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UPDATE
The Rams ended up having Matt Gay healthy to kick and made Austin MacGinnis inactive, so his NFL debut will have to wait.
The Los Angeles Rams will have Austin MacGinnis on the sideline against the New England Patriots. The former Wildcats kicker, who last played in Lexington in 2017, will suit up for his first NFL action.
According to Jourdan Rodrigue, MacGinnis was elevated from the practice squad to the roster due to a shoulder injury suffered by current kicker Matt Gay.
The Rams have elevated kicker Austin MacGinnis from the practice squad. Starter Matt Gay popped up on the injury report yesterday with a shoulder issue. Had not previously been on the report.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) December 10, 2020
Gay has been the team’s starting kicker for the past three weeks. In that span, he has had 10 extra points, not missing a single one, and five field goals, missing two.
This will seemingly give MacGinnis his shot, and it may be all he needs. He had a solid career with the Wildcats for four seasons and has since been trying to make it in the NFL.
Prior to getting his first NFL shot, MacGinnis played in both the Canadian Football League and most recently for the XFL’s Dallas Renegades. His time with the Renegades was cut short after the league suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He successfully kicked all 10 of his field goals for the Renegades.
The eighth-ranked kicker coming out of high school in 2013, MacGinnis kicked for the Wildcats for four seasons and was the primary option for three, successfully completing 102/104 extra points and 51/64 field goals.
Let’s hope MacGinnis gets to kick against the Patriots and shines in what should be a down-to-the-wire battle.