VIDEO: Illinois Kicker James McCourt Drills Absurd 57-Yarder With Ease
By Parker White
One thing you don't see a lot from college kickers is the ability to hit field goals from 50-plus yards. It's almost pointless to even expect such things. Luckily for all of us, the ultimate rarity happened in the first quarter of Saturday's matchup between Illinois and Eastern Michigan, as Fighting Illini kicker James McCourt drilled a 57-yard field goal with ease to give his team an early 3-0 lead.
That boot! ?
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 14, 2019
James McCourt ties an @IlliniFootball record with a 57-yard FG. #BTNStandout x @AutoOwnersIns pic.twitter.com/YzBqkpuE8z
That was good from 57, but it had the distance to easily travel five more yards and still be very much on target.
McCourt hit from 53 yards last week against Connecticut, which is the fifth-longest in school history, and now he tied Dan Beaver for the longest field in program history at 57 yards.
The man just tied a school record that is more than 40 years old.
Longest field goals in Illinois history
— Illini Stats & Notes (@IlliniStats) September 14, 2019
57, James McCourt vs. Eastern Michigan, 9/14/2019
57, Dan Beaver vs. Purdue, 10/18/1975
McCourt is only a junior, so we could be seeing these booming kicks next year, but if he keeps this up, he might become a draftable kicker in next year's NFL Draft.