Who Is Jaffer Murphy? What to Know About UTSA’s Kicker Going Viral for Absurd 40-Yard Dash

The speedy kicker made waves with an incredible performance at UTSA’s pro day.

Jaffer Murphy dazzled at UTSA’s pro day earlier this week. | UTSA

Jaffer Murphy made a name for himself at the UTSA pro day earlier this week.

Murphy, a former college soccer player who began his career as a kicker in 2024, wowed those in attendance on Wednesday with his rare combination of leg strength and speed.

Competing in front of several NFL scouts, Murphy split the uprights on 12 of 13 field-goal attempts, including a 70-yard kick. He also ran a 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds—a time typically recorded by receivers, running backs and cornerbacks, not kickers.

Can your kicker do this?! 🤔#210TriangleOfToughness | #BuiltByUTSA pic.twitter.com/7XWXrZGPuW

— UTSA Football 🏈 (@UTSAFTBL) March 19, 2026

Murphy’s performance went viral on social media as the football world gawked at his incredible stats. Here’s what you should know about UTSA’s new kicking phenom heading into the NFL draft:

What to know about Jaffer Murphy’s college career

Murphy served as UTSA’s kickoff specialist in 2025, logging 54 touchbacks on 88 kickoffs and two tackles in special teams kickoff coverage. He didn’t attempt a single field goal all season but did make his lone extra-point attempt in UTSA’s 57–20 victory over Florida International in the First Responder Bowl.

Before UTSA, Murphy played college soccer at Blake and Florida Gulf Coast from 2021 to ‘23. He pivoted to football after the ‘23 season and transferred to Division II Lake Erie College in 2024, where he made all 17 extra-point attempts and 13 of 24 field goals, including a 60-yard kick that tied for the longest field goal in Division II that year.

How Jaffer Murphy performed at UTSA’s pro day

As mentioned above, Murphy made 12 of 13 field-goal attempts and ran a 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds.

How does that 40-yard dash time compare to others preparing for the 2026 NFL draft? It was tied for the fastest time recorded at UTSA pro day with running back Robert Henry Jr.

Murphy’s time of 4.50 seconds would’ve ranked 26th among wide receivers, 16th among cornerbacks and eighth among running backs who ran the 40-yard dash at the 2026 NFL combine. Had Murphy ran at the NFL combine, he would’ve shattered the 40-yard dash record for a kicker or punter, besting former Georgia punter Jake Camarda’s time of 4.56 seconds in 2022 and Iowa kicker Marshall Koehn’s time of 4.61 seconds in 2016.

Camarda was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Buccaneers and played three seasons in Tampa Bay before dropping out of the NFL and announcing his retirement from football earlier this month. Koehn went 1-for-1 on extra points in his NFL career, during which he appeared in one game for the Bengals in 2017.

Will Jaffer Murphy be selected in the 2026 NFL draft?

It’s unlikely.

However, Murphy could be an intriguing undrafted free agent signee for teams who are looking to spice up their kicker competition in the offseason. Murphy doesn’t have much experience kicking field goals and extra points above the Division II level, but his rare combination of leg strength and speed might be enough to land him on a practice squad in 2026.

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