Sam Carpenter Will Push for Starting Kicker Job | Pitt All 105

Pitt All 105 is a Pittsburgh Sports Now series profiling each member of the Pitt 2025 training camp roster. In order to prepare for Pitt football’s 2025 season, PSN is breaking down every player on the roster in alphabetical order. Next up is placekicker Sam Carpenter.

It will be a training camp of heightened important for redshirt sophomore kicker Sam Carpenter as he will have his sights set on winning the starting kicker job.

With Ben Sauls off to the National Football League, the Panthers are searching for their next kicker and it will come down to Carpenter and Murray State transfer James London.

While London came in with a potential edge in the spring, Carpenter made up ground and now the staff will have to pay closely attention to each respective player throughout camp.

“There’s a big kicker question with Ben Sauls leaving,” head coach Pat Narduzzi said in the spring. “We got a kicking battle on, so everybody got better. I was talking to [Bob] Junko before practice when the kickers were kicking in our field goal period and he’s liked how much better Sam Carpenter’s got.”

Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 180 pounds
Hometown: Foxborough, Mass.

2024: Carpenter saw action in one game against Youngstown State and converted on one extra point attempt. In 2023, also connected on an extra point against Wofford, but did not see anymore action the rest of the season in order to preserve a redshirt as a walk-on.

Camp outlook: Carpenter has an opportunity to secure the starting kicker role during fall camp. He’ll be watched closely and any opportunity the Panthers get at Acrisure Stadium for scrimmages, Carpenter will look to capitalize and gain an edge.

Projected role: Whether or not Carpenter can win the starting role, he will most likely see action at one point or another this season. If spring camp was any indication, the kickers could trade off and on depending on who has the hot leg.

In the spring, Narduzzi noted that Carpenter knocked through a 51-yarder during an indoor session. Distance will be a key factor for both kickers as they look to replicate the same range that Sauls had.

During the Blue-Gold spring game, Carpenter opened the game with a 29-yarder and converted on both extra point attempts.

Back as a senior in high school, Carpenter connected on 9-of-14 field goals and 24-of-25 extra points with a long of 44 yards.