50 yards or more this season and became confused. You may have asked, “are college kickers improving?”
Well, I’ve gone back and looked at the numbers. Your eyes didn’t deceive you.
Yes. the kickers are improving. In the NFL, kicks of 50 yards or more have become routine, and we’re even seeing guys attempt kicks of 60-plus. That trend is filtering down to the college ranks, where college kickers aren’t only making a higher rate of long field goals, but they’re attempting a lot more, too.
2016
140
40.0%
2017
189
42.9%
2018
186
43.0%
2019
201
47.8%
2020
161
47.8%
2021
254
42.1%
2022
208
46.2%
2023
276
46.7%
2024
360
53.9%
Last year’s numbers almost dwarf the others dating back to 2016, according to TruMedia’s database. The 360 attempts from the 2024 season were 84 more than we saw from teams in 2023. And kickers only twice hit nearly 48% of their attempts, let alone more than 50%. In those two seasons (2019, 2020), there were 362 combined…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/yes-college-kickers-are-getting-better-data-shows-theyre-scoring-more-from-farther-away-than-ever/
Author : Tom Fornelli
Publish date : 2025-01-31 17:46:00
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