Kentucky's kicking game receiving a needed boost from transfer Alex Raynor
It’s no secret that Kentucky football’s special teams operation throughout the 2022 season was a constant “hold-your-breath” scenario. Matt Ruffolo was more than serviceable in the years prior as the Wildcats’ place kicker, connecting on 26 of 32 field goals from 2019-21. But in 2022, he missed eight field goals (16-24) and two extra points, which cost Kentucky plenty of points during important moments.
To Ruffolo’s credit, he showed up in the regular season finale against Louisville, drilling all four of his field goals (a career-high) and both extra points as he helped power the Wildcats past the Cardinals. He even took home the Howard Schnellenberger Award as MVP of the game. But special teams was never a reliable unit for Kentucky, to the point where head coach Mark Stoops had to go out and hire a special teams coordinator — Jay Boulware — to correct the third phase issues during the offseason. Boulware then went and added one of the most talented kickers available in the transfer portal, Georgia Southern’s Alex Raynor.
It’s only been one game, but those moves have already paid off. Raynor connected on all three of his field goal attempts in Kentucky’s 44-14 win over Ball State on Saturday — all of them from 40-plus yards out. The graduate transfer also hit all five of his extra point opportunities. It was near-flawless execution all afternoon long from the new-look group. Raynor salvaged multiple botched offensive drives from the ‘Cats and proved he could get the job done.
“I think everybody enjoyed seeing the field goal kicker kick it through the uprights, right? Three probably felt like seven on the opening possession for us, so that was a good thing,” Stoops said after the win. “Overall, very improved with that unit.“
This performance was nothing new from Raynor though. He had already played in 36 college games prior to Saturday with 245 career points to his name. The Harrison (GA) High product was one of the best in the nation at his position a season ago, finishing 18-20 on field goals and 49-50 on extra points. With his 3-3 run on field goals on Saturday, he’s now made nine in a row dating back to 2022.
“It felt great. I’ve been a starter now for — this is my fourth year — so I didn’t feel any more pressure than I normally have. But it felt great to get out there with my new teammates,” Raynor said postgame.
Raynor’s career-long is 47 yards, which he nearly surpassed against Ball State. His first kick in the opening quarter was perfect from 41 yards out, but it was the back-to-back 46-yarders in the final 70 seconds of the second quarter that stood out. Two of his three kicks had some extra leg in them too — he could have hit them from even further back. He became the first UK kicker since Taylor Begley in 2002 to make three field goals in his debut.
“I’m comfortable from 55 (yards) and in. I wasn’t really paying attention to the yardage. Felt confident,” Raynor added. “I expect perfection.”
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