Michigan State football flips elite 2024 kicker Martin Connington

Michigan State football has flipped elite 2024 kicker recruit Martin Connington from Oregon State. He has a bright future.

Another one. Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith and Co. have been back on the recruiting trail lately, and on Monday, we got to see the first results of that.

Martin Connington, a kicker and punter from Idaho, just announced his commitment to the Spartans. He is the Spartans second commit from Idaho in this cycle, joining MaxPreps Idaho Player of the Year Rakeem Johnson.

Committed. Go Green! Go White!@KbTheStable @ChadWilt @Coach_Smith @mtnviewmaverick @CoachBComptonMV pic.twitter.com/kgIHiBekqy

— Martin Connington (@MartinConningt4) January 22, 2024

Martin Connington is the kicker heir-apparent to Jonathan Kim

Martin Connington was offered by the Spartans on Dec. 6, but waited until a visit this last weekend to sure up his commitment to Michigan State football. He is the first specialist commitment for the Spartans under Smith, and it became apparent he would be shopping for a kicker to replace Jonathan Kim after he expends his eligibility following the 2024 season. He was offered by Smith at Oregon State, along with in-state Boise State and Idaho vying for his talents.

As kicker ratings vary wildly and are on a different scale than that of a normal prospect, I will try to break it down for you. On the 247Sports Composite, Connington ranks as a two-star prospect, being the No. 2,462 prospect in the country and 13th-ranked kicker. Much like the rest of the class, however, Connington is rated higher by 247Sports. He is rated over two points higher in prospect ratings, and is the No. 7 kicker in the class. Here is where things get crazy. Per the Kohl’s Kicker Rankings, one of the more trusted databases for kicking, Connington is a five-star kicker and the No. 5 kicker in the country.

While he is a freshman, I would not be surprised to see Connington become a kickoff specialist for a few contests this season. He led the 2022 Kohl’s Winter Showcase for kickoff scores, and blasted an 80-yard kickoff this fall for Mountain View High School. Connington went 6-for-7 kicking this fall, including an insane 64-yard field goal against Rocky Mountain in September. He also hit from 51 and 53 yards. His punting is not too shabby either (winning the 2022 Winter Showcase for punting among the 2024 class), but with freshman All-American Ryan Eckley returning with multiple seasons of eligibility left, I expect Connington to be the kicker and kickoff specialist of the future.

Connington will be the latest in Michigan State kickers with gunpowder-infused legs.

If it was not for Kim entering the final season of his eligibility, I would have expected to see Connington starting next fall. However, now he will get a year of pressure-free football to acclimate to the less-elevated Michigan weather and the collegiate football. Kim’s monstrous leg also has the senior transfer holding down the kickoff specialist spot, but I think we could see Connington in an out of hand game.

Kim’s heir has been found, and Connington can blast the ball to the moon. He is that guy.