Ben Sauls Continuing to Drill 50-Yard FGs for the NFL

If you can kick at Acrisure Stadium, you can probably kick just about anywhere. Ben Sauls certainly didn’t have much trouble kicking at the Ack during his Pitt career.

And now Sauls — a 5-foot-9 kicker from Tipp City, Ohio — is proving that he can kick whenever and wherever. He’s making the most of his chance at the Shrine Bowl in front of NFL personnel.

Sauls is one of just two kickers at the Shrine Bowl, so he has a major opportunity to impress. And he had an excellent Day 1 in Dallas.

His 50-yarder on Day 1 looked like it would’ve been good from well over 60 yards.

Good snap, good hold, and @Pitt_FB kicker @bsauls22 makes the 50-yard field goal.

Looked like Sauls had a lot of room to spare from 50 yards out. pic.twitter.com/H3valpdiJN

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) January 25, 2025

It’s not exactly common for NFL teams to select kickers (just three in the 2024 NFL Draft, all in the sixth round), but Sauls is the kind of kicker who is tailor-made for the professional ranks.

He averaged 44 yards on his makes and 50 yards on his misses, which includes a blocked 45-yarder. If Pitt needed three points, Sauls was there. And he was automatic with his point-after attempts.

PFF announced its 2024 All-American team and included Sauls as the place-kicker, a well-deserved honor for arguably the most consistent Pitt player this season.

Sauls was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, which is given annually to the best place-kicker in college football, and PFF named him its midseason Lou Groza Award winner. He was certainly deserving of more postseason recognition.

Sauls is the highest-rated kicker in college football by PFF. He drilled 21-of-24 field goal attempts (with a long of 58 yards) and all 44 of his point-after attempts — with a team-high 95 points.

He tied a program record with his 58-yarder against Cal in October, which was the longest field goal by a Pitt kicker at Acrisure Stadium. And with a 49-yarder against Syracuse later that month, he set the record for the most consecutive made field goals in program history.

Sauls showed off the leg strength this season, connecting on six of his seven attempts of at least 50 yards.

“He’s the best one I’ve ever been around,” Pat Narduzzi said after the win against Syracuse. “I would imagine he’d be up for the Lou Groza. They should just give it to him mid-season. He’s automatic from 57, 58. Doesn’t matter where you put him. He’s been outstanding this entire season.”

Ben Sauls has connected on 52-of-64 field goal attempts (81.3%) in his Pitt career, and he somehow took his game to new heights this season. He’s firmly on the NFL radar now.

Sauls has a week of competition and meeting with NFL personnel left in Dallas, and his big leg and professional mindset will standout.