Kentucky Kicker Alex Raynor Signs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are taking a swing on a former Kentucky kicker.

Kentucky announced that former Wildcat Alex Raynor has joined the Tampa Bay organization. The Buccaneers are hosting a three-day mini-camp this weekend for their first-year players. For undrafted players like Raynor, the weekend serves as a tryout.

It’s even more complicated for placekickers. There are only 32 of them in the National Football League. As we learned when Austin MacGinnis, it doesn’t matter how good you were in college or even in the NFL preseason, cracking into the rotation and joining the NFL kickers club is tricky.

One thing we do know is that Raynor was outstanding during his two years at Kentucky. The Georgia Southern transfer made 25-27 field goal attempts. His 92.6 field goal percentage set UK and SEC records.

Raynor was known for his accuracy. He hit 8-8 between 40 and 49 yards and set a school record for knocking in 18 consecutive field goals. His leg strength was put to the test against Georgia. He made a school record 55-yarder against the Dawgs, one of four makes against the No. 1 team in college football, which earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

They don’t get much more reliable than Alex Raynor. Redshirt freshman Jacob Kauwe is now tasked to step into his big shoes. Hopefully, that big leg learned some accuracy from Raynor last fall.

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