11 February 2024 , 07:00
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Jake Moody, the rookie kicker for the San Francisco 49ers, has big dreams for Super Bowl LVIII.
He's ready to kick the winning field goal, just like Harrison Butker did last season for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles. Butker's kick made him part of a special group that includes Jim O'Brien of the formerly known Baltimore Colts and Adam Vinatieri of the New England Patriots.
Vinatieri is the only one to have kicked the winning field goal in two Super Bowls, a feat Butker could match this Sunday. However, Moody has his own ambitions. This Sunday, it's a battle between the experienced Butker and the rookie Moody.
Butker is known as one of the most reliable kickers in the league with two Super Bowl rings to back it up, while Moody was only picked in the third round of the recent 2023 NFL Draft. The Chiefs are currently dominating the NFL, and Moody knows that getting to the Super Bowl isn't an everyday occurrence.
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Like many players, Moody dreams of being the hero. Even though he's a rookie, he'd love the chance to be called upon. "That's the thing you dream of as a kicker," Moody shared with Mirror Sport. "There's been times I've been messing around at high school when I was growing up, you put yourself in that situation.
"Like 'Okay this is the game-winner in the Super Bowl' so I've already done that a million times. It's hard to make it to a Super Bowl and those opportunities don't come around very often. So I would be very excited about that and hopefully, I get a chance to do that."
Moody, like many kickers and punters, started off playing football before trying out American football. He didn't plan on becoming a kicker, which is a common tale among players who end up in his position. His football experience made the switch easy. "I played soccer (football) up until middle school and then I transitioned to (American) football," Moody shared.
Jake Moody is ready to kick the winning points for the 49ers if called upon"Not necessarily to kick, but just to play (American) football. I played wide receiver, and quarterback, like every other kid wants to play. Coming from a soccer (football) background I won the kicking tryout. The coach noticed I had a pretty good leg at a young age so he told my parents to invest in a kicking coach and camps. Doing that, I noticed that I did have a pretty good leg for my age and I stuck with it."
Moody then shared: "I trusted the process, went to camps, and eventually got a scholarship to play at Michigan and it led to being here." He also set a new rookie record for the 49ers this season with a 57-yard field goal.
In high school, Moody kicked a 69-yard field goal, but he's done even better in practice. "That was just messing around just practicing in the offseason. I think the longest one I ever made just practicing was 72 yards and it was a shame as I think I could've backed up a little farther that day," he said. "But it's all just fun and games, you're never really going to get the chance to kick a 70-yard FG in a game so there's no point doing that."