UK kicker Austin MacGinnis is finally in the NFL. A training camp battle looms.
The Los Angeles Rams announced the signing of two free-agent kickers on Monday. One of them was Austin MacGinnis, the all-time leading scorer for the University of Kentucky.
MacGinnis, 24, was signed along with Lirim Hajrullahu, a 29-year-old who has spent the last six years in the Canadian Football League. MacGinnis most recently was a kicker for the XFL’s Dallas Renegades. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The former Wildcat was 10-for-10 on field-goal attempts with the Renegades, whose inaugural season was cut short after five games due to the coronavirus pandemic. MacGinnis’ 10 field-goal makes led the league and he was one of only two XFL kickers with a perfect field-goal percentage.
MacGinnis, an all-Southeastern Conference selection as a redshirt freshman and a four-time selection to the all-SEC Honor Roll, finished his career with 359 total points scored from 2014-2017. He owns the second- and third-highest single-season scoring marks (104 and 102) in program history behind Benny Snell (116). The longest field goal in UK history (54 yards versus Tennessee on Nov. 15, 2004) is among many career school kicking marks MacGinnis owns.
He had tried out for several teams before and after his first professional opportunity — with the Memphis Express of the now-defunct Alliance of American Football — but MacGinnis before Monday had not been picked up by an NFL team.
Greg Zuerlein, the Rams’ kicker since the 2012 season, signed with the Dallas Cowboys in March. MacGinnis and Hajrullahu as of Monday are the only kickers on the Rams’ roster, and if that remains the case, only one of them would likely be signed to a fully-guaranteed contract ahead of the 2020 season.
“I plan to sign an NFL contract after this season,” MacGinnis told the Herald-Leader prior to his XFL debut. “That’s my plan going forward. I’m grateful to have this opportunity. There’s a lot of good football players out here that, maybe one GM in the NFL didn’t take to them but if they get another chance with another team, they’ll excel. So, this gives ’em the opportunity to keep the dream alive.”
This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 4:45 PM.
