Michigan State is going to have somebody new kicking the field goals next season.
Last year’s starter, Martin Connington, transferred out this offseason and landed at Kansas. MSU special teams coordinator LeVar Woods brought in one kicker from the transfer, is bringing in another from the high school ranks, and there’s a third option in an interesting spot.
Probable Starter: Liam Boyd
Charlotte transfer Liam Boyd is likely to be the starting kicker this coming season. He’s been a journeyman of sorts during his collegiate career, beginning at Clemson before making other stops at North Carolina and then Charlotte. Boyd had a year at UNC in 2023 where he handled kickoff duties, booting nearly three-quarters of his kicks for touchbacks (usually the desired outcome).
Last year was the first time Boyd really got the top duty, though: field goals. He’s 10-for-13 on those kicks for his career, going 9-for-12 last year. The concern is that two of those misses last year were from less than 30 yards, but that could be due to the widened hash marks in college and should be fixable.
As far as range goes, Boyd hasn’t really been able to show it in college yet. His career-long in college is 42 yards. To his credit, that came during a game at Georgia. Boyd also claimed a 50-yarder back when he was in high school…