Jack Morgan Podlesny (born March 16, 2000) is an American football

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

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

of the National Football League (NFL). 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 ...

at Georgia. Nicknamed "Hot Pod", he was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year in 2022.

High school career

Podlesny attended Glynn Academy in

Brunswick, Georgia Brunswick () is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the primary urban and economic center of the lower southeast portion of Georgia, it is the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coastline after Sa ...

. In his senior year, Podlesny converted on nine of his ten field goal tries, while making 49 of his 51 point-after-tries. Despite offers from schools such as Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Michigan, Podlesny walked on at the University of Georgia.

College career

In 2018, Podlesny redshirted, and the following year, he was the backup to Rodrigo Blankenship. In 2020, Podlesny became Georgia's starting kicker. During the season, Podlesny made 13 field goals out of 16 attempts, while making all of his 38 point-after-tries. As a result, Podlesny was named a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award. During the 2021 Peach Bowl, Podlesny hit a career-long 53-yard go-ahead field goal with 0:03 seconds remaining. The kick was the longest field goal in Peach Bowl history and Podlesny was named the game's MVP for his efforts. After the game, Podlesny was awarded a scholarship. In 2021, Podlesny went 22 of 27 on field goal attempts. During the

2022 College Football Playoff National Championship The 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game played on January 10, 2022, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The eighth College Football Playoff National Championship, the game determined t ...

, Podlesny recorded two field goals including a season-high 49-yard field goal in a 33–18 victory. During Podlesny's redshirt senior season, he converted 23 out of 26 field goals, being named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year and the All-SEC First-Team. After Georgia won the

2023 College Football Playoff National Championship The 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship is a college football bowl game that is scheduled to be played on January 9, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The ninth College Football Playoff National Championship, the g ...

, Podlesny played in the

2023 Hula Bowl The 2023 Hula Bowl was a postseason college football all-star game played on January 14, 2023, with kickoff at 12:00 noon EST, at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida. It was the first all-star contest of the 2022–23 bowl games and, while ...

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Podlesny signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2023. On August 17, 2023, Podlesny was waived by the Vikings.

Green Bay Packers

On January 24, 2024, Podlensy signed with the

Personal life

Podlesny is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. He has said, “At the end of the day, I’m playing to glorify Him and Him only.” He has also said, “No matter a make or miss I can still be an example of Christ in how I live my life and respond.”

References

External links

Green Bay Packers bioGeorgia Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Podlesny, Jack 2000 births Living people Georgia Bulldogs football players American football placekickers People from St. Simons, Georgia Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Minnesota Vikings players Green Bay Packers players