Jonathan Kim (American football)

Last updated
Jonathan Kim
Personal information
Born: (2001-02-21) February 21, 2001 (age 24)
Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:232 lb (105 kg)
Career information
Position: Kicker
High school: Massaponax (Fredericksburg, Virginia)
College: North Carolina (2019–2022)
Michigan State (2023–2024)
NFL draft: 2025: undrafted
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards

Jonathan Kim (born February 21, 2001) is an American professional football kicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels and Michigan State Spartans.

Contents

Early life

Kim is from Fredericksburg, Virginia. [1] He attended Massaponax High School in Fredericksburg where he played football. [2] A kicker and punter, he played four years for Massaponax and converted 12 of 19 field goal attempts and 150 of 165 extra points. [1] He opted to play college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels as a walk-on. [3]

College career

As a true freshman at North Carolina in 2019, Kim was used as a kickoff specialist and also attempted one field goal, a miss. [4] He remained kickoff specialist in 2020 and was the national leader in touchbacks with 76. [5] He was the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) leader in touchbacks with 65 in the 2021 season. [1] After playing four games in 2022, he redshirted and entered the NCAA transfer portal. [6] Across his tenure at North Carolina, Kim averaged 63.8 yards per kickoff in 2019, 64.5 yards in 2020, 62.2 yards in 2021, and 62.4 yards in 2022. [1] [7]

Kim transferred to the Michigan State Spartans for the 2023 season. [8] He became the Spartans' kicker and kickoff specialist, converting 13 of 18 field goal attempts and all 17 of his extra point attempts. [1] [9] Against Iowa, he made a 58-yard field goal attempt, the longest successful kick at Kinnick Stadium. [10] He returned for a final year in 2024 and made 19 of 21 field goals and 22 of 24 extra points. [11] He set a Michigan State record with six field goals in a game in 2024 and concluded his collegiate career having made 32 of 40 field goals and 42 of 44 extra points along with an average of 63.2 yards per kickoff, setting the Michigan State school record with 82.1% of his field goals being successful. [11]

Professional career

After going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft, Kim signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent. [11] On August 12th, 2025, the Bears waived Kim. [12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jonathan Kim". Michigan State Spartans.
  2. DeShazo, Steve (September 8, 2024). "Massaponax grad Kim making the most of second chances at Michigan State". The Free-Lance Star .
  3. "'It's huge': Walk-on kicker Jonathan Kim awarded scholarship with UNC football". Tar Heel Times. February 5, 2021.
  4. Solari, Chris (September 8, 2023). "Newcomer Jonathan Kim kicks Michigan State football in new direction". Detroit Free Press .
  5. Wenzel, Matt (December 14, 2022). "North Carolina transfer kicker Jonathan Kim commits to Michigan State". MLive.com .
  6. Koh, Michael (September 26, 2022). "UNC Kicker Jonathan Kim Entering Transfer Portal". WCHL.
  7. "Jonathan Kim". North Carolina Tar Heels.
  8. Solari, Chris (November 15, 2023). "Michigan State kicker Jonathan Kim starts holiday fundraiser for Lansing homeless shelter". Detroit Free Press .
  9. Brewster, Andrew (December 12, 2023). "Michigan State football kicker Jonathan Kim appears to be 'locked in' to return for 2024 season". USA Today .
  10. Wenzel, Matt (October 20, 2024). "Michigan State kicker blasts way to top of record book". MLive.com via archive.today.
  11. 1 2 3 Earegood, Connor (April 26, 2025). "Michigan State kicker Jonathan Kim, running back Nate Carter sign UDFA deals". The Detroit News .
  12. "Chicago Bears announce roster moves". chicagobears.com. Retrieved 13 August 2025.