Michigan State adds North Carolina transfer, kick-off specialist Johnathan Kim
Michigan State gained a commitment from North Carolina kick-off specialist Johnathan Kim (6-1, 205, Sr., Fredericksburg, VA, Massaponax) on Wednesday night. Kim fills a much-needed position of kick-off specialist on the Michigan State roster that had been occupied by freshman Jack Stone, who served as kick-off specialist and long-field kicker for the Spartans last season.
Kim announced his commitment to Michigan State via social media.
Kim has one of the strongest legs in college football. Kim led the ACC in touchbacks last season as a junior. His 65 touchbacks as a junior ranked fourth in the FBS during the 2022 season.
Kim averaged 64.5 yards per kickoff in 2022.
Kim had touchbacks on 65 of 85 kicks (76.5 percent) in 2022. Kim had touchbacks on 76 of 89 (85 percent) of his kick-offs in 2021. Kim had touchbacks on 21 of 33 kick-offs (63 percent) in 2020.
Stone by contrast had just 11 touchbacks during his freshman season at Michigan State out of 50 kicks. Stone entered the NCAA transfer portal shortly after Michigan State closed out the Big Ten regular season at Penn State. In that game, Stone kicked a 51-yard field goal.
Kim is expected to come to Michigan State as a preferred walk-on. As is often the case with kicker, there would be the potential for Kim to earn a scholarship with on-field performance. It is unclear what role beyond kick-offs Michigan State has in mind for Kim.
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The Spartans have a pair of kickers already in the fold in Ben Patton and Steven Rusnak. He will join Ben Patton, an Auburn transfer, who grew up in Michigan and played high school football at Rochester Adams, and Stephen Rusnak, a sophomore from Clarkston, Mich., who played at Clarkston.
Although primarily a back-up at Auburn, Patton had a fair amount of success at his former school when pressed into duty by injury. He did not, however, fair as well at Michigan State this season. Some of that was through no fault of his own, as the Spartans struggled to find an adequate longsnapper after an in-season injury to starting snapper Hank Pepper.
Rusnak played in five games as a redshirt freshman in 2021, going 4-of-5 on PAT kicks. Rusnak missed his only field goal attempt that season, while standing in for sure-footed veteran Matt Coughlin.
