Alex Thomas Kessman (born January 2, 1998) is an American former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

in 2021 and the

Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the ...

in 2023.

College career

He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facul ...

. He set the NCAA record for most accurate placekicker in history from 50+ yards going 12 of 18 from that distance. In October 2019, Kessman was named ACC Specialist of the Week after making four field goals during the game against

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. In 2020, in a game against Boston College, Kessman kicked a 58-yard field goal which tied the game and sent it into overtime. At the time, the 58-yard goal was the longest field goal in Pitt history. In 2024,

Ben Sauls Ben Sauls (born July 31, 2001) is an American professional football kicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. Early life and high school Sauls attended Tipp ...

tied Kessman's record. In 2021, Kessman received second-team All-ACC honors and was a semifinalist for the

Lou Groza Award The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County, Florida, Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns ...

Professional career

Los Angeles Chargers

On May 2, 2021, Kessman signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

with the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

. However, Kessman was released by the Chargers prior to the start of the season on August 16, 2021.

New York Jets

On November 23, 2021, Kessman was signed to the practice squad of the

. On December 4, the Jets released incumbent kicker Matt Ammendola and signed Kessman to the active roster. In his one game with the Jets, which was also his NFL debut, Kessman missed both of his extra point attempts and the Jets lost to the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

by a score of 33–18. He was cut by the team the next day.

Carolina Panthers

On December 22, 2021, Kessman was signed to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

practice squad. He was released on December 27.

Memphis Showboats

On January 28, 2023, Kessman signed with the

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). He was removed from the roster on February 15, 2024.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Pittsburgh Panthers bio
1998 births Living people American football placekickers Pittsburgh Panthers football players Los Angeles Chargers players New York Jets players Carolina Panthers players Memphis Showboats (2022) players {{Amfoot-kicker-stub