Stanford signee London Bironas ready to carry on his family legacy on The Farm

His dad put together an All-Pro career in the NFL. Now, it's time for London Bironas to write his own story on his quest for greatness.

Brentwood Academy's London Bironas (32) kicks against MBA during the second quarter at Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tenn., Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. Ba Mba Fb 092322 An 034 / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

A legendary family legacy is about to get a whole new story. Early on national signing day, the Stanford Cardinal took a nosedive into adding new talent to bolster a program that has finished 3-9 in four consecutive seasons, ready to do anything to get back to the top. Signing 19 new players, the Cardinal showed that they are all in in terms of building a winner, bringing in players at all positions. One of those players who opted to bring his talents to Palo Alto was none other than the son of a former NFL legend.

A three-star recruit out of Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee, London Bironas, the son of late NFL kicker Rob Bironas, signed his NLI with Stanford over offers from other elite programs, most notably Auburn, Tennessee, Army, California, Oklahoma and South Carolina among many others. Listed at 5’11”, 180 pounds, Bironas fits the build of a prototypical kicker and with a powerful leg, he figures to provide more years of stability long after current kicker Emmet Kenney leaves. 

With Kenney recently announcing that he will return to the program in 2025, Bironas will most likely have a small role as a true freshman as he prepares to compete for the job in 2026.

Bironas’ road to Stanford was anything but conventional. Originally committed to Princeton, Bironas ultimately flipped to Stanford after the monumental revenue sharing ruling that was passed earlier in the year that will take effect in 2025.

One of the biggest changes was the increase in scholarships, which was the biggest reason for Bironas’ commitment to Princeton. Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships and since Stanford did not have any left at that time for Bironas to receive, he opted to commit to an Ivy League where he could get a top education and still play football.

Eventually, Stanford was able to formally offer Bironas a scholarship, making it hard for him to pass up the opportunity to get a top notch education, but on a football scholarship at a historically dominant football school. 

Ranked as the No. 8 kicker and the No. 16 punter on Kohl’s Professional Camps, he also had a strong interest in Auburn, as his dad was a standout kicker for the Tigers in the 1990s, being a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award in 1998 (awarded to the nation’s best kicker), contributing heavily to London growing up as a fan of the program. However, with London seeking to go somewhere where he could fight for considerable playing time, he decided his best course of action was to go someplace else.

“I strongly considered (Auburn),” London said via an article written by Tyler Palmateer of The Tennessean. “I would say the only reason I didn't go was the kicking room they had. There wasn’t an opportunity to get on the field and they have a strong line of kickers. They’re just booked up. It was just a preferred walk-on spot.” 

Even though Bironas is highly regarded as a punter as well, he will most likely focus on kicking in college, with his ultimate goal to follow in his father’s footsteps and reach the NFL as a kicker.

The Bironas football legacy will carry on at Stanford and while he already possesses a very well known name in the football world, London will prepare to write his own story and join the long line of star kickers that have excelled while wearing the cardinal and white.