EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — John Harbaugh has twice coached an NFL team with a rookie kicker. The first time, he won the Super Bowl. The second time, he got fired.
“I learned that it’s great if he can make the last kick of the season,” Harbaugh said with a laugh.
Seven months after Tyler Loop missed wide right on a field goal attempt that caused Baltimore to miss the playoffs and led to his ouster after 18 years with the Ravens, Harbaugh has not let
that experience deter him. He is turning to another rookie kicker, Dominic Zvada, in his first season as coach of the New York Giants.
“(Loop) made a bunch of kicks before that, and I’m sure he’ll make a bunch of kicks in the future,” Harbaugh said this week. “And if Dominic misses one kick, it’s not the end of the world. I learned that. So, he’ll be fine. I think he’s going to kick really well.”
Undrafted out of Michigan, Zvada beat out holdover Ben Sauls in a kicking competition that ran from spring workouts through training camp. Only after the third and final preseason game did Harbaugh declare a winner, though it was becoming increasingly clear in recent weeks who it would be.
“It’s been a long journey ever since when it started up until this point,” Zvada said. “But the work doesn’t stop. It’s only the beginning of the season now, so we have a long road ahead.”
The road belongs to Zvada with no other kicker on the roster or practice squad. Harbaugh believes Sauls, who went 8 for 8 in his first eight field goal attempts in the league last season, will get a job elsewhere at some point.
And it does not seem like it will be a week-to-week evaluation at the position.
“I am going in knowing I am the starting kicker,” Zvada said. “That’s where my mindset is. We’re doing everything we can to make sure I am able to go out and do my job. That’s all it is right now.”
Zvada had a rough senior year at Michigan, going 17 of 25 (68.8%), something Giants general manager Joe Schoen chalked up to a new holder and a new snapper. Zvada led the nation with 21 field goals and a 95.5% success rate as a junior in 2024.
To make what he hopes is a smooth transition from college to the pros, Zvada worked with mental performance coach Suzi Freeman to map out a plan and a process.
“It’s a lot of little things," said Zvada, who turns 23 on Oct. 25, the day of New York's Week 7 game at Houston. "Just having daily intentions, going into the day with a plan, having small goals that you set along the way so you know you are making progress.”
Zvada was the only kicker at rookie minicamp, made all five of his field goal attempts in the preseason and showed off his strong right leg by connecting from more than 60 yards out during practice.
“He’s been really good since he got here this spring post-draft,” Schoen said. “Mentally tough kid. He’s got some personality and some swag to him, which you like, and a really strong leg. And he’s putting it through the goal posts so far, so that’s the goal. Hopefully he keeps it up.”
Zvada said he couldn't remember much about Loop's miss back in January, brushing off any connection like a chip shot straight through the uprights. He's focused now on validating Harbaugh's trust.
“For me, it’s all about this season, and I am just honored he gave me the starting spot,” Zvada said. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure every time I go on the field we get points.”
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