College Football’s 15 best place kickers of 2022
Clemson place kicker B.T. Potter (29) attempts a field goal in the first half against Iowa State Wednesday December 27, 2021 at Camping World Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
They are the players who don’t get the respect they deserve.
Kickers have to deliver in the clutch for their teams, and they have a slim margin for error. Crowd noise levels and weather conditions come with the territory. Having a short term memory and being unfazed by distractions go a long way in their success on the gridiron.
Length and accuracy has to remain consistent, and the pressure moments provide opportunities for kickers to be heroes. These 15 student-athletes gave their team and fans plenty of memorable plays last season Now all of them are looking to build on their legacies by strengthening their legs and sharpening their accuracy through spring ball.
15. Andres Borregales, Miami: The hometown kid finished third in the ACC in field goals per game as a true freshman last season. Borregales nailed two field goals apiece against Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia Tech. Not to mention he ranked fourth in the league in scoring among kickers. The former three-star prospect connect on three field goals in the victory over Appalachian State. Borregales had a season-high, four field goals in the win at Duke. The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder also made all of his extra point attempts. Borregales’ leg gives Mario Cristobal a reliable weapon.
14. Parker Lewis, Ohio State: The former three-star prospect led USC in scoring last season. Lewis has made 46 of his 47 extra point attempts over the past two years with the program. He connected on 12 of his 13 field goal attempts inside the 40-yard-line in 2021. The Arizona native converted three field goals in the season-opening win over San Jose State. Lewis also nailed three field goals in the victory at Colorado. Not to mention he had a season-long, 52-yarder at Arizona State, and made three field goals against BYU. Lewis finally found a new home with The Ohio State Buckeyes.
13. Casey Legg, West Virginia: He led the the team in scoring and made all 35 of his extra point attempts last season. Not to mention Legg was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. The West Virginia native was money inside the 40-yard line, connecting on 15 of his 16 kicks. Legg converted two field goals apiece against Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Baylor and Virginia Tech. The six-foot-four, 216-pounder made three field goals, including a season-long, 49-yarder in the victory at TCU. Legg’s leg will keep the Mountaineers above water this fall, and he’s poised to lead the them in scoring again.
12. Cayden Camper, Colorado State: The Colorado native finished second in the FBS in field goals per game last season. Camper also converted all of his 27 extra point attempts. He nailed five field goals in the victory at Toledo. The six-foot-four, 215-pounder made four field goals against Boise State. Camper stockpiled a season-high, six field goals in the win over San Jose State. The following week at New Mexico, Camper had five field goals, including a season-long, 53-yarder. Despite all of Campers’ production, he only received Honorable Mention All-Mountain West consideration.
11. Blake Grupe, Notre Dame: He made 20 field goals and earned second-team, All-Sun Belt honors at Arkansas State last season. Grupe was perfect inside the 30-yard line, but displayed leg power on long kicks. The Missouri native nailed two field goals, including a season-long, 50-yarder against Tulsa. Grupe also had two field goals apiece against Central Arkansas, Georgia State, Louisiana, South Alabama and Louisiana-Monroe. Grupe nailed three field goals apiece against Memphis and Texas State. The grad transfer left Arkansas State as the program’s scoring leader.
10. Owen Daffer, East Carolina: The North Carolina native led the Pirates in scoring last season. Daffer went from being a former walk-on, to first-team, All-AAC. He nailed three field goals at Central Florida. Not to mention Daffer stockpiled three field goals apiece in road victories at Memphis and Navy. His 54-yarder against the Midshipmen was his longest kick of the year. The 5-foot-10, 173-pounder finished second in the AAC and 18th in the FBS in field goals per game. There’s no denying Daffer is one of the best weapons in the AAC with his leg power and accuracy.
9. Will Reichard, Alabama: The former three-star prospect racked up 22 field goals, and led the SEC Champs in scoring last season. Not to mention Reichard has made 36 field goals and missed one extra point attempt over the past two years. That’s a lot of production, considering Alabama scored a ton of touchdowns during that span. He had a season-high, four field goals in the National Championship Game. The Alabama native nailed three field goals, including a season-high, 51-yarder in the opening victory over Miami. Reichard also stockpiled three field goals at Texas A&M.
