Alex Thomas Kessman (born January 2, 1998) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

for the

Memphis Showboats The Memphis Showboats were an American football franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders. Perhaps the mo ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL).

Career

He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...

. He set the NCAA record for most accurate placekicker in history from 50+ yards going 12 of 18 from that distance.

Los Angeles Chargers

On May 2, 2021, Kessman signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

. However, Kessman was released by the Chargers prior to the start of the season on August 16, 2021.

New York Jets

On November 23, 2021, Kessman was signed to the practice squad of the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

. On December 4, the Jets released incumbent kicker

Matt Ammendola Matt Ammendola (born December 11, 1996) is an American football kicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma State. After going undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft, he played for the Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Houston ...

and signed Kessman to the active roster. In his one game with the Jets, which was also his NFL debut, Kessman missed both of his extra point attempts and the Jets lost to the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

by a score of 33-18. He was cut by the team the next day.

Carolina Panthers

On December 22, 2021, Kessman was signed to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

practice squad. He was released on December 27.

Memphis Showboats

On January 28, 2023, Kessman signed with the

of the

(USFL).

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Pittsburgh Panthers bio
1998 births Living people American football placekickers Pittsburgh Panthers football players Los Angeles Chargers players New York Jets players Carolina Panthers players Memphis Showboats (2022) players {{Amfoot-kicker-stub