Nathan Hawks, a graduate of Greenon High School, made history on Saturday as the first Cincinnati Bearcats kicker to successfully convert two field goals of 50 yards or more in a single game, leading to a 27-16 win over the Miami RedHawks at Yager Stadium in Oxford.
The redshirt senior opened the scoring for Cincinnati with a 55-yard field goal in the first quarter.
“I trust myself,” Hawks stated during the postgame press conference. “I know what I’m capable of. The coaches putting me out there for my first field goal at that distance shows they trusted me too, which helped calm my nerves.”
Hawks later sealed the victory with a 50-yard field goal in the final minute of the fourth quarter. He also successfully converted all three extra point attempts and managed kickoff duties, marking his debut as a starting placekicker.
“That’s an incredible story — what Nathan Hawks accomplished today,” said UC coach Scott Satterfield. “It demonstrates that hard work pays off. When you get your chance, you shine, and that’s exactly what he did. He kept kicking throughout camp without knowing when his number would be called, and today it was. I’m really proud of him as we prepare for the upcoming conference season against Houston.”
Hawks was an all-state kicker at Greenon and is tied for 22nd in Ohio state history with 71 consecutive extra points made from 2019 to 2020. He also set a career-long field goal of 50 yards during his senior year in 2020.
Hawks began his college football journey at Wittenberg in 2021, participating in four games during his freshman year and successfully making all three of his field goal attempts in 10 games in 2022, where he served as Wittenberg’s kicker for attempts over 35 yards.
In a postgame press conference on Saturday, Hawks mentioned that he entered the transfer portal after his freshman season but did not attract any interest. After trying the portal again following his sophomore year, he chose to enroll at UC as a student.
He then reached out to UC’s special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs through his kicking coach, Tim Williams. UC invited him to try out for the team, although this tryout was delayed until a week before the 2023 fall camp due to an injury Hawks sustained.
“During that time, I thought about giving up,” Hawks said, “but I’m grateful I persevered. My parents encouraged me not to quit because they believed I was meant for this.”
Hawks served as Cincinnati’s kickoff specialist during the last six games of the previous season and held that same role in the first two games of this season while competing with Carter Brown for the placekicking position. Brown converted 3 of 5 field goals in those initial games.
Hawks learned from Coombs on Friday that he would be kicking field goals and extra points for the first time as a Bearcat on Saturday.
His 55-yard field goal is now tied for the second longest in UC history and is the longest since 2007.
“It felt great to see it come off my foot,” Hawks remarked. “I knew it was a good kick. I had some nerves, but with the wind at my back, I thought it would be a bit easier.”
“When he focuses, you don’t even need to watch the ball,” Satterfield noted. “You can hear it. When you hear that thump, you know it’s going in. He’s been very confident in his approach, which I really appreciate, and he didn’t falter today.”
YES SIR @_nathanhawks_ pic.twitter.com/cVNMbLgLQb
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) September 14, 2024
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