San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody made Super Bowl history by connecting on a record 55-yard field goal. The rookie’s second-quarter kick gave his team a 3-0 lead over the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Moody’s impressive feat surpassed former Buffalo Bills kicker Steve Christie, who booted a 54-yarder to tie the Dallas Cowboys, 3-3, in the first quarter of Super Bowl XVII. The 24-year-old Moody was drafted by the 49ers in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Michigan, where he had hit a school-record 59-yard field goal while playing for the Wolverines.
Throughout the regular season, Moody converted 21 of 25 of his field goal attempts, with his season-long make being 57 yards. He had previously gone 3-for-5 on field goal attempts during the postseason, including a clutch 52-yarder against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round. In the Conference Championship Game against the Detroit Lions, he made kicks from 43 and 33 yards.
Despite his successful season, Moody had a notable miss in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, where he missed a possible game-winner. However, his overall performance and Super Bowl record solidify his status as a promising young kicker in the league.
Moody’s exceptional college career also contributed to his success in the NFL. In 2021, he won the Lou Groza Award, given to the top kicker in college football. He was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection and won the Bakken–Andersen Award twice in consecutive years (2021 and 2022) as the Big Ten’s top kicker. Moody also holds several records at Michigan, including points, field goals, and 40-yard field goals.
The decision to draft Moody in the third round was a strategic move by the 49ers, as head coach Kyle Shanahan explained. “When you look at the history, the majority of kickers go in the fourth round. We didn’t have a fourth-round pick,” Shanahan said. “The guy was not going to be there in the fifth round.” This shows the team’s belief in Moody’s talent and potential impact on the field.
Interestingly, since 2000, only 49 kickers, including Moody, have been drafted in the NFL. The last kicker taken in the third round before Moody was Roberto Aguayo in 2016 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who also won the Lou Groza Award. Before that, Nate Kaeding was drafted by the Chargers in 2003, and he also won the prestigious award. This demonstrates the rarity of kickers being selected early in the draft and highlights Moody’s exceptional abilities.
Jake Moody’s record-breaking field goal in the Super Bowl cements his place in NFL history and solidifies his position as a rising star in the league. With his impressive college career and strong performance in his rookie season, Moody’s future in the NFL looks bright.
