The nation’s leading field goal kicker in 2018 was Andre Szmyt. Connecting on 28 of his 32 attempts, the freshman set a new Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record and finished the year with three more makes than any other kicker in the country. But his season was about so much more than just that one number. The 28 field goals included a perfect 3-for-3 mark on kicks from at least 50 yards. Against Pittsburgh, he connected on a season-long 54 yarder to give the Orange the lead late in the fourth quarter. It was his third field goal of the game, part of a stretch of four straight games in which he made three kicks. In fact, he made multiple field goals in each of the first ten games of the season, culminating in a 4-for-4 performance against Louisville. It’s no surprise then that he also scored double-digit points in each of those first ten games, helping him to a season total of 141 that lead the nation not only in kick-scoring but in scoring by any player regardless of position. While his totals grab the headlines – and don’t forget his perfect 57-for-57 extra point attempts – it hasn’t come at the expense of accuracy. His 87.5 field goal percentage was 2nd in the nation by kickers with more than 20 attempts.

Ka’imi Fairbairn has proven to be one of the top football players in the illustrious history of UCLA. On November 13, 2015, the senior place-kicker made 4 field goals against Washington State, which not only set a career record for most points scored at UCLA but also represented the most career points scored in conference history. Fairbairn’s 410 career points is 20 more than the previous career scoring leader for UCLA and the Pacific Coast Conference, which was held by UCLA kicker, John Lee since 1985 and was deemed untouchable. During the 2015 season, Fairbairn made 20 out of his 23 field goal attempts and was perfect on his 44 after touchdown kicks. Fairbairn’s 104 points for 2015 are top among the Bruins and ranks third in the Pac-12 conference.