{"id":233120,"date":"2026-04-25T17:16:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T03:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=233120"},"modified":"2026-04-25T17:16:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T03:16:44","slug":"matsuzawa-signs-with-raiders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/25\/matsuzawa-signs-with-raiders\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Tokyo Toe’ Matsuzawa signs as undrafted free agent with Las Vegas Raiders"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> < 1<\/span> minute<\/span><\/span>

\"graphic<\/p>\n

Record-breaking University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> football<\/a> kicker Kansei Matsuzawa, affectionately known as “The Tokyo Toe,” signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Las Vegas Raiders on April 25.<\/p>\n

During his time at UH<\/abbr>, Matsuzawa rewrote the program’s record books. In his stellar 2025 senior season, he made 27 of 29 field goals, setting a new single-season school record and finishing second in the nation in made field goals. He tied a 43-year-old FBS<\/abbr> record by making 25 consecutive field goals to start the season.<\/p>\n

Overall, Matsuzawa connected on 26 consecutive field goals stretching from the end of 2024 through November 2025, which matched the Mountain West Conference record and shattered the previous UH<\/abbr> school record of 20 set by Jason Elam in 1989. He leaves UH<\/abbr> as the most accurate kicker in program history, boasting a career field goal percentage of .867 (39-of-45).<\/p>\n

His on-field dominance earned him unprecedented recognition. Matsuzawa became the first consensus All-American in UH<\/abbr> program history<\/a>. He was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year, a finalist for the Lou Groza Award (joining only Jason Elam in UH<\/abbr> history), and a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, which honors the nation’s top player who began their career as a walk-on.<\/p>\n

Matsuzawa’s signing marks the culmination of one of the most incredible stories in college football. A native of the Tokyo area and a former high school soccer player, Matsuzawa did not begin kicking until age 20 after attending an NFL<\/abbr> game during a trip to the U.S. Driven to pursue the sport, he taught himself the mechanics of kicking by watching YouTube videos, eventually earning an opportunity at Hocking College in Ohio before joining UH<\/abbr> as a walk-on prior to the 2023 season.<\/p>\n

For more, visit the UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span> Athletics website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Matsuzawa became the first consensus All-American in UH<\/abbr> program history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":233121,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1362],"tags":[58,83,714,9,550],"class_list":["post-233120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","tag-athletics","tag-football","tag-student-athlete","tag-uh-manoa","tag-manoa-athletics","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t