Any frustration rookie kicker Ben Sauls might’ve had about moving twice quickly dissipated thanks to the news of officially landing in the NFL. From Tipp City, Ohio, Sauls had just returned home when the Pittsburgh Steelers gave him the call to hurry back.
Following the team’s second day of rookie minicamp Saturday, Sauls explained how he landed back in Pittsburgh.
“I was stoked,” Sauls told reporters via the Pittsburgh DSEN YouTube account. “I pretty much moved home two Thursdays ago, whenever the draft was. I really didn’t expect to come back. But I was more than happy on that Sunday to pack the car up again and come back right to where I was at.”
Sauls spent the previous five seasons with the Pitt Panthers, serving as their starting kicker the past three. He took lumps early in his career, losing a camp battle in 2021 and slumping in 2023. But he rebounded to become one of college football’s best kickers in 2024, making 21-of-24 field goals and all 44 of his extra points. A big leg with NFL range, he routinely hit from 57 yards with a career-long of 58. Acrisure Stadium isn’t the daunting place it used to be but it’s still not an easy place to kick. For Sauls, there won’t be a learning curve.
“I’m excited,” he said. “I’m anticipating a lot of good things happening. The familiarity is just another advantage in my pocket here. But it’s time to get to work and be better.”
His biggest adjustments will be the additional pressure the NFL creates and having a new holder. Cam Guess served as his holder throughout his Pitt tenure. With the Steelers, it’ll be one of the punters, Cameron Johnston or Corliss Waitman.
Before coming to Pittsburgh for the first time, Sauls was a standout soccer player. His senior year squad went undefeated and won a state title, Sauls leading the group with 19 goals. His 48 goals still rank sixth in school history.
Sauls will back up Chris Boswell this spring and summer, telling reporters he’s looking forward to building a friendship. Boswell’s job security is as strong as any kicker in the league, and he’ll likely receive a raise this summer, a reward for an elite 2024 campaign. But Boswell is also 34 years old and Pittsburgh may begin preserving his leg in the summer, meaning extra chances for Sauls.
Sticking in the NFL as a kicker is hard. There’s no depth chart. It’s starter or off the roster. But Sauls has what he’s always chased. A chance to live out a dream and an opportunity to kick at football’s highest level. His mindset, and his leg, seems ready for the league.
