Ryan Fitzgerald’s hit-and-miss season has taken three steps forward. His pre-kick approach, once adjusted, is now back in his comfort zone and the Florida State kicker is feeling confident again.

Fitzgerald went into Saturday’s game at NC State with a season-long field-goal attempt from 30 yards after he missed from 37 and 36 yards at Louisville as well as 29 (and 55) against Wake Forest. It was an unfortunate turn of events for Fitzgerald, who had made 10 of 13 field-goal attempts (including a 53-yarder) in 2021.

“The last month has been a learning experience, from the highs and the lows, just a learning experience of how to get better,” Fitzgerald said. “You have to at the end of the day look in the mirror and say, ‘Where can I get better and how I can do my job to help contribute to this team?’

“Any kicker across the country, whether it's college or the NFL, you have to be mentally tough whether you're in a time where you're not performing as well as you would like or if you are, just to have flat-line emotions and be able to respond and get better.”

Fitzgerald spoke at length on Wednesday after practice, days after a redemptive 47-yard field-goal attempt just before halftime gave FSU a 17-3 lead over NC State going into the half. FSU's sideline erupted in celebration and gathered around Fitzgerald.

“I was kind of swarmed as soon as it came off my foot and then I watched the video of it and I see the whole sideline coming out,” Fitzgerald said. “So that meant a lot. I have great teammates. This team, we're so close together. We have each other's back, we'll pick each other up when one of us is down and just really supportive.”

The moment underscored the closeness of the Seminoles and took some of the pressure off Fitzgerald, who is 5 of 10 from field-goal range and 21 of 22 on extra-point attempts this season. Coach Mike Norvell and special teams coordinator John Papuchis had frequently voiced their confidence in Fitzgerald.

“He has had some good weeks of practice,” Papuchis said on Monday. “Obviously leading up into the game, he had struggled in both of the previous couple weeks in game scenarios. But we know it’s there because we had seen it. And then for him to be able to go perform – he looked comfortable in pregame. He looked confident and comfortable throughout the course of the game. It’s not been a physical issue with Ryan. He just needed to get a little bit of confidence back. Hopefully that game triggered some confidence in him.”

Fitzgerald said he often leans on his dad for advice since he is the one who has been watching him kick throughout his career. Earlier this year, Fitzgerald said he opted to try a two-step approach to the ball instead of a more traditional three-step approach (which includes a jab step) to the ball on field-goal attempts.

“I switched to a two-step and gave it nine months,” Fitzgerald said. “I put my all into it and, at the end of the day, it didn't work out the way I hoped. So I went back to a three-step approach that I used last season and so I've gotten that down and feeling really confident with that. And made kicks with it now and on the right track.”

Fitzgerald made the change in approach after the Louisville game and said, “I think I’m 29 of 30 in team kicks in practice since I’ve done that. … Since I changed back to three-step, I've been nailing them in practice.” In a midweek practice leading up to the NC State game, FSU coach Mike Norvell got up close and faced Fitzgerald when he attempted a kick and another day a speaker blasted music as he set up to kick.

“It's just added adversity and distractions, it helps me maintain focus on my technique in a kick,” Fitzgerald said. “Trying to create it as game-like as possible, just anything to try to throw me off to where I have to maintain focus on my technique.”

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