Kansei Matsuzawa

Last updated

Kansei Matsuzawa
No. 17 – Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Position Kicker
ClassSenior
Personal information
Born Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan [1]
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school Makuhari Sogo High School  [ ja ]
College
Awards and highlights
Stats at ESPN

Kansei Matsuzawa, also known as "The Tokyo Toe", is a self-taught Japanese football placekicker for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.

Contents

Early life

Matsuzawa planned to play college soccer in Japan, but failed a required examination. His father, who had played youth American football, sent his depressed son to visit the United States, where he attended a Monday Night Football Rams-Raiders game. [2]

College football career

Wanting to play in the NFL, Matsuzawa realized that the best way to do so would be as a placekicker. He taught himself how to kick the ball from YouTube videos while working at a Morton's Steakhouse in Tokyo for three years to save money. Matsuzawa sent footage of his kicking to American universities; only Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio was interested. [2] [3] [4]

At Hocking, Matsuzawa learned English and converted 12 field goals, the longest 50 yards. [5] In 2023, he transferred to the University of Hawaii but did not appear in any games. In his junior season, Matsuzawa started every game, led the team in scoring, [1] and received an athletic scholarship at the end of the year. [2]

During the first game of the 2025 season, Matsuzawa converted a field goal as time expired to beat Stanford, [6] helping him win the Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Week award. [7] As of 3 December 2025 Matsuzawa was among the best kickers in college football, having made 25 of 26 field goals, the longest 52 yards, and 37 of 37 extra points. [2]

On December 16, 2025, Matsuzawa was named as a consensus All-American, the first University of Hawaii player to earn the honor. A collegiate football player becomes a consensus All-American by being named to at least three of the five major All-American lists. [8] Matsuzawa was named to the first team by the American Football Coaches Association, CBS Sports, the Associated Press, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Personal life

Matsuzawa was born in Tokyo, Japan and attended Makuhari Sogo High School  [ ja ]. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Kansei Matsuzawa - Football". University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bachman, Rachel; Fukutome, Junko (November 19, 2025). "The 'Tokyo Toe' Learned Football on YouTube. Now He Might Be the Best Kicker in College Football". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  3. ↑ Vannini, Chris (September 5, 2025). "Meet Kansei Matsuzawa, this college football season's first awesome underdog story". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ "Hawaii kicker wins the internet with unbelievable backstory". www.sportingnews.com. August 24, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Kansei Matsuzawa, Who Learned To Kick on YouTube, Helps Hawaii Beat Stanford". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  6. ↑ Mandel, Stewart (August 24, 2025). "Hawaii spoils Frank Reich-Andrew Luck Stanford opener on walk-off field goal". The New York Times. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Football Players of the Week". Mountain West Conference. August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  8. ↑ Chinen, Kyle (December 16, 2025). "Matsuzawa makes history, becoming UH's first consensus All-American". www.hawaiinewsnow.com. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  9. ↑ Chinen, Kyle (September 5, 2024). "Rainbow Warriors kicker Kansei Matsuzawa finds his footing in Manoa". www.hawaiinewsnow.com. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
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