Former Florida State kicker has game-winning kick in pivotal NFL contest

FSU FOOTBALL

Florida State football lost to Pittsburgh by a score of 34-31 on Saturday. The fan base is frustrated with how the 2025 team is performing. It is disappointing since individuals invest a lot in the program.

The Seminoles lost three straight games against the likes of Virginia, Miami, and Pittsburgh, but I guess it cannot be as bad as Penn State was defeated by Oregon, UCLA, and Northwestern and then fired head football coach James Franklin.

The focus is on a lot of negativity surrounding the failures. This isn't ideal after Florida State wanted to prove a point that it was over the 2024 campaign, which they finished with a 2-10 record. However, I want to focus on something away from the current Seminoles.

RYAN FITZGERALD

Former Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald used to be a laughingstock with the fan base after he struggled mightily during his career with the Seminoles. Fitzgerald converted 58 of his 74 field goal attempts in the Garnet and Gold.

It was unfortunate that he was not trustworthy during the 2022 season, where he was 12 of his 20 attempts. This was not what head football coach Mike Norvell was expecting, since special teams was supposed to be a foundation of his teams.

Fitzgerald did rebound nicely for the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, where he was 32 of his 34 on field goals. This allowed the kicker to have a realistic chance at making it to the NFL. He was later picked up by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent.

Fitzgerald won the starting kicking job for the Panthers, which was a massive accomplishment for him. He continues to be productive for the franchise.

Fitzgerald had a 33-yard game-winning field goal against the Cowboys. That was a huge win for the Panthers as they look to be competitive in their division. The good news is that Fitzgerald connected on 10 of his 11 attempts this season.