GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Patrick Durkin does not want to be a "kind of to the side" type of kicker for the Florida Gators . It is why he went against Jayden Woods, Jadan Baugh and Ben Hanks III, among others, during the offseason Gauntlet workout program.
Not only did he hold his own, he only lost once to Woods, arguably the strongest player on the team. He beat Baugh and Hanks III.
While position groups usually get matched up together, Durkin going against non-specialists is something he's "always done," including at Tulane
against now-Auburn corner Raysawn Pleasant.
Outside of the Gauntlet, Durkin squats 500 pounds, power cleans 300 pounds and pocket cleans 285 pounds - all as a 195-pound kicker.
Working under Whitt at both Tulane and now at Florida helps, but the origin of his strength comes from one of college football's most famous stories: Rudy.
The 1972 graduate of Providence Catholic High School is the younger brother of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, Joliet sports legend who achieved worldwide acclaim thanks to the iconic 1993 underdog sports movie, "Rudy."
"It's got, like New York/Philly-style plates," he said. "... It's all like drywall around. They got all the old newspapers, articles, and then all the kids who went to college programs to play sports. They're all around the gym, so it's a really old-school powerlifting gym."
Not only did that experience give him an old-school lifting mentality, it also led him to Tulane and eventually Florida. Ruettiger, who Durkin said is "all about the basics" taught him that relationships mean everything.
"He's just got such a unique perspective, kind of an old-school-like mentality to him," Durkin said. "Everyone nowadays maybe is trying to reinvent the wheel a little bit, but he's kind of just old-school."
Heading into the 2024 season, then-Tulane special teams coordinator Greg McMahon , who stayed on staff in Jon Sumrall's first year as the head coach, offered Durkin a walk-on opportunity with one of the last roster spots. Unfortunately, his freshman season was delayed due to a hip injury. Durkin said the injury now is a "blessing in disguise."
"It kind of took away football and showed me who I was without football, and it grew me so much as a person," he explained. "And then coming back, getting healthy after that season, putting on all the weight I lost, I was ready for my first full year playing healthy. That really helped me this past year."
Thankfully, Durkin recovered. He went on to play in the Green Wave 's last two regular-season games, its AAC Championship Game appearance against Army and its Gasparilla Bowl loss to, ironically, Florida, going 16-for-16 on extra points and 2-for-4 on field goals. That loss to the Gators would be his last as a walk-on, as he was put on scholarship for the 2025 season.
That 2025 campaign put Durkin on the national map . As Tulane made a push towards the College Football Playoff, Durkin was named the American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, hitting 25 of his 28 field-goal attempts, including 4-for-6 from at least 50 yards. Shortly after the honor, Sumrall was hired at Florida and brought with him special teams coordinator Johnathan Galante, who replaced McMahon.
Durkin said he had multiple opportunities when he decided to transfer from Tulane during the coaching change. The destination was clear, though. With Sumrall and Galante settled in Gainesville, Durkin followed suit. He and punter Alec Clark are the only two Tulane transfers on the roster.
Following after, funny enough, was McMahon, who joined the staff as an analyst after electing to un-retire for the second-straight season.
Now at Florida, Durkin is making his presence felt. His kicking abilities are standing out after drilling a career-long 53-yard field goal in his first attempt of the season, hitting all of his extra points and not allowing a single kickoff return against Florida Atlantic.
Florida Gators kicker Patrick Durkin drilled a 53-yard field goal in the win over FAU. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Durkin was quick to credit holder Clark, short-snapper Lincoln Anderson and his blockers. His teammates are quick to credit him, especially considering his lack of hesitation in getting out of the specialist bubble. Running back Duke Clark, who also lost to Durkin in the Gauntlet, called him "different."
Durkin also credits Sumrall for bringing him to Florida, a place with a rich special teams history. Most recently, kicker Trey Smack was taken in the Sixth Round of the 2026 NFL Draft to be the kicker selected. Punter Tommy Doman was taken a round later, and long-snapper Rocco Underwood made the Eagles' roster as an undrafted free agent.
In addition to Smack (Green Bay), Doman (Buffalo) and Underwood (Philadelphia), four more Florida specialists are on NFL rosters : punters Tommy Townsend ( Tennessee ) and Jeremy Crawshaw (Denver) and kickers Eddy Pineiro (San Francisco) and Evan McPherson ( Cincinnati ).
Durkin hopes to be the next.
"For (Sumrall) to bring me here and to be at the University of Florida is a huge honor and privilege," Durkin said. "This place has produced so many great specialists. I think there's seven active NFL specialists right now, so it's a huge honor. I wanted to be here. I wanted the challenge."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as Florida's Patrick Durkin is Not a Regular Kicker. Here's Why .
