Pitt Freshman Kicker Oozing with Confidence

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers may be 2-2 and 0-1 in the ACC, but one bright spot this season has been true freshman kicker Trey Butkowski.

Butkowski's kicking journey started when he joined his high school football team as a sophomore, after playing soccer for 13 years. Soon thereafter, Butkowski connected with former Pitt kicker Ben Sauls, and the two shared a kicking coach.

Butkowski said Sauls was a big reason why he decided to play at Pitt, and in just one summer with the Panthers, he went from a walk-on third-string kicker to edging out Sam Carpenter and transfer kicker James London for the starting job.

Through four games this season, Butkowski is 8 of 9 on field goal attempts and 17 of 18 on PATs. His only field goal miss was his first kick of the game in Week 3 at West Virginia and his only PAT miss was a blocked kick in Week 1 against Duquesne.

Butkowski's stats are impressive, especially for a freshman. But what is even more impressive is his confidence. And that has been evident from the moment he was named the starter.

The Pittsburgh Panthers kicking team Nilay Upadhyayula (47) and Sam Carpenter (94) and Trey Butkowski (93) and Caleb Junko — Sep 27, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; The Pittsburgh Panthers kicking team including long snapper Nilay Upadhyayula (47) and place kicker Sam Carpenter (94) and place kicker Trey Butkowski (93) and punter Caleb Junko (91) take the field to warm up before the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

In his first press conference, Butkowski said that he felt comfortable making 63-yard field goals and that one of his milestones for his career was to eventually break Sauls' Pitt field goal record of 58 yards — the same distance as Butkowski's career-long in high school.

With a few games under his belt, Butkowski's confidence has only grown, especially with the help of both longsnappers, Nico Crawford and Nilay Upadhyayula, and his holder, Caleb Junko.

"I've rep'd so many kicks in practice, and I've got so many kicks up with this operation, that it's kind of hard not to feel great about it," Butkowski said. "When you see a perfect snap every day, see a perfect hold every day, then I just know it comes down to me, and I'm confident in myself and my ability."

Missing a 43-yard field goal, in the Backyard Brawl nonetheless, could shake any young kicker's confidence. Not Butkowski's. It only helped him get better.

"In the moment, I was just thinking, 'It's one kick,'" Butkowski said. "Junko was helping me a lot with that, and (Upadhyayula), to just take my mind off of it, realizing that there's a lot of game to go and that it might come down to me. So, I couldn't be in the mindset. I had to move on quickly."

Butkowski went on to make his next three field goal attempts of 23, 46 and 36 yards and hasn't missed a kick since. The 46-yard kick was also his career-long.

In last week's game against Louisville, Butkowski was 2-for-2 with makes from 30 and 37 yards out.

Sep 13, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers place kicker Trey Butkowski (93) kicks a field goal during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Butkowski's kicking routine is a bit unorthodox. And that's because he says he doesn't have a routine.

Butkowski said he tries to just be in the moment, do what the game needs of him and when the ball passes midfield, he'll be ready no matter what. He also doesn't use the kicking net because he feels like it messes with his technique. Instead, does "dry swings" or just kicks at air and visualizes the kick.

"I think the mental aspect is way stronger than the physical in this game and especially at this position, so I try to target that," he said.

Butkowski started his second press conference of the season by saying that he hit a few deep 55+ yard field goals in practice during warm-ups. He has yet to attempt a field goal from 50 yards or further this season, and that's something he's hoping to change soon.

"I think that's helping me gain trust, just them seeing me be able to execute on those longer kicks," Butkowski said.

It isn't easy to kick in Acrisure Stadium, and not many former Pitt kickers know that better than Sauls. The wind coming in from the open side of the stadium can make it difficult to kick in that direction, and that's excluding any added precipitation or cold temperatures that Pittsburgh often experiences.

The weather has been cooperative so far this fall, but that will likely change soon. Butkowski has talked to Sauls about the environment, and with his own limited experience, he feels he's ready for the challenge.

"I think having those relationships and being able to ask some questions has also helped me get used to the wind in the stadium," Butkowski said. "We kicked over there twice in fall camp and both times the wind was pretty heavy, so I feel pretty comfortable in that scenario."

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