In the larger scheme of things, 10½ inches doesn’t seem like that much to fill, unless it’s a kicking shoe that had Will Ferrin’s foot in it. As good as junior running back LJ Martin was last season for BYU, earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors, Ferrin outscored him 118-72.
Kickers matter.
It also matters, as the No. 14 Cougars approach the new season, that Ferrin is gone and there is a new kid on the block to replace him — although Matthias Dunn is far from being new and is anything but a kid. In fact, he’s a dad with two kids of his own — Ruby (2) and Alvin (3 months).
“If you are going to have two kids in college football, this is the place to do it,” laughed Dunn, who walked onto the team in 2022 at the prodding of his wife (Abby). He is a BYU story — one of disappointment, determination, happiness, patience, intelligence and fortitude — and the payoff is on its way.
Opening night
“To be honest, I’m going to be super excited and I’m going to be crazy nervous,” said Dunn of his pending debut against Utah Tech on Sept. 5 (6 p.m. MDT, ESPN+). “Everyone seems to think kickers, or some of them, don’t feel anything. I’m going to be crazy nervous, I’m gonna be stressed out of my mind. There is going to be a lot of pressure, but that’s what comes with it.”
It doesn’t help that the redshirt senior from Heber, Utah, has never attempted an extra point or a field goal in a game since starring at Wasatch High in 2018 — and the Cougars rely on their kickers. In the last 18 seasons, there have only been three times when BYU’s leading scorer wasn’t a kicker — 2021 (Tyler Allgeier), 2012 (Jamaal Williams) and 2008 (Harvey Unga).
No pressure. Right?
“If you don’t feel any pressure, then it doesn’t matter,” he said. “You expect pressure, you expect to feel that because it does matter. I’m gonna be super pumped and just go out there and do my thing.”
Special teams coordinator Justin Ena already knows what he’s going to tell Dunn before he triumphantly trots onto the field in front of a sold-out LaVell Edwards Stadium and waits for the snap from Ty Smith and the hold by Fuller Shurtz.
“Just hit the gut. Hit the middle of the goal post and enjoy it,” Ena said. “The best thing about Matthias right now is he is hitting his ball. He’s not trying to do what Will did.”
What Will did
With Dunn watching from the sidelines, Ferrin set the school record for extra points, converting 122 of 123 (99.2%). Along the way, he set the program record with 120 consecutive makes. Ferrin also sizzled through a stretch of hitting 25 straight field goals, including a 44-yarder to sink Utah 22-21 in 2024 in Salt Lake City.
“We’ve had two really fun years,” Dunn said. “I’ve been behind the best kicker in BYU history, in my opinion. I’ve been able to learn a lot and make a lot of good memories. But at the same time, I want to go out there and play … so, it’s been fueling me to get ready for this year.”
Watching and waiting will soon be replaced by playing and doing, and Dunn believes Ferrin helped him prepare.
“I think everyone is aware that Will made big kicks when we needed him to make big kicks. I spent a lot of time working with our mental performance coach. I’ll come out by myself and do some things to get myself feeling like we are in a game situation and there is a lot of pressure, and all of that I took from Will,” Dunn said. “His mentality of how he approached kicking, how he approached big moments, and how he bounced back from not the best moments.”
Before Ferrin, the Cougars were buoyed by Jake Oldroyd who remains the leading scorer in program history (338 points). Oldroyd hit on 188 of 192 extra points and at one point, he drilled 16 consecutive field goals. His first big kick at BYU defeated Arizona 18-16 in Kalani Sitake’s debut as head coach in 2016.
Oldroyd was kicking for the Cougars when Dunn signed on.
Getting cut
While making 12 of 17 field goals, including a season long 48-yarder at Wasatch, Dunn accepted an offer to join BYU as a preferred walk-on following a two-year church mission to Cordoba, Argentina, and East Lansing, Michigan. However, when he returned home, the kickers room was full.
“I was on the spring practice roster for two weeks,” said Dunn. “They sat me down and said, ‘We think you have the potential to be good, so please don’t transfer and come back next year. We don’t have room for you’ — which stunk.”
Shortly after getting cut, Dunn broke his foot, which impaired any idea of transferring to another program.
Fortunately for Dunn and BYU, along came a girl named Abby.
“Honestly, I owe a lot to her,” said Dunn of the girl he met, dated and married during that same year. “I didn’t know what I was going to do, but it was her — she said, ‘No, you have to walk back on.’ She might be more excited about me starting than I am — if that makes sense.”
Family affair
The following season, Dunn walked back onto the BYU squad where his walk-on status remains, but his playing status has dramatically changed. An academic scholarship and some NIL help have made his journey possible.
“I honestly, probably should have transferred, if you talk to anyone else,” he said. “I always felt like I was supposed to be here. It’s been really good for my family. I love BYU.”
Dunn, 23, has teammates who are still kids, so when his kids show up after practice, the true fun begins.
“Everybody loves my kids. That’s probably the best part,” he said. “During dinner, (Abby) will bring the kids and all the players come up to talk to them and give them high-fives. It’s funny. They all call me Unc. Everybody likes to make fun of my age.”
Playing with a chip
Age is the last thing Dunn’s teammates will be thinking about if he is drilling his kicks, and Ena believes the 6-foot, 205-pound veteran is good to go. Finally.
“Matthias has a chip on his shoulder like no other. He’s been waiting in the wings for the last 3-4 years,” Ena said. “There have been a lot of people doubting him and he’s always been betting on himself this whole time. For him to learn from the very best (Ferrin), learning how to attack it not only mentally or physically, but in every aspect. It’s been awesome for Matthias to step up and emulate and see the things he loved about Will and the things he could modify to be better.”
From a walk on, to getting cut, to walking back on, to earning the starting job, all the while attending school and raising a young family — this is the journey of Matthias Dunn.
“I’m grateful for that entire journey. I think I’m a much better person, much better kicker, much better football player, husband, student, because I went through adversity and learned to bounce back and to believe in myself,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of people doubt me. I’ve faced a lot of adversity, and I’ve learned to bounce back and get better. That makes me feel confident. Obviously, I haven’t kicked a field goal in a game yet, but I feel very prepared for any kind of emotion or bad thing that might come my way because I’ve been dealing with that the last four years.”
Filling Ferrin’s shoes will be tough to do. The mere suggestion of it might even be unfair, but Dunn has the heart, skill and determination to give it the old college try. True, he hasn’t made a kick since high school, but he hasn’t missed one either, and Dunn is already starting off on the right foot.
He wears a 10½-inch shoe — just like his predecessor.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.
