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Sooners in the NFL: Oklahoma's Austin Seibert Plays Hero in Spectacular Washington Debut

Austin Seibert had a career-defining game after being signed by Washington five days prior.

Ross Lovelace

Sep 15, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders place kicker Austin Seibert (3) celebrates with his teammates after making the game winning field goal against the New York Giants at Commanders Field. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images
Sep 15, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders place kicker Austin Seibert (3) celebrates with his teammates after making the game winning field goal against the New York Giants at Commanders Field. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images
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Austin Seibert’s well-traveled NFL career brought him to Washington earlier this week — and he might’ve found a home as the Oklahoma product was signed on Tuesday and kicked the Commanders to victory on Sunday.

Seibert, one of the greatest kickers in OU history, drilled all seven of his field goal attempts in a 21-18 win over the New York Giants. He capped off his perfect afternoon by nailing the game-winner as time expired. The newly signed Commander was responsible for every single one of his team’s points and delivered the first win of the season.

“I’m having fun,” Seibert said with a big smile following his career performance. “That’s a great way to welcome myself to the team and win a football game. I’m happy with it.

“Just happiness. This whole week, me being here on Monday, everyone has just been open arms, very positive. It has been a lot easier to just kind of get into the flow of things because of the positivity around here."

In total, Seibert made kicks of 27, 45, 26, 27, 29 and 33 yards. He was money on his chip shots and drilled his only attempt outside of 40 yards. The Commanders cut Cade York after an 0-for-2 outing in week one before promptly signing Seibert on Tuesday morning. Seibert looks like he'll be in Washington for the forseeable future.

He’s no stranger to high-stakes moments on short notice. Seibert, a fifth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2019, has played in 31 games over his five-year career. In addition to the Browns, he has spent time with the Bengals, Lions, Jets and Saints. He has been an accurate NFL kicker, hitting 80.4 percent of his 56 career field goal attempts and 90.3 percent of his extra point attempts.

Seibert starred at Oklahoma, serving as both the kicker and punter for the Sooners. He is Oklahoma’s all-time points leader, scoring 499 points in his college career, which was also an NCAA record at the time. He’s 49 points ahead of Michael Hunnicutt in second place and more than 100 points in front of touchdown king DeMarco Murray.

It was also the first win for Washington’s rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels, a Heisman Trophy winner from LSU, earned the starting nod this summer. He certainly did what he could on Sunday, but Seibert was the one who took the team over the hump. After the game, Daniels was asked if he had any conversations with his kicker following the all-time performance.

“Appreciate you,” Daniels told Seibert. “Glad he’s on my team.”

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Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Experience Ross is a young, up-and-coming sports reporter who has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners over the past six years. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and has helped out with the All Sooners podcast whenever he gets the chance. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross worked for self-starter blogs and latched onto Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and was hired by All Sooners. Ross landed an internship with Sports Illustrated's Inside the Thunder and has since become a full-time contributor. One day, Ross hopes to work in the NBA. Work History Education Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Personal Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC, OK. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross is engaged to be married at the end of the year. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.

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