8. Cam Little, Arkansas: The former-three-star prospect led the Razorbacks in scoring, and made all 46 of his extra point attempts as a true freshman last season. Little was very reliable, converting 18 of his 20 field goal attempts inside the 50-yard line. He nailed four field goals in the win over Texas. Little had three field goals, including a season-long, 51-yarder in the victory over Mississippi State. The Oklahoma native also connected on three field goals in the win at LSU. Little delivered in the clutch in all of Arkansas’ pivotal games, and he’s poised to light up scoreboards again this fall.
7. B.T. Potter, Clemson: The South Carolina native led the Tigers in scoring and made all 38 of his extra point attempts last season. Not to mention Potter finished the year with 21 field goals and earned second-team, All-ACC honors. Potter was perfect inside the 30-yard line. He nailed two kicks, including a 50-yarder in the victory over Wake Forest. The former three-star prospect connected on three field goals apiece in wins over Louisville, Connecticut and South Carolina. Potter racked up a season-high, four field goals against Boston College. His 51-yarder against Iowa State was a season-high.
6. Jack Podlesny, Georgia: He led the National Champs in scoring and finished 18th in the FBS last season. Podlesny started off shaky, but converted 10 of his 11 field goal attempts over the Bulldogs’ final seven games. The Georgia native native was perfect inside the 30-yard line and made 71 of his 72 extra point attempts. Podlesny nailed three field goals against Arkansas. Not to mention he had two field goals, including a 49-yarder in the National Championship Game. Georgia’s offense is loaded again, which means Podlesney will be kicking a ton of extra point attempts in 2022.
5. Zack Long, Tulsa: The Missouri native displayed extreme accuracy and nailed all 21 of his field goal attempts inside the 50-yard line. Long ranked ninth in the FBS in field goals per game and led the Golden Hurricane in scoring. He made three field goals in the victory over Temple. Long also stockpiled three field goals in the bowl win over Old Dominion. Not to mention he had a season-long, 50-yarder at Cincinnati. Despite the fact that Long converted 22 of his 23 field goal attempts last year, he only received Honorable Mention consideration. So he’ll have a chip on his shoulder this fall.
4. Jonah Dalmas, Boise State: The Idaho native is coming off a spectacular campaign with the Broncos. Dalmas led the entire FBS in field goals per game and finished with first-team, All-MWC honors last season. He was money inside the 50-yard line. Not to mention Dalmas racked up four field goals apiece in victories over UTEP, BYU and Fresno State. The five-foot-eight, 161-pounder had three field goals apiece against Wyoming and New Mexico. Dalmas constantly delivered for his team in the clutch, and will keep the Broncos in every game with his strong and accurate leg.
3. Harrison Mevis, Missouri: The former three-star prospect has nailed 40 field goals over the past two seasons. Not to mention Mevis hasn’t missed an extra point during that span. He ranked second in the SEC and fifth in the FBS in field goals per game. He was third among SEC kickers in scoring. Mevis also earned first-team, All-SEC honors. The Indiana native was perfect inside the 40-yard line. Mevis displayed great leg power with a season-long, 56-yarder against Boston College. The 5-foot-11, 236-pounder stockpiled three field goals apiece against Vanderbilt, Florida, Arkansas and Army.
2. Noah Ruggles, Ohio State: The former two-star prospect nailed 19 field goals and all 45 of his extra point attempts with North Carolina in 2019. However, Ruggles finished first in the Big Ten and fourth in the FBS in scoring last season. Not to mention Ruggles connected on 20 of his 21 field goal attempts. He earned second-team, All-Big Ten and AP All-America honors for his amazing accuracy. Ruggles stockpiled four field goals apiece in back-to-back victories over Penn State and Nebraska. The Florida native had two field goals apiece against Tulsa, Michigan and Utah in the Rose Bowl.
1. Jake Moody, Michigan: He put together an unforgettable campaign for a kicker last season. Not only did Moody win the Lou Groza Award, but he was also named the Big Ten’s Kicker of the Year. Not to mention he earned first-team, AP All-America honors. Moody made 23 field goals and all 56 of his extra points attempts. Not too shabby for an individual who had no stars behind his name out of high school. The Michigan native stockpiled four field goals apiece against Nebraska and Michigan State. Moody made three field goals apiece in victories over Wisconsin and Indiana.
