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How Tate Sandell became OU's record-breaking kicker

headshotby: George Stoia11 hours agoGeorgeStoia
Tate Sandell
Aug 30, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners place kicker Tate Sandell (29) in action during the game against the Illinois State Redbirds at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Don Sandell will never forget the time he was called into the principal’s office at Port Neches-Groves High School in the fall of 2021.  An assistant principal and administrator at Port Neches-Groves since 2012, Don was shocked when the school’s principal and superintendent told him they had been receiving calls from concerned parents about someone sneaking onto the football field to kick footballs from midnight to 2 a.m.  That someone was Don’s son and now OU’s starting placekicker, Tate Sandell.

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