Now that the 2025 season is knocking at the door, fans and analysts alike are picking up on the fall camp news. But something beyond college football called for attention, while it has very much to do with it. All eyes are now on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Kudos to their second-year kicker Cam Little.

Liam Coen and Co. knew that Little was accurate. Now they might know that Little has got some unlimited power. After all, breaking a 49-year-old college football record is no cakewalk. Talking about confidence? The young chap was running high on self-confidence. After wrapping up his 70-yard heroic feat, he said, “I just wanted to go out there and see what we could do.” He came, he saw, he conquered, and now the football fans are seeing it on loop. Isn’t it worth obsessing over?

Little made a 70-yard field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers to end the first half for Jacksonville on August 9. But what’s the hype all about? Re-sharing the NFL’s tweet about Little’s big play, RedditCFB reminded the fans of something great. The tweet read, “Abilene Christian’s Ove Johansson kicked a 69-yd FG on October 16, 1976, against East Texas A&M, a record that stood at all levels of football until today.” Now, that makes up for a drought of almost five decades. And the EverBank Stadium witnessed the historic moment after Ove Johannson.

That was not the only field goal by Little in the game. He made field goals of 41 and 40 yards earlier in the first half. He gave the Jaguars the edge with his improbable boot from their 40-yard line. When 2:50 was left in their fourth quarter, Little came up with a 52-yard field goal. But hardly did he know that the universe had bigger plans for him. And when he came up with the 70-yard field goal, Little celebrated it like a champion with holder Logan Cooke and was soon mobbed by the Jaguars’ bench as the half ended with the Steelers leading 14-9. 

The biggest praise came from his teammate, Travis Hunter. “I was really excited to see him doing it. I can’t probably kick 20 yards,” applauded the former Colorado Buffaloes dual-threat. This was doubled down by head coach Coen, who said, “Cam looked at me and was like, ‘Yeah, I want it,’ and so gave it a go. That was pretty cool to see, huh?” Obviously, it’s worth celebrating. Stats say that the nearest any NFL player came to Johannson’s record was Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, who, back in 2021, made a 66-yarder at Detroit. After that, not one, not two, but eight kickers tried smashing the long-term record, but eventually failed. But poor Little, his record won’t be counted in the NFL.   

Cam Little’s path to success 

That’s what you call an adrenaline rush. When Little kicked the pigskin, his view was limited by a dozen offensive and defensive linemen coming his way. He was not quite sure whether the pigskin cleared the crossbar or not. But after seconds that felt like hours, Little got his confirmation as his teammates started screaming and scrambling. What’s the first thought that crossed him? 

Little thought that he set an NFL record. But poor him! He later came to know that his record wouldn’t find a place in the NFL since it happened during a preseason game. These practices or exhibition games are taken into account for internal analysis by the team. Right at the moment, Little shares a record with Josh Scobee and Josh Lambo for the longest regular-season field goal at 59 yards. While Little has become the talk of the town now playing in the NFL, he has made his teams proud at every step of his football career.

Back at Southmoore High School, Cam Little scored 29 points in 10 games as a junior. This helped him gain recognition as a Tulsa World second-team all-state selection. The 2x Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Year then boarded the Arkansas Razorbacks wagon. There, Little became the most accurate kicker in school history. During his three-year stint at Arkansas, he made 53 out of 64 field goals. Till today, Razorbacks fans remember him for his game-winning 37-yard field goal in a 16-13 win against LSU. He was awarded a “Golden Boot” trophy in return. Greatness has always been Little’s goal, but will the NFL be the place where he rewrites history once more?