After last year's struggles in the post-Matt Coghlin era, the kicker position was one of the big question marks for Michigan State football heading into the 2023 season. The Spartans were just 6-for-12 in field goals last season.
Enter Jonathan Kim, a redshirt senior transfer kicker from North Carolina. No, he is not related to quarterback Noah Kim. But just like the Spartans starting quarterback, he earned his starting spot on the team in fall camp.
“There was a really good competition between me and Rusty, Stephen Rusnak,” Kim said. “At the end of the day, the percentages were close, but I had a couple more makes than him.”
Kim was thrust into a pressure situation on Friday against Central Michigan. It was the middle of the second quarter and the Spartans hadn’t gotten any points on the board yet. The tension inside Spartan Stadium was starting to rise and Kim trotted out to attempt a 47-yard field goal from the right hash.
Kim hadn’t attempted an in-game field goal since his freshman year at North Carolina in 2019. That time it was a 52-yard attempt from the right hash. He missed it. On Friday, he was five yards closer but it was still not an easy kick. He had plenty of leg and snuck it inside the right upright to put Michigan State on the board.
“It being my fifth year (of college football), I was a little more confident in myself,” Kim said about making the kick. “I felt a whole lot more confident. I got a lot of work with my snapper and holder and the O-line had done a great job. So, I was pretty confident in not only myself but the operation as well.”
Kim played soccer his whole life. In his freshman year of high school, his friend’s dad was the head coach of the freshman football team and he needed a kicker. Reluctantly, Kim agreed to try it. He’s loved kicking ever since.
“For a lot of my freshman year and throughout high school, I was going to a bunch of different guys, different coaches,” Kim said. “And being able to find my own form, my own swing, was something that took time and I’ve been able to refine it alot with the most recent coach that I’ve had, Dan Orner. He’s helped me really just make sure it is what it is and make sure it’s bulletproof.”
It was after his sophomore year of high school when Kim realized that he could play football at the next level.
“My dad, who has done a lot for me, he would take me to camps all over the place,” Kim said. “Me and him both realized, you know, I’m pretty much as good as the next guy, so why not take a shot at college football?"
Kim spent four seasons at North Carolina. He only attempted one field goal and three extra points in those four years. He was a kickoff specialist for the Tar Heels.
Kim did not play after Week Four of the 2022 season and decided to transfer. He trained with his aforementioned personal coach Dan Orner throughout the fall instead of staying with North Carolina. He committed to Michigan State on Dec. 14.
“There was a lot of prayer for me,” Kim said. “There’s a lot of unknown in the portal. I felt a whole lot more comfortable entering the portal, which is a whole lot of uncertainty doing that, rather than staying at North Carolina. I love North Carolina. It’s a great place but God was telling me that’s not where I needed to be anymore.”
There was a common theme in most of Kim’s answers to the media on Tuesday. He is a spiritual person and has a strong faith in God.
“I play more so for God,” Kim said. “So for me, I don’t really feel too much pressure just because I know no matter what, like I’m not identified in how I play on the field. It’s more so, I go out and I can play freely which takes a whole lot of pressure off of me because I know that God is going to love me no matter how I play.”
The kicker position in football is one of the most high pressure positions in all of sports. Kickers are depended upon sometimes to win games. They can be the difference between a win and a loss. Kim’s faith relieves some of that pressure.
“It makes me be able to play freely,” Kim reiterated about his belief in God. “There’s a lot less pressure on my shoulders when I’m able to do that.”
Kim isn’t the only spiritual person on the team. Running back Nate Carter, defensive back Caleb Coley and Kim go to dinner together sometimes three times per week to talk about their faith.
Head coach Mel Tucker and the staff have a lot of faith in Kim. Tucker sent Kim out for a game winning 58-yard field goal attempt into the wind in practice. He missed it, but Tucker sending him out there was huge for Kim’s confidence.
“They showed me that they have a lot of trust in me and respect my leg a lot,” Kim said.
Kim said that the longest field goal he’s ever made in practice was a 65-yarder. He noted that he feels comfortable from 62 yards in a game with no wind.
- CB
- RB
- DT
- OLB
- WR
- PRO
- OLB
- CB
- OT
- TE
