# Ryan Fitzgerald (American football)
**Ryan Fitzgerald** is an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) kicker for the [Carolina Panthers](https://www.edgepedia.org/carolina-panthers) of the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league), who played college football at Florida State and joined the Panthers in 2025.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position, team | Kicker, No. 10, Carolina Panthers (active)[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/ryan-fitzgerald/) |
| Player info | Height 5-11, weight 193 lbs, age 26, hometown Coolidge, Georgia[1](https://www.nfl.com/players/ryan-fitzgerald/) |
| College | Florida State, 2019 to 2024[2](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/ryan-fitzgerald/99867) |
| 2025 rookie season | 24 of 29 field goals (82.8%), 27 of 30 extra points, long of 57 yards, in 17 games[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/ryan-fitzgerald/stats/career) |
| 2026 season | 9 of 9 field goals and 10 of 13 extra points through 4 games[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/ryan-fitzgerald/stats/career) |
| NFL career totals | 21 games, 33 of 38 field goals (86.8%), 37 of 43 extra points[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/ryan-fitzgerald/stats/career) |
## College career at Florida State
His early years were uneven; a scouting report notes consistency issues in 2020 through 2022 before a steady rise in accuracy, from 60 percent in 2022 to 90.5 percent in 2023.[5](https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Ryan-Fitzgerald-PK-FloridaState) In the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl against Oklahoma, he made a game-winning 32-yard field goal with 55 seconds left.[5](https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Ryan-Fitzgerald-PK-FloridaState)
**2024 was his peak college season.** He made all 13 field-goal attempts and all 14 extra-point attempts.[6](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2024-kicking.html) His five field goals of 50 yards or more were the most in a season in Florida State history, and he accounted for the second-, third-, and seventh-longest field goals in school history.[7](https://seminoles.com/news/2024/12/16/football-mastromanno-fitzgerald-named-associated-press-all-americans) A 59-yard field goal that season was the longest in a conference game in [Atlantic Coast Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-coast-conference) history, and a 56-yarder against North Carolina was the longest by a Seminole in Doak Campbell Stadium's 75-year history.[8](https://seminoles.com/sports/football/roster/ryan-fitzgerald/6910) He was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press, listed at 6-1 and 190 pounds from Coolidge, Georgia.[4](https://apnews.com/article/fb5a85150bf6850fdc5d32275fe59938)
His consistency extended to extra points. By late in the 2024 season he had 306 career points, ranking ninth in Florida State history,[9](https://seminoles.com/news/2024/8/26/football-fitzgeralds-brown-earn-acc-player-of-the-week-honors) and he became the first kicker in FSU history with multiple seasons of 57 made extra points.[10](https://f002.backblazeb2.com/file/cpbmedia/acc/fsu/23gameday/231230fsu_notes.pdf) As a senior he also handled kickoffs, averaging 64.3 yards with an 81 percent touchback rate (34 of 42).[5](https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Ryan-Fitzgerald-PK-FloridaState)
## NFL career
Fitzgerald signed with the Carolina Panthers and won the kicking job as an undrafted rookie in 2025.[11](https://www.panthers.com/news/for-ryan-fitzgerald-it-s-about-building-on-an-impressive-rookie-season) In his rookie season he played all 17 games, made 24 of 29 field-goal attempts (82.8 percent) with a long of 57 yards, and converted 27 of 30 extra-point attempts.[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/ryan-fitzgerald/stats/career) [CBS Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-sports) described the season as a mixed bag, citing struggles from distance and three missed extra points, and did not recommend drafting him for fantasy purposes in 2026.[12](https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/2026-outlook-ryan-fitzgerald/) On kickoffs he helped the Panthers rank third in the league in opponents' average drive start.[11](https://www.panthers.com/news/for-ryan-fitzgerald-it-s-about-building-on-an-impressive-rookie-season)
**2026 improvement.** Through the first four games of the 2026 season, Fitzgerald was perfect on field goals, 9 of 9, including makes from 53 and 47 yards, though he had made 10 of 13 extra points.[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/ryan-fitzgerald/stats/career) [Pro Football Focus](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-football-focus) gave him a 60.0 field-goal grade for the 2026 season, 22nd among 32 qualified kickers, while his 100 percent conversion rate ranked first.[2](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/ryan-fitzgerald/99867) His career NFL totals after 21 games stand at 33 of 38 field goals (86.8 percent) and 37 of 43 extra points.[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/ryan-fitzgerald/stats/career)
## Scouting profile
A pre-draft scouting report credited Fitzgerald with exceptional leg strength on deep kicks, solid mechanics in adverse weather, and poise in hostile road environments, while flagging his early-career inconsistency, limited experience in extreme cold-weather conditions, and a slightly slower operation time from snap to kick than NFL averages.[5](https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Ryan-Fitzgerald-PK-FloridaState) His rookie season bore out the distance concern: he made only 2 of 5 attempts from 50 to 59 yards in 2025, against 12 of 13 from 30 to 39 yards.[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/ryan-fitzgerald/stats/career)
## References
1. [Ryan Fitzgerald Stats, News and Video - K, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/ryan-fitzgerald/)
2. [Ryan Fitzgerald, Carolina Panthers K, NFL and PFF stats, PFF](https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/ryan-fitzgerald/99867)
3. [Ryan Fitzgerald Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/ryan-fitzgerald/stats/career)
4. [ap all-america team:travis hunter, xavier watts back on first team; ashton jeanty is unanimous pick](https://apnews.com/article/fb5a85150bf6850fdc5d32275fe59938)
5. [Ryan Fitzgerald Kicker Florida State, NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report, NFL Draft Buzz](https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Ryan-Fitzgerald-PK-FloridaState)
6. [2024 College Football Kicking Stats, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/2024-kicking.html)
7. [Mastromanno, Fitzgerald Named Associated Press All-Americans, Florida State University](https://seminoles.com/news/2024/12/16/football-mastromanno-fitzgerald-named-associated-press-all-americans)
8. [Ryan Fitzgerald - 2024 - Football, Florida State University](https://seminoles.com/sports/football/roster/ryan-fitzgerald/6910)
9. [Fitzgerald, S. Brown Earn ACC Player of the Week Honors, Florida State University](https://seminoles.com/news/2024/8/26/football-fitzgeralds-brown-earn-acc-player-of-the-week-honors)
10. [2023 Schedule / Game Notes, Florida State](https://f002.backblazeb2.com/file/cpbmedia/acc/fsu/23gameday/231230fsu_notes.pdf)
11. [For Ryan Fitzgerald, it's about building on an impressive rookie season, Panthers.com](https://www.panthers.com/news/for-ryan-fitzgerald-it-s-about-building-on-an-impressive-rookie-season)
12. [2026 Outlook: Ryan Fitzgerald, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/2026-outlook-ryan-fitzgerald/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Placekickers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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