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Among the numerous issues that arose in Syracuse’s 28-point loss to Pitt on Oct. 24, the Orange missed their only field goal attempt of the game. It pushed them to 5-of-11 on the season, ranking last in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

A few days after the loss, then-third-string kicker Jackson Kennedy received texts from special teams coordinator James Vollono and head coach Fran Brown. The messages were simple. They told the redshirt junior he would get a chance that week and to prepare accordingly, which came as a surprise to Kennedy.

“If you asked me (in the beginning of the season) I’d be like, ‘I’m probably not gonna play this year,’” Kennedy said. “But it’s knowing that you never know when your opportunity will come.”

Kennedy has taken his chance and ran with it. Through three games as SU’s placekicker, the Cornell transfer has converted on all six field goal attempts — three from 40-plus yards — and is 10-of-11 on extra points. As Syracuse’s third kicker used in 2024, Kennedy’s recent success has brought much-needed stabilization to a unit that saw both Brady Denaburg and Jadyn Oh struggle to start the season.

“He saved us,” Brown said of Kennedy’s revelation.

Syracuse’s kicking position hasn’t been an issue in recent years. Andre Szmyt secured the position from 2018-22, becoming the program’s all-time points leader. Following his departure, Denaburg, a sophomore at the time, took over in 2023 and converted on 10-of-16 field goals.

Denaburg again assumed the role to start 2024, but Brown — like most positions on the roster — made it an ongoing competition. He was effective on kickoffs but struggled with accuracy on field goals, going 3-for-6 to start his junior year.

Brown kept the competition open and gave Oh an opportunity versus Holy Cross. The redshirt freshman was perfect on extra points in four games but went just 2-of-5 on field goals, missing all three attempts from 40-plus yards.

With its poor kicking game and punting issues to match, SU’s special teams unit became its weak link.

“It was pretty obvious that we were not doing well as a unit, as a group, and we knew we could do better,” Kennedy said.

While Kennedy hadn’t seen game action yet, he continuously challenged Denaburg and Oh. All three know they have the potential to be starters, and it’s a matter of translating success in practice to games.

Kennedy said during the open competition that each kicker gets three to four kicks through a given practice. If you make them, you get more kicks the next day. If you miss them, you lose reps.

According to Syracuse punter Jack Stonehouse, Kennedy kicks more than anyone on the team because of his role as the backup for punts and kickoffs. Stonehouse, the holder on all kicks, said there are only slight changes between holding for the three kickers, while the timing element is most crucial.

Of SU’s kicking trio, Kennedy is the most experienced. After not appearing in his first two seasons at Cornell due to COVID-19 and a redshirt, he made his mark. Kennedy received Second Team All-Ivy honors after finishing 7-for-11 on field goals and a perfect 25-for-25 on PATs. The next year for the Big Red, he handled punting and kicking duties, receiving Second Team All-Ivy honors for both.

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While the Orange struggled to make kicks this season, Kennedy thrived in practice. Eventually, his number was called.

“It was a very competitive situation, and he just continued to chip away,” Vollono said.

“You get to a point where it’s so close, neck and neck, How is this guy versus how is this guy? Well, they’re so close, who’s gonna get this? And we just got to the point where we felt like it was his time,” Vollono added.

Brown said the decision to start Kennedy came after he had the best showing in practice leading up to the Virginia Tech game. The decision was quickly proven right.

The Orange and Hokies battled back and forth in a tight game where every point mattered. Trailing 14-0 at the beginning of the second quarter, SU faced a fourth-and-9 from VT’s 26.

It was a spot where Syracuse had folded throughout the season. The Orange were 0-for-5 from 40-plus yards before the game. Yet Brown trotted Kennedy out for the 44-yard attempt, which he drilled to put SU on the board. Kennedy added three more extra points — including a crucial one to send the game to overtime with 29 seconds left in regulation, eventually clinching an overtime victory.

The next week against Boston College, Kennedy was perfect, making four extra points and a 25-yard field goal. His two performances garnered added job security from Brown.

“I see him constantly kicking it through the uprights, so there’s no more competition unless he makes it go wide right or wide left,” Brown said. “We’re going to compete every day, but he’s constantly making them in practice. They compete in practice, and he’s winning in practice, which is why he’s kicking in the game and he’s winning in the game.”

Kennedy’s third opportunity against Cal only added to his early success. He totaled 15 points, going 3-for-3 on extra points and 4-for-4 on field goals. Kennedy easily hammered kicks from 42 and 43 yards out. His production in field goal kicking graded at 75.7, according to Pro Football Focus, the fourth-best grade in the nation in Week 12.

While kicking was Syracuse’s glaring weakness throughout the first half of its season, it’s become a strength since Kennedy revived the unit. According to Kennedy, kicking is largely a mental game. At Cornell, he played at venues with much fewer fans and rarely any behind the uprights. Still, with newfound success at a Power Four school, Kennedy’s keeping things in perspective.

“There’s so much pressure around the whole kicking world. I think when you really boil it down, it’s just (about) being prepared for your opportunity,” Kennedy said. “It’s the same field-goal post wherever you go. When I was in middle school versus where I am now, it’s the same distance, there’s still the same height in the air. It’s just what’s going on around you.”

Published on November 21, 2024 at 12:35 am

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky