The Rebels kicker has kept his team afloat in the CFP.
Why Ole Miss' Lucas Carniero is better than all but 10 NFL kickers right now originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Ole Miss kicker Lucas Carneiro is doing things in the College Football Playoff that only a handful of NFL specialists can match — and the numbers back it up.
Despite a miss off the left upright from 52 yards in the third quarter of the Fiesta Bowl, Carneiro still extended his CFP record by drilling another kick from 55-plus yards. His 58-yard field goal at the end of the first half at State Farm Stadium was one yard shy of the playoff record set by Jake Moody in 2022 and tied for the second-longest kick in Ole Miss history. He added a 54-yarder in the third quarter as well.
It’s not a one-off. Carneiro is the only college kicker with four field goals of at least 55 yards this postseason. Only 10 NFL kickers have even matched that total in 2025, putting the junior squarely in rare company and growing NFL draft intrigue.
The No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels have leaned heavily on his leg during their playoff run. Carneiro was the hero of the Sugar Bowl win over Georgia, connecting from 47 yards to seal the upset after earlier makes from 55 and 56. He entered the Fiesta Bowl 29-for-32 on the season woth elite range.
A Cornelius, North Carolina native, Carneiro transferred from Western Kentucky before the season and has quickly become one of the most valuable weapons in college football.
With NFL kickers celebrating record attempts like Cam Little’s 68-yarder last weekend, Carneiro has quietly shown he already belongs in that conversation and better than all but a select few in the league right now.
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Category: General Sports
