Who is Cam Little? The Jaguars kicker who rewrote NFL history after never planning to play football

Young placekicker Cam Little now holds a place in NFL history, with his shirt on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Ohio. Yet his path to the spotlight was anything but planned, as Little was interested in soccer, not football. The talented kicker is now a crucial part of Jacksonville’s team.Little’s rise in football did not come without its complications, as he had no knowledge of the game's rules. However, through the guidance of his mentors, he was able to learn the game. The 2025 season showed his immense potential, and he even managed to break some records, proving that at just 22, the sky is the limit for the popular kicker. About his start in football, Little told BBC Sport, “I had no plans on playing football. I was a soccer player through and through.” After a casual invite to a high school practice, football and its rules proved to be challenging and confusing to him. He added, “I didn't even know how to put pads on. I didn't know what the rules of football were.” After a disastrous early punt where “they snap it over my head, and I get smacked,” he was ready to walk away.However, his father and coach saw potential when Little could not. That push led him to study elite kickers, including Justin Tucker, and slowly refine his craft. Arkansas became the next step. The NFL followed soon after, with the Jaguars selecting him in the sixth round of the 2024 draft. In Week 9 of the 2025 season, Little drilled a 68-yard field goal against the Raiders, breaking Tucker’s long-standing record. He also added a 67-yard kick weeks later, giving him the two longest field goals in league history. Despite these achievements, he remains grounded, saying, “I like to live in humility, thinking I'm not going to take this opportunity for granted. But I also think it makes me hungry to kind of break more records.”Little’s rise mirrors Jacksonville’s turnaround as the Jaguars surged to 13 wins under head coach Liam Coen and executive Tony Boselli. Little explained, “Something that Coach Coen's harped on is just going 1-0 every week.” With the playoffs incoming, Jacksonville faces the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card round.Also read: Who are Cam Little's parents? Meet the backbone of the Jaguars kicker who just hit the longest field goal in NFL history