Penn State Kicker Sander Sahaydak Gets His Swagger Back

James Franklin has shown faith in the fourth-year kicker. Sahaydak responded against Bowling Green.

Penn State kicker Sander Sahaydak (93) participates in team warmups before the start of a game at Beaver Stadium. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

When Penn State coach James Franklin addressed the media after his team’s 34-27 win over Bowling Green, the first player he mentioned wasn’t one of the stars. It wasn’t running back Nicholas Singleton or Kaytron Allen, who combined for 220 rushing yards, or Tyler Warren, who set a program record for single-game receiving yards by a tight end. It wasn’t even linebacker Tony Rojas or safety Zakee Wheatley, who each made crucial fourth-quarter interceptions.

Instead, Franklin highlighted his starting kicker, who didn't make a game-winning field goal but might have broken through the confidence barrier the position can bring. 

“I think Sander Sahaydak coming out and making some big-time field goals, that was big,” Franklin said. “It's going to pay dividends for us moving forward.”

Penn State special teams coordinator Justin Lustig believes the placekicker position presents different challenges than any other on a football field. All players face pressure to perform, but kickers have constant individual pressure that simply won’t fall on anybody else. 

“There's a lot of mental performance work that goes into [kicking],” Lustig said. 

When Sahaydak broke through with two field goals against the Falcons, Lustig said it was significant for his confidence. Last season, Sahaydak won the starting job in training camp but missed two field goals in the opener vs. West Virginia and was replaced by Alex Felkins the following week. Though he converted five extra points later in the season, Sahaydak did not attempt another field goal.  

This season, facing West Virginia again in Week 1, Sahaydak faced a familiar situation. He missed a 47-yarder vs. the Mountaineers, his only attempt of the game. But instead of pulling him this time around, Franklin and Lustig stuck with Sahaydak, a decision Franklin had foreshadowed.

“Ton of confidence in him based on what he did all training camp and spring ball,” Franklin said entering the Week 2 game against Bowling Green. “I know he'll make the next one.”

That faith paid off. Against Bowling Green, Sahaydak made two first-half field goals in important situations. His first, from a career-long 43 yards, knotted the game at 17. The second, from 28 yards, pulled Penn State within four points near the end of the half.  The field goals were Sahaydak's first since making a 20-yarder against Rutgers in 2022.

“He's had such a good camp, and he's such a talented kicker, that [we] felt strongly about sticking with him, and just really pleased that he was able to hit two big field goals,” Lustig said. “Getting those made field goals out of the way will propel him to do what he does in practice every day, so I'm excited about his future.”

For a kicker, confidence is everything, and Sahaydak entered the Nittany Lions’ early bye week with a much-needed boost. For proof, take a look at a recent post he made on Instagram:

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A post shared by 𝙎𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝘼𝙃𝘼𝙔𝘿𝘼𝙆 (@sander.sahaydak)

A close competition

Sahaydak’s starting role in 2024 didn’t come easily. He was part of a three-player competition for the starting spot that included a kicker Penn State signed from the NCAA Transfer Portal. Chase Meyer, a junior from Los Angeles, had kicked at Penn and Tulsa the past two seasons and went 17-for-20 last season, earning third-team all-AAC honors. Meyer even made the 2024 preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award. 

Before the season, Franklin acknowledged that the competition wasn’t “a slam dunk” with how close the numbers were between the kickers.

“We're talking like, three-to-five percentage points between the top guy and the bottom guy,” Lustig said of the competition. “So that's a good thing for us, because we've got depth. We've got three guys that can really do it at a high level.”

The process for selecting a starter focused on pressure situations, as coaches simulated game-like intensity by piping in crowd noise and requiring teammates to do push-ups for missed kicks. It’s something Penn State has done under Franklin for years to prepare kickers for high-leverage situations.  

By the end of training camp, Sahaydak had shown “significant improvements” in handling those pressure situations, Lustig said.

“You look at all the regular field goals that we made in practice, and you look at those pressure competition field goals, and Sander was in the lead in both of those phases,” Lustig said. “For him to overcome some of the anxiety that he's had and be able to hit those field goals, I just think is huge for his confidence and that mental aspect of when he goes out on the field.”

Sahaydak from 60?

By confronting those roadblocks, Sahaydak could find his rhythm, bolstered by the trust of his coaches. They know he’s capable of stepping up in big moments and has the leg to lift the offense when needed.

While uncontrollable factors often affect kicking distances, Lustig offered an estimate of the range where the staff trusts Sahaydak in games. 

“Sometimes that can change as the wind changes and the weather changes within the game, but he's got the ability to hit close to 60 yards when there's no wind, and certainly if there's a little bit of wind at his back,” Lustig said. “However, the percentages obviously go way down the longer the field goal is. … Those are things that we talk about pregame and that we're prepared for during the game.”

It’s rare for a head coach’s initial postgame comments to focus on his kicker, especially when neither of his two field goals were game-winners. But that only speaks to the confidence Franklin and his staff have in Sahaydak. 

After its bye week, Penn State will face Kent State at home Sept. 21. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.

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Daniel Mader, a May 2024 graduate of Penn State, is an Editorial Intern with The Sporting News. As a student journalist with The Daily Collegian, he served as a sports editor and covered Nittany Lions women’s basketball, men’s volleyball and more. He has also covered Penn State football for NBC Sports and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with additional work in the Centre Daily Times, Lancaster Online and more. Follow him on X @DanielMader_    or Instagram @dmadersports.