FSU football: Former kicker Ryan Fitzgerald wins the starting job with the Panthers

RYAN FITZGERALD

Florida State football plays the Alabama Crimson Tide to kick off the 2025 season on Saturday afternoon. The newly renovated Doak Campbell Stadium will be rocking in hopes that the Seminoles pull off the upset.

Florida State did not have a productive 2024 campaign as they finished with a 2-10 record. Many naysayers, such as ESPN's Paul Finebaum and Greg McElroy, will be praying for the program's downfall.

With that said, the only contributors who performed at a high level on the squad last season were kicker Ryan Fitzgerald and punter Alex Mastromanno. I was glad to see Coach Norvell's emphasis on special teams paid off for the two of them, but I would have liked to see the offense score more points.

Kicker Ryan Fitzgerald had a solid start to his career as he connected on 10 of his 13 field goal attempts in 2021. However, he had a decline in 2022, where he struggled with making 12 of his 20 tries. Fitzgerald blamed the miscues on a technique that he switched to.

He worked extremely hard in the offseason as the fan base gave him a hard time. He finished the 2023 and 2024 seasons in Tallahassee, going 32 for 34 on field goals. I was impressed to see Fitzgerald battle back from so much adversity.

HE WON THE JOB!

The last two years allowed the kicker to accomplish his NFL dream by signing an undrafted free agent deal with the Carolina Panthers. The obstacle wasn't overcome yet, as Fitzgerald still had to make the team's roster.

Fitzgerald did more than make the roster as he won the kicking competition for the Panthers. This is massive for the former Florida State kicker. We at ChopChat are so happy for the former Seminole to get his opportunity. It is a lesson to those individuals out there who have struggled with tribulations. It is a good reminder to never give up on your dreams.

We need former Florida State punter Alex Mastromanno to get his opportunity next!