Kentucky Football Countdown: No. 96 Matt Ruffolo

A week before players report back to campus for summer training, KSR is counting down the days till Kentucky kicks off the 2022 season against Miami (Oh.). With only 96 days remaining, let’s take a closer look at the Wildcats’ No. 96, one of the most accurate placekickers in Kentucky football history.

About Ruffolo

Matt Ruffolo is entering his sixth season at the University of Kentucky. Ruffolo arrived as a walk-on in 2017 when Austin MacGinnis was still using his boomstick to bang balls through the uprights. Miles Butler held the position for one more year until Ruffolo forced his way onto the field in 2019. He drilled 4-of-5 field goals and 18-of-20 PATs to keep the starting position for good.

Ruffolo Career Highlights

Known more for his accuracy than his distance, Ruffolo proved plenty of people wrong when he hit a career-long 50-yarder on Jared Lorenzen night to help Kentucky take down Arkansas 24-20 in 2019. He hit another 50-yarder the following year at Missouri. In 2020 he 12-of-14 field goals, including a UK bowl record of three in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl victory over NC State. Last fall set a new UK record by hitting 54 PATs, surpassing the mark set by Lones Seiber in 2007. His most clutch performance was on the road at South Carolina, helping the Kentucky football team escape with a win at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Matt Ruffolo Fun Facts

Charles Walker often referred to Ruffolo as the “Spicy Italian Meatball,” arguably the greatest nickname to ever come from the Joe Craft Football Training Center. Before he arrived in Lexington, Ruffolo concluded his prep career with 103 consecutive PATs, the second-most in Ohio state history. He did not miss an extra point in his final two seasons of high school football at Archbishop Alter in Centerville.

2022 Forecast

Matt Ruffolo has made 81.25% of his career field goal attempts, the third-highest mark in school history. He’s kicked twice as many field goals as the two ahead of him on the leaderboard. Currently on a streak of five consecutive made field goals, if he stays hot, he can end his career as the most accurate placekicker in Kentucky football history. Austin MacGinnis has just about every UK kicking record, but this one is Ruffolo’s for the taking in 2022.