'A Confident Kicker is a Dangerous Kicker' Meet Northwestern Kicker Eddie Godina

Form Junior College to NFL prospect, kicker Eddie Godina has what it takes to make it in the league.

The NFL Draft is one of the biggest moments in life for many collegiate football players. Those that have worked for decades to in the hopes of receiving a single phone call over the course of a three-day period. For Northwestern State University kicker Eddie Godina, that journey began on the pitch rather than the gridiron.

Godina grew up with sports around him. With two older sisters who played soccer, it did not take long for him to follow suit. With heroes like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to look up to, Godina was a dedicated soccer enthusiast who thought he might be playing the sport for the rest of his life.

That is until his junior high and high school days until he realized that he could go to the next level playing football. A soccer coach of his was also the football team’s kicking coach asked if he had ever considered playing football and trying out as a kicker. That is when Godina found his next pair of heroes, NFL placekickers Justin Tucker and Robbie Gould.

https://twitter.com/eddie_godina/status/1638652947876790272?s=20

Godina began to teach himself how to kick in the NFL. A wildly different set of mechanics, control and approach to his soccer days.

“I remember going on YouTube and looking at kicking highlights,” Godina said. “The first videos that came up where of Robbie Goal and Justin Tucker. I would watch them every day. I got [excited about] watching more highlights and wanted to be just like them… That’s when I think I really locked in and was like, ‘You know what? I think I can do this. Once I get my technique down and everything, I can really do this.’”

Technique is such an important part of the transition from soccer to the NFL. Often times it can be taken for granted that having a good leg in one guarantees that you will be successful in the other. But that is far from the case.

“Kicking a soccer ball is way different than kicking a football,” Godina said about the comparison. “You can tell just about any soccer player to come and kick a football and they’re probably going to shank it. I think of kicking field goals like golf. If you over-swing it, you’re probably going to shank it. You have to have that 50% type leg swing.” It is all about control and nuance when it comes to kicking a football.

Godina managed that transition incredibly well. After years of soccer, he went on to play collegiate football as a kicker, just like he had set out to do. Brandished in the No. 9 ( the number worn by not Tucker and Gould) he worked his way to being the No. 1 kicker in the nation while at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Tex. While there, the Riverside, Calif. native knocked through 26 of 30 field goals, converting a whopping 87% of attempts.

The following season he made the decision to transfer from Trinity Valley to Northwestern State University in Louisiana. While there, he did not get many opportunities to kick. Over three years, Godina attempted just 27 field goal with the most in a single season coming in 2020 wherein he attempted just 12. Of those kicks, he sent 14 true and through the uprights.

Three of those conversions all came in an April 10 game back in 2021 during the team’s spring season game against Incarnate Word. The first two of that game’s hat trick gave Northwestern the lead after being tied at 7 points and again at 23. But what will perhaps be his favorite moment as a collegiate kicker, the feeling he will never forget, was that of the third and final kick he would attempt that day.

A 32-yard kick as the clock expired to put his team up 49-47 and seal a victory. A gamed-winner. “I’ve had maybe two game-winners in my whole career,” Godina reminisced. “But those are probably the best feelings ever, no matter how far or close they are. Being the hero of a game is probably the best feeling ever. And I feel like every kicker waits for that moment to happen.”

And despite his love for the big moments, it’s being a teammate that most resonates with Godina. Growing up in a household with both of his parents and older sisters leading the way, eventually becoming that same kind of North Star for his younger siblings, Godina’s passion is clear when it comes to family. And he takes that same fervor into his locker rooms.

As a kicker, Godina was selected as team captain twice at Northwestern.

The impact he brings as a teammate has no limitation by the fact that he is a kicker, either. Looking at Godina, you might wonder if the 5-foot-10 and 205 pound player was actually a safety looking to convert to linebacker in the near future. Godina prides himself on “looking the part.” Being a football player, regardless of the position listed beside his name.

He also enjoys being able to make a tackle here and there, too when the opportunity presents itself.

After having his life changed by football, it is his goal to change the lives of others. His family, his teammates, and hopefully someday fans of the NFL club he is kicking for. Godina is not expecting to be drafted throughout the NFL’s selection process. He expects that, if he lands with a team for the summer, that call will come in the midst of undrafted free agency.

Godina, who hopes to impact the lives around him, could have his life changed this weekend. And he is off to a good start. His camp has received contact from several NFL teams including the Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, and yes - the New Orleans Saints among others.

The Saints actually got an up-close and personal look at the young kicker while the team hosted several schools in the region for their Louisiana pro day. Godina took centerstage booming kicks in front of scouts from all 32 teams. I was lucky enough to bear witness and vividly remember hearing the resounding “boom” that was coming from his kicks grabbing my attention away from skill players doing drills and workouts.

Godina ran through several kicking distances and a simulated running clock attempt before eventually being engulfed by the scouts in attendance and peppered with questions.

Pro day pic.twitter.com/2EzY5bnGsC

— Eddie Godina (@eddie_godina) March 22, 2023

I watched as Godina, composed as a kicker lining up for a walk-off kick, spin around in a circle answering questions about his home life, character and experience. He did so with grace and precision, just how you would hope your kicker would line up at the biggest moments. This was one of the biggest moments of Godina’s life and watching it play out should have underscored by a symphony.

But life’s biggest moments are not underscored, they are not directed by film’s greatest minds and they certainly are not always televised. But for Godina, that could change sooner than later.

Whether he lands close to his East Texas home by heading to the Big Easy or perhaps the opposite direction with the Dallas Cowboys or elsewhere, Godina will have a smile on his face when the people around him need it most. And if he has his way, he will use that opportunity to outwork any and all expectations thrown his direction. “A confident kicker is a dangerous kicker.” Godina said to me as we were nearing the end of this interview.

That is Godina’s philosophy. And if he is right about it, NFL teams that are looking for a kicker that can be dangerous at the most important times, will have one of the most confident football players you will find lining up in their favor.