The University of Hawaiʻi football team takes on Utah State on Saturday at the Clarence T.C. Ching Complex in Mānoa. The Rainbow Warriors are 4-2.
One standout player is Kansei Matsuzawa. He has made all 16 field goals he's attempted — more field goals than any kicker in the NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest tier of American college football. He is a candidate for the Lou Groza Award for best placekicker in the country.
Matsuzawa made headlines in August when he kicked a walk-off, game-winning field goal to beat Stanford to open the 2025 college football season.
But the 26-year-old kicker from Japan went viral not just for his performance, but because of how he got here.
About five years ago, he was undecided about what to do with his life, so his dad sent him on a trip to the U.S. to discover himself. He went to an NFL game and got hooked on American football.
When he returned to Japan, he worked at a Morton's Steakhouse to save money with hopes of kicking in college. He sent tapes to American colleges and one responded — Hocking College, a community college in Nelsonville, Ohio. After two seasons, UH special teams coach Thomas Sheffield recruited him.
But he's not the only special teams player with an international background and unusual path to college football.
Punter Billy Gowers is a 29-year-old freshman and the third-oldest player in NCAA Division 1 football. Before UH, he played Australian Rules Football professionally.
Some physical attributes transfer over to punting, such as dropping the ball and kicking. But he said the experience and the habits he built have been the most helpful.
"I feel like if I had gotten into college football or punting it at a younger age, maybe 21, 22, I probably wouldn't have lasted just because I hadn't had the foundation of going through some, some tough times, going through some really good times," Gowers said.
Last year, Gowers joined Prokick Australia, a group that helps train and place Australians at U.S. colleges to play American football. He joined UH for this season.
Kickers and punters also need to have a different level of confidence. A made or missed field goal, or a punt muffed or in bounds, can easily make them the hero or the goat.
Matsuzawa and Gowers each talk to a sports psychologist to stay focused.
"As a specialist, we need to boost confidence at any point," Matsuzawa said. "And you know that's not coming from a one-day thing. So we're building the confidence, and like, a healthy mindset to perform well on weekends."
"The coaches say it all the time, everyone, every one of the players or athletes who's at this school is highly talented, and they're there for a reason," Gowers said. "But what really separates the good from the really good is probably between the ears, I guess, the mental side of the game."
And while their childhoods may have been different, their dreams are similar to American kids — making it to the NFL.
"My mindset is like, I'm always telling myself, I make this field goal, you know, and the goal is making every single field goal, like this year. And if I can do that, there's a lot of chance to go to NFL," Matsuzawa said.
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