New Pitt Kicker Excited for Great Opportunity

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers will have a new kicker leading the way next season, making crucial field goals and executing on kickoffs.

Pitt landed James London from FCS program Murray State on Dec. 20, where he spent the previous two seasons kicking, who they hope will serve as the next great placekicker for the program.

London hails from Miami, playing Miami Central High School helping his team win four straight Florida State Championships while there from 2019-22. He also held the No. 5 ranking for a kicker in the Class of 2023, according to KornBlueKicking.com.

He would commit to Murray State and played in all 11 games in his freshman season. He had 39 kickoffs for 2,231 yards, 57.2 yards per kickoff, while having 15 of them go for touchbacks and just one go out of bounds. He also made 2-of-4 field goals, a 27-yarder in the season opener home win vs. Presbyterian and a 53-yarder in the road loss to then ranked No. 12 North Dakota State in Week 9.

London would go 14-for-19 on field goals this past season as a sophomore, finishing first in the Missouri Valley Conference with those 14 makes and a .737 field goal percentage. He was also perfect on PATs, going 23-for-23, earning First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors.

He had 47 kickoffs for a total of 2,948 yards, 62.7 yards on average, with just one going out of bounds and 28 going for touchbacks last season.

London earned MVC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, as he made both of his field goals in the 52-6 road loss to then ranked No. 3 South Dakota State. He hit one from 35 yards out and his first for 55 yards, a career-high and the longest in the MVC this season.

He made his last seven field goals of the season, with the two vs. SDSU, three in the 59-31 home loss to No. 15 Missouri State, longest at 52 yards, and then two vs. Kentucky, from 32 yards and 36 yards.

The time spent at Murray State prepared London for the next steps he wanted to take going forward in his career, leading him to Pitt.

“It was great. I loved it to be honest," London said. "[Murray State] was the only school that gave me a real opportunity. So I just took full advantage of it and it brought me here, so, you know, I’m just thankful, know what I mean?

London has a big task ahead of him, as he tries to replace Ben Sauls, who spent the past three seasons as the Panthers' placekicker for both field goals and kickoffs.

Sauls finished last season with a perfect 44-for-44 mark on PATs and making 21-of-24 field goals, including the first 15 of the season, a program record.

He also made six 50+ yard field goals, with the 57-yarder he made at the end of the first half in the road loss to Boston College in Week 14 marking the most in a season for a field goal kicker.

Sauls earned PFF All-American honors and All-ACC Third Team honors for his play in 2024 and represented Pitt at the East-West Shrine Bowl.

London spoke with Sauls previously, and that relationship played a big role for him committing to Pitt. He saw Sauls communicate not just well with him, but with the coaching staff, and the respect Sauls had for the entire program showed London that he had to join.

“He said just come in and be me and just do what I do and honestly he’s a great guy and I got a lot of advice from him and he showed me his routines and stuff like that," London said. "I’m just going to lock in and grind.”

Panthers special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jacob Bronowski played a role in improving the unit for the program in his first season, but also made sure that Sauls reached his full potential.

London appreciated Bronowski's honesty and chill-nature, along with the way he's coaching him at the moment, easing him into what is needed for the next season.

“He was just straight up honest and he just showed how much he really wanted me and you want to go somewhere where you’re wanted," London said on Bronowski.

One of the big selling points for London was playing at Acrisure Stadium, also home of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL. Going from the FCS to kicking in an NFL stadium allows London to further realize his dreams at the next level.

"Yeah, I love challenges," London said. "I heard it’s the hardest stadium to kick in. So, if I can kick there, I can kick anywhere."

London puts great trust into his preparation when it comes to his kicks, maintaining consistency throughout. He treats his preparation like practice, but also practices like it's a game, making it easy, mentally and physically, to make field goals from varying ranges and different areas on the field.

"Honestly, I listen to Bob Marley before games, kind of just chill and keep that positive energy. positive vibes, you feel me?” London said. “I just go out there and make my kicks, and I trust in myself. I trust in the preparation I did. I work hard. I get a lot of reps, so when I go out there, I know I got the reps in, so I’m not nervous.”

London will have a number of chances to prove himself throughout the season. He'll also play in great games throughout Pitt's schedule, including vs. rivals in West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl, Notre Dame and Syracuse, plus Florida State, Miami and others.

These moments are why London came to Pitt and entered the transfer portal in the first place.

He sees himself excelling when it matters most and winning games for his team this upcoming fall.

“I wanted to play in big time games," London said. "That’s just really it. Yeah I wanted to play on a high level and that’s what I really wanted to do. I wanted to win games too.”

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