Florida State fans now have a national championship to celebrate while they wait for FSU football in September. As part of the offseason, we’re doing a countdown that highlights players, games, and specific moments from Florida State football history. On Wednesday, it was Deion Sanders intercepting the final pass in the 1989 Sugar Bowl, cementing his legacy and capturing the victory.
Today, it’s former kicker Dustin Hopkins and the 88 made field goals in his FSU career.
Hopkins and his trademark golden shoes first arrived in Tallahassee in 2009. His freshman year was filled with growing pains, as Hopkins connected on just 70 percent of his field goals and missed four extra point attempts. He was nearly automatic from inside the 40-yard line, but he struggled from long range despite having an extremely strong leg.
Starting in 2010, Hopkins began to shine (and it wasn’t from the shoes). He improved in every category, going a perfect 53-for-53 in extra point attempts and raising his field goal percentage to over 78 percent. That included his first ever-game winning field goal: a 55-yard boot to beat Clemson in a crucial ACC game.
His 2011 was similarly impressive. He broke the NCAA record for consecutive made field goals (109) and again improved to an 81.5 field goal percentage. Most notably, Hopkins converted on three field goal attempts against the rival Miami Hurricanes in a tight 23-19 contest.
The 2012 season saw Hopkins break even more records. This time, he set the mark for career points scored by a kicker (466) and career made field goals (88). He was also 5-for-6 on attempts of 50 yards or more.
In total, Dustin Hopkins finished his time at FSU by going 202-for-207 on extra points and 88-for-112 on field goals. While his accuracy would be far surpassed by Roberto Aguayo, Hopkins possessed perhaps the strongest leg in FSU kicking history behind only Sebastian Janikowski. Once the offense got past the opponent’s 45-yard line, fans always felt that they could come away with some points because of Hopkins.
Hopkins was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He spent one season there before heading to the New Orleans Saints, who released him in early 2015. The Washington Redskins then picked him up and named him the starter for the season. He finally got a chance to showcase his skills, becoming the starting kicker over the next three years. Hopkins recently signed a 3-year contract extension with Washington.
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